Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3 SU, 6-4 ATS) vs. Arizona Cardinals (4-6 SU, 2-7-1 ATS)
Week 12 NFL
Date/Time: Saturday, November 26, 2017 at 4:25PM EST
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
TV: CBS
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: JAC -4.5/ARI +4.5
Over/Under Total: 38
The Jacksonville Jaguars make the trip west to face the Arizona Cardinals in week 12 action from Glendale. The Jaguars are on a nice roll, coming off four straight wins and leading the AFC South division at 7-3. They look for more of the same this week on the road against the Cardinals. On Sunday, the Jaguars won and covered the spread, beating the Browns on the road, 19-7. The Cardinals weren't so fortunate, falling to 4-6 in a disheartening 31-21 loss to the Houston Texans. Against a downward-trending Texans, the Cardinals were hoping to get it to .500, but it appears as though injuries and inconsistency on both sides of the ball have made it so the Cardinals won't be able to keep their noses above water this season.
The Cardinals were looking for paydirt on Sunday against a Houston team that hasn't been able to get much to go their way recently. And through three quarters, things looked to be in-order, with the Cardinals holding onto a 21-17 lead. Two Houston touchdowns in the final quarter sealed the deal, with the Cardinals unable to answer. They are now three-deep in the QB-depth chart, with Blaine Gabbert getting the start. His performance was uneven and he couldn't deliver late in the game. The defense, meanwhile, was bettered on the ground, with D'Onta Foreman rumbling for two touchdowns in the final quarter of play, with aerial scores from Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins, who burned Patrick Peterson with a third quarter score.
The Arizona offense has been undermined by the injury bug. It would have been interesting to see what they could have done with Carson Palmer kicking it into gear, along with rising dynamic back David Johnson. They are stuck with what they have, which isn't quite as good. Gabbert wasn't terrible, as he was 22-for-34 with 257 yards and three touchdowns, but the two picks were costly. They had some good aerial developments. Larry Fitzgerald has been very consistent this season and had 9 catches for 91 yards and a score. Rookie Ricky Seals-Jones, who hadn't caught a pass all season, stepped up with two touchdown receptions. RB Adrian Peterson has put forth a few big games since joining the Cardinals, but has put forth several clunkers, like his 26-yard performance on Sunday.
Since coming off the bye a few weeks ago, the Arizona defense had been playing better and was at least putting the team in a position to win. On Sunday, that wasn't the case. The two TD drives in the final quarter painted the "D" in a bad light. Patrick Peterson did have a pick on the day, though his coverage this season has been lacking at times. Safety Budda Baker was all over the field and even had a sack, with LB Deone Bucannon very active on the day. And for three quarters, the defense had performed capably. But needing some clutch play late, they weren't able to come through.
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The Jags again showed they can win ugly with the 19-7 win over the Browns. We see a playmaking Jaguars' defense starting to develop more stoutness. With the 7 points given up to the Browns, they have now allowed only 31 points combined in their last 4 games, which were all wins. The offense wasn't at its best on Sunday, with seven of the Jaguars' 19 points coming on a defensive score late in the game. But it was enough and the Jags have been able to keep the ball rolling even with injuries on the offensive side of the ball. For what it's worth and for those looking for a contrarian view, they've only beaten one team that is above .500, with their wins coming against teams like the Texans, Ravens, Colts, Bengals, Chargers, and Browns. Then again, getting critical how a long-suffering team like Jacksonville got to 7-3 is missing the point.
On Sunday, Jags' quarterback Blake Bortles was 17-for-30 with just 154 yards and a touchdown. TE Marcedes Lewis caught the only Bortles TD pass on the day. Despite an ankle problem, Leonard Fournette was again effective with 111 yards. They were stopped on 14 third down conversion attempts, as they ran into a Cleveland defense that played pretty good football on Sunday. They look for better results this week. And with Allen Robinson on IR with Allen Hurns missing the last game with an ankle injury, they are a thin in the receiver category and we'll see if that costs them this week.
The Jacksonville defense just keeps making plays and getting better and better. They have given up very little over the course of the last month. Sunday was a case in point, with LB Telvin Smith recovering a fumble for a touchdown, while also picking off a pass. AJ Bouye also had an interception on the day. They also continued rushing the passer with gusto, as Yannick Ngakoue had 2.5 sacks, along with sacks from Malik Jackson, Calais Campbell, and Dante Fowler, Jr. With Bouye, Barry Church, Teshaun Gipson, and Jalen Ramsey, they now actually rank tops in the league in pass-defense. And their front-seven isn't too bad, either. They are averaging fewer points than any team in the league heading into week 12.
Arizona is really up against it now. The way their offense has been playing, a spot against a defense like what Jacksonville brings to the table seems like an unlikely spot for them to thrive. By the same token, it's a tough cross-conference and cross-country road spot for the Jaguars who, to their credit, have only lost once on the road this season. Something tells me this game will be a bit of a struggle. I'm taking the points.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Arizona Cardinals plus 4.5 points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today and bet the Jags vs. Cardinals game by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 50% sign-up bonus!
