NFL Week 7 Picks: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Oakland Raiders

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Both the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) and Oakland Raiders (1-4) desperately need a win this weekend, as the two AFC squads meet up on Sunday afternoon inside the O.co Coliseum, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.

The Raiders are currently four-point home favorites in the Week 7 pro-football betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total is holding steady at 44.

Let's take a closer look at this contest from a betting perspective, while providing a pick on the total along the way.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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The Jacksonville Jaguars have been out-gained by a triple-digit margin in their last four games, which is why their bye week came at the perfect time in Week 6.

Second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert continues to struggle, leading directly to the offense ranking last in the league in averaging just 241.2 yards per game.

Expect a conservative game plan with star running back Maurice Jones-Drew getting plenty of touches, as he's averaging 4.9 yards per carry on the year.

Oakland Raiders

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The Oakland Raiders will be looking for their first win over the Jacksonville Jaguars since the 1996 season, as they've dropped the last four games in the series, including a 38-31 setback as 3.5-point road underdogs on Dec. 12, 2010.

Running back Darren McFadden had one of his best performances as a pro in that contest, finishing with 209 total yards from scrimmage. 

He will have a hard time reaching that type of number on Sunday, considering the offensive line has yet to play a full game with all five of its projected starters.

Las Vegas Perspective

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I reached out to Jimmy Vaccaro earlier this week about this high-profile affair. He serves as the public relations director for William Hill, and here's what he had to say:

The marquee game of the weekend. It'll draw two flies and two field goals. I see a 6-3 final, so let's go with a Sebastian Janikowski 51-yarder winning it at the gun.

Prediction

I'm going to suggest that readers play the under in this AFC matchup, considering that both teams average less than 62 offensive plays per game.

Oakland must continue to try and establish a running game with Darren McFadden, while Sunday's visitor must try to win this game on the defensive side of the ball, as Blaine Gabbert has thrown for 200 or more yards just once on the road in his career.

NFL Week 7 Pick: Under 44

 

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