The Jacksonville Jaguars just defeated the San Francisco 49ers 26-21 in Week 4. But as important as the win is, Liam Coen's squad has its work cut out ahead of their Monday Night Football Matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. One thing in particular they must focus on is their alarming number of penalties.
Against the Niners, the Jags committed 12 penalties for 90 yards, and they have a combined 38 for the year. The margin of error against the Super Bowl runner-up will be narrow. That said, not everything is doom and gloom.
The Jags didn't log a single drop in Week 4 after posting a combined 13 in the three games prior. Similarly, the offense didn't have a single turnover while the defense recorded three takeaways (two interceptions and the game-sealing fumble).
This is a long-winded way to say that if the Jags can play a clean brand of football against the Chiefs, they will have a chance to pull off the upset. Speaking of, below are the odds and the moneyline for the primetime game.
Early odds for the Jaguars game vs. the Chiefs on Monday Night Football
The Jaguars are a 3.5-point underdog for Week 5 with a moneyline of +145, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. If you place a $100 wager, you can win $145 for a total payout of $245 if Jacksonville beats the Chiefs. The Kansas City moneyline sits at -175. To win $100, you must bet $175.
The over/under is 46.5 points, and both the over and the under are set at -110.
Keep it mind that the odds are consistently refreshed, so they can change at any given time.
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Bold Trevor Lawrence prediction for the Jaguars game vs. the Chiefs
As good as the defense and their running game have looked the past few weeks, the Jags haven't been able to get their passing game going. Some of that is due to the receivers not being able to come down with the football. On the other hand, Trevor Lawrence has left a bit to be desired.
Lawrence hasn't been dreadful, but he hasn't been great either, completing 58.3 percent of his throws for 845 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. If the Jaguars want to have a fighting chance against Kansas City, he'll need to play better. The good news is that No. 16 is making strides.
While he has a long way to go, head coach Liam Coen was pleased with Lawrence's performance in Week 4, especially in the first half. Of course, he'll need to build off of that game, and he could turn out to be the X-Factor for the game.
So not only will the defense have to step up and generate takeaways, Trevor Lawrence will need to play like a top-10 quarterback for the Jaguars to beat the Chiefs. And that's precisely what this bold prediction projects him to do:
• Throw for two passing touchdowns, score a rushing touchdown, and register no interceptions.