Chargers vs. Jaguars 2023 NFL Wild Card Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • January 11, 2023

Two of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL are the Los Chargers’ Justin Herbert and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence. They face off on Saturday in the AFC wild card round in the first playoff game for both and first-ever playoff matchup between the franchises.

Maybe the best game the Jaguars played this season was Week 3 at the Chargers when Jacksonville ended an 18-game road losing streak with a 38-10 blowout victory. Jacksonville’s road skid was tied for the eighth-longest in league history.

The 28-point win was Jacksonville’s largest on the road since a 33-3 rout of Minnesota in 2001, when current Jags QB Trevor Lawrence was 2 years old. He threw for 262 yards and three scores. James Robinson rushed for 100 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown in the third quarter that proved to be the knockout punch. It was the first of three straight scoring drives by the Jaguars. Robinson was later traded to the Jets.

Nitrobetting is ready to equip its bettors with the latest news, NFL odds, and special features for the entire duration of the 2022 NFL season. This time, let’s take a closer look at the upcoming Wild Card showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chargers vs. Jaguars NFL Wild Card Game Information

When: Saturday, January 14, 2023, 8:15 PM ET
Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
TV: NBC
Radio: ALT 98.7 FM (Chargers) // WJXL AM 1010 (Jaguars)
Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
NFL Odds: Chargers (-2) // Jaguars (+2)

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Chargers?

The Chargers played that game without receiver Keenan Allen, and Justin Herbert was dealing with a rib injury. Herbert passed for 297 yards but turned it over twice, finishing 25 of 45 with a touchdown. Jags coach Doug Pederson said this week he expects a much different matchup Saturday night.

“They’re different. We’re different,” Pederson said. “That was a long time ago. There’s some new faces on their side. There’s some new faces on our side. Schematically, probably both the same with us and with them. Again, we’ve talked about it a lot, you’re not going to trick anybody. It just comes down to execution, both sides, them and us.”

Herbert (24 years, 310 days on Saturday) and Lawrence (23 years, 100 days) will make this just the ninth playoff contest since 1950 in which both starting quarterbacks are under 25 years old. Three of those games happened in the past two postseasons (2020-21).

Why Bet on the Jacksonville Jaguars?

The Jaguars, after a 2-6 start to the season, won seven of their last nine games. They won their last five games of the season, clinching the AFC South with a 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the regular-season finale at TIAA Bank Field last Saturday.

Lawrence became the sixth quarterback since 2000 to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft and reach the postseason in one of his first two career seasons after leading the Jaguars to their first AFC South division title since 2017. He set career highs this season in passing yards (4,113), touchdown passes (25) and passer rating (95.2) and over the final 10 weeks of the season (Weeks 9-18), led all AFC quarterbacks in passer rating (104.6).

Herbert led the Chargers to their first postseason berth since 2018. He recorded 4,739 passing yards with 25 touchdown passes this season and became the first player in NFL history with at least 4,500 passing yards in two of his first three career seasons. Herbert also joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown passes in each of their first three seasons.

The Chargers got good news on the injury front Tuesday when the team designated star left tackle Rashawn Slater to return from Injured Reserve but he won’t play Saturday. If the Bolts advance, he could in the divisional round. Wideout Mike Williams left Sunday’s loss in Denver with a back injury but should play Saturday. In other injury news, Coach Brandon Staley said cornerback Bryce Callahan and linebacker Kenneth Murray, Jr., will practice this week. Callahan did not play Sunday while Murray left in the first half with a neck injury.

Saturday’s game will mark the 14th all-time meeting between both teams — and the first one in the postseason. The Chargers hold a 9-4 regular season advantage over the Jaguars, including winning four out of the last five in Jacksonville. The Bolts will face a team from the AFC South, a division that was created in 2002, in the postseason for the fourth time in team history.

Chargers vs. Jaguars Betting Trends

Chargers are 4-0-1 ATS in the last 5 games overall.
Chargers are 7-2 ATS in the last 9 road games.
The total went under in 4 of LA Chargers’ last 6 games.
Jaguars are 3-0-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Jaguars are 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 vs. AFC.
The total went over in 6 of Jacksonville’s last 7 games against LA Chargers.

Chargers vs. Jaguars Expert Betting Predictions

Chargers 24, Jaguars 23.

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*All stated odds are subject to change without prior notice.