Patriots vs Jaguars Picks - October 20

The British faithful may have to sit through the worst game of the entire Week 7 slate when the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars square off at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. These are without question two of the most inept teams in football, and the standings confirm as much. Both sides head into this contest with 1-5 records, sitting in last place in their respective divisions. They are tied for last place in the entire league along with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns. 

Sill, betting opportunities abound for all NFL action, and that can make this first game on Sunday’s slate worth watching. Let’s take a look at the best bets to be made prior to kickoff, which is set for 9:30 am on NFL Network. 

Predictions 

Pick #1: New England Patriots +5.5 over Jacksonville Jaguars (-110) 

Pick #2: Under 42 (-110) 

Pick #3: Drake Maye (NE) Over 203.5 passing yards (-110) 

Pick #1: Patriots +5.5 over Jaguars (-110)

Expectations were high for the Jaguars after they went 9-8 in each of the previous two seasons. They should have won back-to-back AFC South titles, but choked it away last year to the Houston Texans. It’s safe to say that they have been one of the most disappointing teams in football so far in 2024. Head coach Doug Pederson is on the hot seat, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence is also under criticism. Lawrence is completing just 60.7 percent of his passes and has been intercepted three times. More bad news for Jacksonville is that New England has made the move from Jacoby Brissett to Drake Maye. That is by no means going to make the Patriots an offensive juggernaut, but they looked a lot better in Maye’s first start – a loss to Houston last weekend. This should be a close, low-scoring contest. 

Pick #2: Under 42 Total Points (-110)

London games, for whatever reason, have generally been defensive slogs – often between bad teams – and this one has the makings of being no different. New England’s defense has not been as good as advertised, but it could have a dominant performance on Sunday considering the offense that will be on the other side of the ball. Jacksonville has scored no more than 20 points in all five of its losses. It is a team that can’t run the ball even with Travis Etienne Jr., who is questionable due to a hamstring injury. The Pats should not have any trouble containing a one-dimensional offense. As for New England’s offense, it appears to be improved, but is still far from a well-oiled machine with a rookie QB that has little skill-position talent around him. The under once again looks like the play to make in London. 

Pick #3: Drake Maye (NE) Over 203.5 passing yards (-110)

Not too many precincts are reporting, but early returns are relatively encouraging when it comes to Maye. The #3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft has played in two games so far, starting one. He is 24 of 41 passing for 265 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Although the former North Carolina standout was picked off twice by Houston last week, he tossed three scoring strikes and finished with 243 passing yards. He now faces a Jacksonville defense that is dead last in the NFL against the pass (276.7 yards per game allowed) while giving up 8.1 yards per pass attempt. Maye should be able to exceed a very modest 203.5 number.