The NFL playoffs are upon us and wild card weekend will be home to some incredible matchups. Perhaps no contest will be more scrutinized than Saturday night’s showdown featuring the Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags took the league by storm in the second half of the season, and have gone from having the worst record in football to the champions of the AFC South. The work head coach Doug Pederson has done to revive football in Jacksonville has left the Super Bowl-winning coach as a finalist for the coach of the year award.
Los Angeles is coming into their contest against Jacksonville in a much different tone. While ending their four-year playoff drought with Justin Herbert should have been cause for celebration, the team played their starters and suffered key injuries in a meaningless Week 18 loss to Denver. Now the team heads to Duval with a much more reserved tone.
We have everything you need to know about this marquee NFL playoff matchup here.
Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
Game Details:
- Location: TIAA Bank Field
- Time: Saturday, January 14th at 8:15 pm – ET
- Channel: NBC
Betting Stats:
- Spread: LAC -1.5
- Moneyline: LAC ML (-135) JAX ML (+115)
- Over/Under: 47.5
Matchup Preview:
Saturday night’s contest will be all about the quarterbacks. Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence are two of the brightest young signal-callers the NFL has. Both of their 2022-23 campaigns were nothing short of impressive.
Lawrence has been the highest-rated quarterback since the middle of the season and has come through in the clutch in key moments. Herbert on the other hand has shrugged off not making the playoffs his first two seasons and has led his team to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Being able to do so most of the year without Mike Williams and Keenan Allen has been beyond impressive.
While the quarterbacks will be the top players to watch, the coaching matchup will be just as intriguing. Doug Pederson has a strong history of playoff success and has done an incredible job of legitimizing the Jaguars’ offense.
Staley is more of a defensive coach but his in-game calls have been heavily scrutinized throughout his tenure. By playing the starters last week, the Chargers will be down Mike Williams with a fracture in his back. It’s left Staley as an NFL pariah and left the Chargers wondering if they have the right coach to lead their team.
In short, the game has become a must-win for Los Angeles while the Jaguars have little pressure actually on them.
Players to Watch
Travis Etienne
The Jaguars’ multi-purpose back has been a major reason for Jacksonville’s turnaround this season. Etienne has over 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving and has helped show Lawrence’s true potential at quarterback. He’ll be called upon a lot to get through the Chargers’ defense.
Joey Bosa
The NFL is a simple game at times. For example, beating a young pocket passer like Lawrence means getting consistent pressure on him throughout the game. Lucky for the Chargers, they possess two of the top pass rushers in the NFL. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are two extremely talented pass rushers and could make like difficult for Lawrence to set his feet. If Bosa has a big game, the Chargers should be able to win.
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