NINERS BEAT JAGS

The Jacksonville Jaguars clearly don’t enjoy their trips to the west coast.  On Sunday, they were beaten by the San Francisco 49ers 20-3 to end a three game winning streak.  Earlier this season, the Jags lost 41-0 at Seattle meaning they’ve been outscored 61-3 in the Pacific Time Zone this year.  Jacksonville’s loss dropped their record on the season to 6-5, while the Niners improved to 5-6.

San Francisco also rewarded NFL football betting fans by covering the pointspread as -3 home favorites.  The Niners are an impressive 7-2-2 against the number this season, while the Jaguars dropped to 4-7 ATS.  The 23 combined points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 42.  The 49ers have gone UNDER in six of eleven games this year, while the Jags have played UNDER in five of eleven.

Alex Smith played well, throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions.  Afterwards, he talked about the growth of the team:

"It's pretty much the growth of this offense. In the NFL, you have to be balanced. You have to be able to do it different ways to find ways to win."

Head coach Mike Singletary praised the improving leadership skills of Smith and the Niners’ offense:

"The absolute best thing that happened this week was I saw leadership on the offensive side of the ball. In terms of: 'Coach, this is what I think would work. This is what I think we need. Can we do this? Can we do more spread? Can we put it on us, the receivers?'"

Nothing went right for the Jaguars, including the kicking game.  Josh Scobee missed two field goal attempts including a 21 yarder that equaled the mark for the shortest miss of the NFL season.  The Giants’ Lawrence Tynes also missed a 21 yard effort earlier this year.  Scobee was particularly unhappy with his short range failure:

"The short one was unacceptable, plain and simple. I take full responsibility for it. I am a professional."

The Niners will try to keep their winning ways going as they head north for a game against the Seattle Seahawks.  The game is a ‘pick’em’ with the total set at 41’.  They’ll return home for a game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, December 14 before heading out on the road again to face the Philadelphia Eagles the following Sunday.  The Jaguars will play their next three games at home, beginning with a Sunday contest against the Houston Texans.  The game is a ‘pick’ with the total set at 46’.  The Miami Dolphins will provide the opposition the following Sunday, with the Indianapolis Colts paying a visit on Thursday, December 17.