AFC Championship: Patriots Host Upstart Jags

Brady Injury to Affect AFC Championship Play?

The fans at Gillette Stadium will see the 2018 AFC Championship Game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots when they take their seats on Sunday. The game is being broadcast by CBS and kickoff is set for a few minutes after 3:30 pm EST. Oddsmakers opened the Patriots as -9.5-point favorites versus the Jaguars, while the game’s total opened at 46. The line now shows the Patriots as 7.5-point favorites. The total has dropped to 45.5. The line dropped when Tom Brady skipped his Wednesday media to meet with team medical personnel over a right hand injury. He then did not practice on Thursday because of the injury. His hand was sewn up with four stitches. It was released this morning he hopes to play without a glove on his throwing hand this afternoon. Brady is headed for his seventh straight AFC title game and 12th overall. He also called the upstart Jaguars “the toughest” team the top-seeded Patriots have faced all season. The Patriots have gone 3-3 in the six straight title game appearances. They lost twice to the Denver Broncos and once to the Baltimore Ravens. Most people expected a battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jags flipped the script and come into this game as decided underdogs.

Patriots Ready to Defend AFC Championship

New England was a 35-14 winner in its AFC Divisional Round matchup at home against the Tennessee Titans. They covered the -13.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 49 sent OVER bettors to the payout window. Brady captured his 26th postseason victory last week. He also recorded his 13th 300-yard postseason passing game in the postseason. He extended his NFL record for both.  Brady also broke a tie with Joe Montana to become the all-time leader with 10 three-TD playoff games. The Patriots are seeking the sixth Super Bowl crown of the Brady/Bill Belichick Era.

Jags Depend on Ground Game and Defense in AFC Championship Game

Jacksonville won its last outing, a 45-42 result against the Pittsburgh Steelers AFC Divisional Round matchup. The Jaguars covered in that game as a +7-point underdog, while the 87 combined points took the game OVER the total. The Jags are trying to become only the third team to lead the league in rushing and win the championship. They would be the first since the 1985 Chicago Bears. A huge difference has been Tom Coughlin. He returned to the organization he helped build as the first coach of the expansion team in 1995. Coughlin was hired as Jacksonville’s vice president of football operations. He won a pair of Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New York Giants.

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Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

AFC Championship Game Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	26.22	6	18.24	5
Away Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	187.33	26	240.89	25
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	146.44	1	109.22	19
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	29.00	1	17.39	3
Home Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	266.00	4	216.44	10
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	128.78	9	111.44	11

Head To Head Summary

Head To Head Detail

AFC Championship Game Betting Trends

Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 6 games
Jacksonville is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Jacksonville is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Jacksonville is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing New England
Jacksonville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing New England
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 6 games when playing New England
Jacksonville is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New England
Jacksonville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New England
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 6 games when playing on the road against New England

New England Patriots
New England is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games
New England is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New England’s last 13 games
New England is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
New England is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New England’s last 11 games at home
New England is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Jacksonville
New England is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Jacksonville
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New England’s last 6 games when playing Jacksonville
New England is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Jacksonville
New England is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Jacksonville
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New England’s last 6 games when playing at home against Jacksonville

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

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