“I believe in our team. I do.” -Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley.
These unbelievably inspirational words from the Jaguars head coach have yet to have an effect on one of the worst NFL teams we have seen in a good while. And after this next week, even Gus will be forced to question the validity of his statement. The game has not yet commenced, but yet they are already making history this week.
The Denver Broncos are favored to defeat the Jags by a whopping 28 points this week. This line is indeed tied for the highest of all time. To find that line, you have to go back to the 1966 matchup where the Baltimore Colts were favored to take down the Falcons by the same four touchdown line that we see today. That clearly exemplifies just how rare it is to have two professional teams with such an immense differential in ability.
Lets put a few things into perspective, shall we?
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning leads the NFL just about every category possible including passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and least amount of interceptions thrown.
Jacksonville quarterbacks Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert are ranked 32 and 34 in yards, 29 and 33 in completion percentage, 31 and 37 in touchdowns, and they have combined for a total of nine interceptions, which is tied for second most in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos are ranked number 1 in total offense, and the Jaguars are a whopping number 31.
If thats for some obscure reason not enough for you, you need a serious reality check my friend.
Okay maybe the Denver defense is not the most elite in all the land, but heres the thing: it does not matter against the Jags. Denver has scored 230 points in 5 games, and the Jags have scored an abysmal 51. However, besides Seattle, it is not like they have played the most prestigious of defenses in any sense. The Broncos have scored 51 and 52 points in two separate games this season already.
Remember that other 28 point line way back when? Well the Colts exceeded the 28 point line, and I have full confidence that the Broncos will cover this line as well. The only questions we can ask in this one are the following: “How soon will Denver pull the starters?”
“Can Jacksonville reach double digits?”
“Will Gus Bradley give former Iowa Hawkeye Ricky Stanzi a chance at quarterback?”
28 points is a lot of points in the NFL. However, I firmly believe that this line is smaller than what the final outcome will produce. It is truly remarkable that there could be an assemblance of professional athletes that are capable of producing such a poor result week in and week out on the field. Not only will this Jacksonville team lose by an unfathomable amount this week, the bleeding is not going to halt anytime in the near future. It will be a crime if they are favored to lose by any number under 10 points for the rest of the year. There is only one question left to ponder about for this pathetic team. Are we witnessing a team that just might possess the capability of producing a winless season? This very well could be the case. However, for now, buckle up Jags fans, Mr. Manning is coming to town, and it is going to be ugly.
-Ben Greer
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