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    Jaguars vs. Chargers NFL Week 7 spread, betting odds: Gardner Minshew on short leash for Jacksonville?

    Jags coach Doug Marrone may be close to benching QB Gardner Minshew.
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    Every Monday, SportsLine releases updated odds on the next NFL coach to be fired, and Jacksonville's Doug Marrone is the favorite. Is he actually trying to get canned by owner Shahid Khan? How else to explain Marrone essentially hinting that he's prepared to bench fairly productive quarterback Gardner Minshew if the second-year player doesn't stop turning the ball over. Minshew will start, though, this Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers, who come out of their bye as opening 7.5-point favorites at William Hill sportsbook.

    This is what Marrone said about possibly benching Minshew during Sunday's 34-16 home loss to Detroit.

    "Maybe in the future, I think," Marrone said. "I mean, I'd be naïve not to say [that's a possibility]. That's up for any position, any play that we can do for ourselves to get better.

    Jacksonville somehow upset the visiting Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 but has lost five in arow since and the past two by a combined score of 64-30. It's not Minshew's fault the Jags' defense has allowed at least 30 points in each of the past five – a franchise record and one shy of an unwanted NFL mark.

    Minshew, a 2019 sixth-round pick out of Washington State, might not be a franchise quarterback, but the 24-year-old is pretty solid. He's completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,682 yards, 11 touchdowns (eighth in NFL) and five picks for a rating of 94.1. That rating is better than the likes of Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Cam Newton and Carson Wentz.

    True, Minshew has put up a lot of garbage-time numbers because the Jaguars are usually trailing by double digits in the second half. In the five-game skid, the Jags have been outscored 82-40 in the first half. Meanwhile, five of Minshew's eight touchdown passes since Week 1 have come with the Jaguars trailing by 10 points or more.

    Marrone has benched starting quarterbacks in each of the last two seasons, but it's not like Jacksonville has a better option on the current roster – unless the team is really trying to "Tank for Trevor." Good luck catching the Jets there, though. The current No. 2 on Jacksonville is journeyman Mike Glennon and the No. 3 is sixth-round rookie Jake Luton out of Oregon State.

    Minshew was not great in a 45-10 home loss to the Chargers last year, completing 24 of 37 for 162 yards with a TD, but he didn't turn it over. 

    So which teams should you back in Week 7 of the 2020 NFL season? And which Super Bowl contender goes down HARD? ... Join SportsLine right now to see who wins and covers every single NFL game this week, plus get the exact final score, all from the acclaimed model that has returned over $7,300 on its top-rated NFL picks!

    SportsLine Staff

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