NFL London Betting Odds: Bills vs. Jaguars
Carrie Stroup here with your NFL London betting odds for the Bills vs. Jaguars. Sportsbook.ag Line: Buffalo -4, Total: 41
BUFFALO BILLS (3-3) vs. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1-5)
Wembley Stadium - London, England
Kickoff: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET
Rex Ryan and his merry band of Bills head to London on Sunday morning to take on the slumping Jaguars.
The Bills (3-3 SU and ATS) are looking to get above .500 before their Week 8 bye, taking on the lowly Jaguars (1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS) in front of an international crowd at Wembley Stadium. Buffalo has alternated wins and losses so far this season, dropping last week’s game 34-21 at home against the surging Bengals. Curiously, the team has played better on the road (2-0 SU and ATS) than at Ralph Wilson Stadium (1-3 SU and ATS).
Jacksonville, meanwhile, holds the inauspicious honor of having the worst record in the worst division of the NFL, entering Sunday riding a four-game SU losing skid (1-3 ATS).
Buffalo leads the all-time series between the teams 7-6 SU (8-5 ATS), most recently winning on the road in 2013 with then-rookie QB EJ Manuel at the helm. Manuel may once again be the Bills’ starter this Sunday, as QB Tyrod Taylor continues to recover from a knee injury he suffered in Week 5. The Bills have a few trends in their favor to cover the spread this weekend, as their opponent is 5-17 ATS in the first half of the season over the past three years, and 1-9 ATS off an Over in the past two seasons.
Injuries are hampering both teams going into Sunday’s matchup. QB Tyrod Taylor (knee), WR Sammy Watkins (ankle), CB Leodis McKelvin (knee), RB Karlos Williams (concussion), WR Percy Harvin (hip) and DT Kyle Williams (knee) are expected to miss the game.
Jacksonville isn’t faring much better, as WR Marqise Lee (hamstring), S James Sample (shoulder), RB T.J. Yeldon (groin), RB Bernard Pierce (concussion), TE Julius Thomas (ribs), DE Chris Clemons (back), and RB Corey Grant (groin) are questionable, and the Jags’ leading WR Allen Robinson (leg) is probable.
Buffalo’s offense has been uncharacteristically productive this season, though injuries have kept QB Tyrod Taylor, RB LeSean McCoy, RB Karlos Williams, WR Sammy Watkins, and WR Percy Harvin off the field for at least a game apiece. Newly-added TE Charles Clay is the only skill position player to start all six games for the Bills, and is the favorite target of the team’s quarterbacks, catching 31 passes for 324 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Backup QB EJ Manuel is 1-0 (SU and ATS) against the Jaguars, but has struggled on the road in his short career (3-5 SU and ATS). In spite of its injury woes and the team’s predilection for penalties (averaging 10 per game for a loss of 97 yards), Buffalo hangs 24.2 PPG (8th out of 32) and has been a top-10 rushing team in yards (752), touchdowns (8), and yards per attempt (4.4).
On the other side of the ball, the Bills have been efficient against the run, limiting opponents to 87 YPG (4th out of 32) and three touchdowns (6th out of 32), but have found difficulty stopping their opponents through the air, surrendering 269 YPG (23rd out of 32) and 13 TD touchdowns (29th out of 32).
The most charitable way to describe Jacksonville this season is “balanced.” The team ranks 30th out of 32 for both points scored (18.8) and points allowed (29.3) per game. Under the stewardship of QB Blake Bortles (272 passing YPG, 6.7 YPA, 13 TD, 7 INT), and thanks to offensive weapons WR Allen Robinson and WR Allen Hurns, the Jags have racked up a respectable 258 passing YPG (12th out of 32) and 13 touchdowns (5th out of 32), though a sizeable amount of their production has come in garbage time.
Jacksonville has had difficulty running the football all season (93 rushing YPG), and that will continue as long as top RB T.J. Yeldon is out. In two seasons as a starter, Bortles has compiled a dismal 4-16 SU record (8-11 ATS), with Sunday’s matchup being his first look at Buffalo.
The Jaguars defense has been ineffectual in 2015, failing to stop either the run (102 YPG) or the pass (264 YPG), and generating a league-worst three turnovers.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
