This week’s Thursday night NFL action sees a battle between two AFC East foes. At 8:25 pm EST, the New York Jets travel to upstate New York to take on the Buffalo Bills. In week one, the Jets lost a heartbreaker at home to the Bengals, 23-22. Meanwhile, the Bills were in Baltimore, where their offense was non-existent as they lost to the Ravens 13-7.
Last week, both teams entered their respective games as the underdogs. Thanks to a close came the Jets would have been winners for you had you taken them with the points, and they supplied enough offense to get it to the over. Meanwhile, if you had the Bills last week, you did not fair as well, as the Ravens were able to cover with a three point spread. Both teams were brutal on offense, meaning the under was a lock all game.
This week, the Jets will enter the game as slight favorites, as they are minus one on the road. So as long as they can pull out the victory, they are a good bet to win. Vegas is not expecting this to be any shootout either, with the over/under set at a fairly low 40.5.
Now, the Jets have some legitimate offensive weapons, with wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker being the top two. The real question with them offensively comes in the form their quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who failed to throw for 200 yards in week one, meaning Marshall and Decker were not used as significant as they can be in a given game. But what the Jets do have is an impressive defense, represented in the seven times they sacked Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton in week one.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is not going to be as easy to take down, however, as he is one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league. He was taken down twice by an equally impressive Baltimore defense last week, so the Jets should be able to get to him a few times. Taylor does not have many weapons to utilize, however, and that paired with the Ravens defense a week ago, can be seen in the fact that he only threw for 111 yards.
Running back LeSean McCoy will be the focal point of the offense, and you can bet the Jets will look to bottle him up. Star receiver Sammy Watkins is dealing with a foot injury, and may or may not play in the game. Even if he does suit up, he is a risk to be pulled from the game if his foot gives him any issues.
So the Bill are going to have to rely on their defense if they want to win one. Rex Ryan also ramps up his game when he faces the Jets, having beaten the Jets 22-17 both times they squared off last season. Ryan Fitzpatrick has had a poor history against Rex Ryan defenses, and Rex is going to have to take advantage of that fact.
When all is said and done, I feel the Jets defense will be the difference, leading the team in green to the victory.
Line: Jets -1, O/U: 40.5
Pick: Jets and the under
Result: NYJ 37 – Buf 31, Jets and the over
For betting odds for all of week two’s NFL games, you can check out our master sheet here!