An epic 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs sparked talk that the Jacksonville Jaguars could be a good bet to book a place in the NFL play-offs this season.
However, much like online casino games, the NFL is renowned for being unpredictable. That point was highlighted to perfection last weekend.
The Jaguars fancied their chances of winning their fifth game in six outings this term, but suffered a disappointing 20-12 home defeat against the Seattle Seahawks.
As fans of blackjack online real money games will recognise, it never pays to take anything for granted when there are so many variables in play.
Jaguars bettors bidding to double down on their winnings from the early part of the season were handed a wake-up call as the team shot themselves in the foot.
Mistakes at crucial times by Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr played a key role in the final outcome and highlighted that the Jaguars still have room for improvement.
Despite this, it is prudent to put the result into context. The Jaguars won just four games last season and have already equalled that tally. Progress has been made.
The Jaguars will be desperate to put that result behind them when they go head-to-head with the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
The Rams have a 4-2 record following their 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and are rated as the favourites to record another win in London.
However, Jaguars’ head coach Liam Coen says the players will learn from their defeat against the Seahawks and has backed them to bounce back this weekend.
“The tape’s out there, so it’s something that we’ve got to work on and get back to the fundamentals and be on top of our cues with that,” Coen said.
“You definitely flush it at some point. Definitely learn and grow from it and once those have been set in place, then I think you flush it and you move on.
“We have to correct the stuff that needs to be corrected, practice at it this week, and then not make the same mistakes.”
“Those guys understand and they know that we didn’t meet a standard, and we’ve got to get back to playing the game that we know how.
“We’re trying to take care of them, especially with some of the short week that we had this past week, but we have to get back to playing physical and moving the line of scrimmage, especially in the run game.”
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will undoubtedly be crucial to the Jaguars’ chances of defeating the Rams for the first time since October 2009.
Lawrence has completed 67.2 percent of his throws for 479 yards with three touchdowns and just one interception in the last two games. He has also posted 55 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts.
His recent statistics take on added significance when considering that the Jaguars’ offensive line has allowed 67 total pressures and 10 sacks during that timeframe.
Despite being in his fifth season in the NFL, the 26-year-old still has plenty of room for improvement. Coen seems to be helping him make progress.
The head coach will be keen for his defensive unit to offer more protection to Lawrence after he was sacked a career-high seven times by the Seahawks.
If Lawrence, Hunter and Thomas Jr can put last weekends’ misfortunes behind them, the Jaguars could be the value bet at odds of 13/10 to defeat the Rams.
