A bad situation for the Jacksonville Jaguars got worse at the end of the week with the news that quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss the first start of his career due to a right shoulder injury.
Do the Jaguars still have enough to snap their four-game losing streak to the lowly Carolina Panthers? Here’s a breakdown of that matchup.
Panthers vs. Jaguars Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Jaguars -4
- Moneyline: Panthers (+164), Jaguars (-198)
- Over/Under: 36.5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: EverBank Stadium
- Channel: CBS
Panthers vs. Jaguars Prediction
What was once viewed as a matchup between former No. 1 overall draft picks — Bryce Young vs. Trevor Lawrence — now has a much different storyline with the news that Lawrence is out this week.
The question now becomes, can the Jaguars hang on to their lead in the AFC South Division?
The setup couldn’t be better for Jacksonville, with its last two opponents this season — Panthers and Tennessee Titans — a combined 7-23 for the season.
But the Jaguars are playing a team that, for all of its issues offensively, is a top-five team at the defensive end. Carolina is No. 5 in total defense, allowing less than 300 total yards a game (296.8).
The Panthers’ strength is in their pass defense, where they are No. 3 this season, allowing only 175.9 yards per game through the air.
With Lawrence out, C.J. Beathard gets the start. The good news for the Jaguars is that Beathard is a veteran QB with 12 career starts under his belt. The bad news is that in those 12 starts — all with the 49ers — Beathard is just 2-10.
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A good ground game would certainly help the Jaguars’ fortunes Sunday, but even that has been non-existent of late. Jacksonville had a season-low 37 rushing yards in last week’s loss to the Buccaneers.
It was the fifth straight game the Jaguars were held under 90 rushing yards, the second-longest such streak in franchise history (the longest was seven straight games in 2012).
Young is coming off easily the best game of his young NFL career last week vs. the Green Bay Packers. Young had his first 300-yard passing game (312 yards) with two touchdown passes and zero interceptions. In fact, Young has thrown just one interception over his last four starts.
It still hasn’t been enough to pick up an offense that ranks in the bottom five of the NFL in scoring offense, total offense, and passing offense, but an improving young quarterback is always a good start in trying to turn things around.
Lawrence’s injury is the biggest news for the Jaguars on the injury front. For the Panthers, the only player ruled out for this game is backup cornerback Troy Hill (concussion).
Not only has Jacksonville lost four in a row straight-up, but it has failed to cover the spread in any of those games. In addition, the Jaguars are just 2-5 vs. the spread at home, but they are 6-3 ATS as a favorite.
After starting the season 1-9-1 vs. the spread, Carolina has covered three of its last four games. However, the Panthers are just 1-6-1 ATS as a road underdog.
I get that one team is leading its division while the other is in the cellar of the NFL. But the fact that Carolina continues to play hard even in a lost season, and the absence of Lawrence, makes this a lot closer than many may think.
I’m taking a chance that the Panthers will come to play in this matchup, and if so, that could be enough to keep this game tight.
Best Bet: Panthers +4 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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