The Broncos and Jaguars are on polar opposites of the NFL spectrum this season, which seems to indicate a one-sided outcome when the two face off in Denver in a couple weeks. The sports book is betting on it.
The Broncos won their fourth straight game by 16 points or more on Sunday, improving to 4-0 on the season and boasting the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, averaging 44.5 points per game. The Jaguars, meanwhile, dropped their fourth consecutive game to start the season, falling by double digits in each of their losses and scoring an NFL-worst 7.8 points per game. In fact, the Broncos have scored more points in each of their four games (49, 41, 37 and 52) than the Jaguars have combined on the season (31).
With all that in mind, it’s no surprise that a meeting between the NFL’s best and worst teams, set for Week 6, might draw quite a lofty point spread in Las Vegas. Bovada’s sports book manager Kevin Bradley is even expecting it to be the biggest the site has ever posted.
“With the Broncos rolling once again yesterday and the Jags getting blown out, I have been asked numerous times already what the projected Week 6 spread will be when Denver hosts Jacksonville,” Bradley said, according to an email sent to NESN.com. “Before [Sunday] I would have said it would be three touchdowns but considering [Sunday’s] results, the fact that Seattle easily covered 19.5 at home against Jacksonville, and how our bettors have been pounding Denver every week and betting against the Jags like it is free money, this spread is looking closer to four touchdowns. Barring any injuries or something very dramatic occurring, I would expect this to be the biggest spread we have ever posted.”
The largest spread in NFL history was 27 points, which was for a 1976 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers, who were reigning Super Bowl champions at the time, won the game 42-0. The Jaguars’ trip to Seattle earlier this year, which prompted a 19.5-point spread, ranks in as the 10th-biggest spread in league history. The Seahawks wound up covering with a 45-17 win.
There is still a week of play between now and the Jaguars’ trip to Denver, so things could change. The Jags will travel to St. Louis to play an inconsistent Rams team (1-3 record) that hasn’t looked much better than Jacksonville so far this season. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning‘s Broncos will visit Tony Romo and the Cowboys (2-2) in Dallas.
