Kansas City Chiefs vs Jacksonville Jaguars Prediction & Betting Tips - NFL

Prediction published on 20/01/2023, 16:08  by Joseph King | Modified on 20/01/2023 at 16:08 in American Football Predictions

The NFL Playoffs continue in the Divisional Round this weekend with the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Jacksonville Jaguars the first game up on the docket. The Chiefs enter this round after earning a first round bye thanks to their AFC-best 14-3 record in the regular season and are the oddsmakers current co-favorites, along with the Buffalo Bills at odds of 6.50, to lift the Lombardi trophy in February. The Chiefs ended the regular season on an excellent run of form, winning their last five consecutive games which was capped off by a 31-13 victory over the Raiders in their last outing two weeks ago. It’s easy to see why the oddsmakers have the Chiefs as co-Super Bowl favorites given the team’s high-powered offense that has been their calling card since the emergence of 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs are currently the highest scoring team in the NFL with an average of 29.2 points per game put up during the regular season. 

Jacksonville enters this game as significant underdogs. The Jags have surprised many this season to make the playoffs and should be thrilled with the progress shown by the team to make it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Jacksonville ended this season as the NFC South winners despite managing only a 9-8 record. They would then squeeze by the Chargers 31-30 in the first round of the playoffs despite some worrying trends in their play. Not many teams are able to turn the ball over five times and still walk away with the win. That was the case in the Jags Wild Card matchup against Chargers as second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions in his debut playoff appearance. They can’t afford another performance like that in this matchup as they will have to be near perfect to cause the upset against the powerhouse Chiefs.