AFC Championship, Jaguars at Patriots: Picks, predictions and odds

The AFC Championship Game will take place on Sunday afternoon, as the New England Patriots will play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The New England Patriots find themselves in familiar territory this weekend, as they will host the AFC Championship Game. For the Patriots, it marks their seventh straight trip to the AFC title game, though their opponent is a bit of a surprise. The Jacksonville Jaguars have made a tremendous playoff run over the last couple of weeks, and come into the game on Sunday riding high after a huge road victory.

Last weekend, the Jaguars had the daunting task of going into Pittsburgh and taking on the Steelers. The Steelers and Patriots met up in the AFC title game last year, so it was a bit of a foregone conclusion that it would be a rematch this weekend. Well, the Jaguars offense finally woke up, as they dropped 45 points on the Steelers, and left Heinz Field with the most unlikely of wins.

Their opponent Sunday will not be taking them lightly, as they have arguably the best head coach, and quarterback in the history of the NFL. Tom Brady will be making his 12th trip to the AFC title game, and will be looking to win his sixth Super Bowl championship if he can get past the Jaguars, and the eventual NFC champs. The Patriots have been great on both sides of the ball in recent weeks, and are fresh off an absolute undressing of the Tennessee Titans inside their building last weekend.

Odds

Line: New England Patriots (-9.5)

Over/Under: 46.5

The Patriots are big home favorites in this one, but so were the Steelers last weekend. The over/under is set at 46.5 points, but if the Jaguars offense shows up like it did in Pittsburgh, this one has the potential to be a shootout. This line will change a lot throughout the week, so head on over to OddsShark.com for any changes up until kickoff.

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The spread is a bit too large in this one, as the Jaguars should come into this game with a ton of confidence. Nobody is expecting them to be here, and they have the defense needed to make this one a close game inside Gillette Stadium. New England is not an elite team on defense, and Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette has been great this season. The Pats will win, but this one is going down to the wire.

Final Score: Patriots 28 Jaguars 24