BetUS NFL betting odds: JACKSONVILLE -4, Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: Steelers are averaging 3.4 yards per rush
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Jags have played 13 of last 16 over the total
(For more useful stats and trends, visit our special Matchup Tool)
The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) are starting to make some strides on the ground, winning their last two games. On Sunday they will attempt to make it three in a row when they play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) in an NFL online wagering matchup that is set to get underway at 8:15 PM ET at Municipal Stadium (natural turf) in Jacksonville.
In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Jaguars are listed as a four-point favorite, with a posted total of 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* PITT has covered four of its last 13 games
* PITT has played six of its last eight games OVER the total
* PITT has covered one of its last six road games
* PITT has lost four of its last six road games SU
* PITT has played five of its last seven road games UNDER the total
* JAX has covered two of its last seven games
* JAX has won 14 of its last 21 games SU
* JAX has played 13 of its last 16 games OVER the total
* JAX has covered four of its last six home games
* JAX has won five of its last six home games SU
* JAX has played five of its last six home games OVER the total
Also...
* JAX has covered five of the last six meetings
* JAX has won four of the last five meetings SU
* Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
* JAX has won seven of the last ten meetings SU as the home team
* JAX has covered nine of the last ten meetings as the home team
* Six of the last seven meetings in Jacksonville have gone UNDER the total
Early in the season, we focused in on the injury problems which racked the Jaguars' offensive line, and left Jacksonville limping in the running game and with David Garrard running for his life (10 sacks) and making mistakes (four interceptions, more than last year's regular season total). But now the Jags have been taking steps to reverse that, showing up with the running attack in Indianapolis (236 yards) and last week against the Houston Texans (139 yards).
Now that injury focus must shift to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to free agency in the off-season, then lost guard Kendall Simmons in the Baltimore game, as well as running back Rashard Mendenhall for the season with a shoulder injury. Since Mendenhall was replacing Willie Parker, who is still out with a knee sprain, Pittsburgh is now thin in the backfield, and will have to go for the most part with Mewelde Moore. Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked 93 times between 2006 and 2007, has hit the turf 15 times already, projecting to 60 sacks for the season. And you have to wonder abut the effects of Big Ben's hand and shoulder injuries. It's at time like this that the Jags wish they had the kind of pass rush they did in the past, but they've only chalked up five sacks thus far.
The one thing you can say about the Jaguars is that they are rarely intimidated by anyone. And that is particularly true against Pittsburgh, who they have beaten four straight times, including that dramatic 31-29 playoff win at Heinz Field in January when Garrard led them back. Pittsburgh is weakened, specially as Casey Hampton is going to sit out with a groin injury, so we feel confident in laying the points with the Jaguars, the four-point favorite in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.
PLAY: JACKSONVILLE -4 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)