NFL Week 14 Afternoon Total Play

The NFL week 14 total play is being billed as a matchup of the defense of the past against the defense of the future. The “Legion of Boom” heads to Florida to take on “Sacksonville.” The initial lean would be towards the under ’41’ in this contest but both teams have competent offenses to go with their defensive units. Russell Wilson can put up points on a whim and Blake Bortles picks and chooses his spot thanks to the Jaguars running game. This begs the question then – which way do we lean?

Any Chance at the ‘Over’ 41?

The Seahawks have won four of their last six games and in doing so their offense has been clicking. Seattle has scored 24+ points in three straight games and Wilson has 7TD to 2INT over that span. Seattle has a top 10 offense in total yards (10th) and is 8th in the passing game. Add to that the Seahawks’ #9 scoring offense in the league (24.2) and an ‘over’ seems imminent in the NFL week 14 total play.

So what will be Jacksonville’s offensive contribution on Sunday afternoon? The Jags defense gets a lot of credit but their offense is highly underrated. Jacksonville has scored 23+ points in four of the last six games and boast the league’s #1 rushing attack at 149.4 yards per game. Overall the Jaguars offense is 11th in total yards per game and 7th in points scored at 24.9. Jacksonville uarterback Blake Bortles is coming off one of his best games of the season, going 25/35 for 309 yards and 2TD in last week’s win over the Colts.

#BangRadioHour #SEAvsJAX Prediction:
FastFact: In addition to being a one-man show on offense, Russel Wilson spends his spare time on sideline entertaining kids with balloon animals and bird calls.#Seahawks over #Jaguars 30-27

— John Tayman (@BangRadioHour) December 10, 2017

Do We Get the Defensive Showdown We’re Expecting?

While both offenses have shined lately, each one still has the defense as their calling card. Seattle is banged up in their secondary as both Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman are out for the season. Even so, the Seahawks were able to limit Philadelphia’s #2 scoring offense to 10 points a week ago. Seattle has limited opponents to 17 points or less in four of the last five games and rank #8 in the NFL in scoring defense. These stats go along with the Seahawks #9 defense in total yards which includes 7th against the rush this season allowing under 100 yards per game on the ground.

The new kids on the block for the NFL week 14 total play are known simply as Sacksonville. The Jaguars are 1st in the NFL in sacks (45) and second in interceptions (16). The Jags have scored four defensive TDs this year (tops in the NFL) and have allowed 10 points or less in four of the past six games. The competition hasn’t been the best for Jacksonville lately playing the Colts twice as well as the Bengals, Cardinals, and Browns in the past six games but it’s still a tough matchup for the Seahawks.

The @Jaguars are on pace to do something no other team has done since 1970: lead the NFL in scoring defense, total defense, passing defense, and sacks in the same season pic.twitter.com/5yIapm50Rp

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) December 7, 2017

NFL Week 14 Total Play – Betting

One major advantage for the Seahawks would seem to be Russell Wilson’s mobility to avoid the Jags pass rush but Seattle has still allowed 28 sacks on the year, which is 16th most in the league. Jacksonville is in one of their most marquee games in recent memory, even having the time changed for the national audience. The total has actually went up a bit to 41 since its 39.5 open but this feels like a grind it out type of contest. Jacksonville will be conservative and rely on the run, while Wilson won’t have the time in the pocket for the deep balls that would threaten the ‘over.’

Pick: Seattle Seahawks / Jacksonville Jaguars *Under 41