On Thursday, the New York Jets fought tooth-and-nail but could not come up with a win as they fell 27-25 to the New England Patriots. On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills managed to stage a come-from-behind win on a last second touchdown, but lost both of their vaunted running backs to injury in the process. Can the Jets finally break their string of losses? Or will the Bills find a way to get by the Jets with their third-string run game?
Line: Buffalo Bills (+3) at New York Jets (-3); total 41.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Buffalo Bills
Kyle Orton was roughed up with six sacks for a combined loss of 28 yards, but still won his second game in three appearances as the Bills’ starting quarterback. Orton completed 31 of 43 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota on Sunday. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins finished with nine catches for 122 yards and two scores, the last of which proved to be the game winner in the final second of the game.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Orton has thrown an interception in each of his three starts. Yet, the Jets won’t figure to give Orton headaches in that regard as New York have a league-worst one interception on the season.
Still, the Bills came out of their game against Minnesota with a couple of key losses. They lost starting running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson to injuries, leaving them with Anthony Dixon, who finished with 51 yards on 13 carries, as their primary back. Bryce Brown will be backing up Dixon, but is yet to play this year.
The Bills may struggle with their passing as the Jets have managed to limit two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The Jets limited Manning to less than 250 passing yards and held Brady to a 54 percent completion rate.
On the other side of the ball, cornerback Leodis McKelvin had two picks against the Vikings. The Bills’ defense finished with five sacks, two by defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. Buffalo’s pass rush should be able to get to the Jets’ Geno Smith, who has been sacked seven times in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, McKelvin should be on the lookout for passes coming his way as Smith has thrown seven interceptions in seven games this season.
The total has gone over in four of the Bill’s last five games against the Jets.
Betting on the New York Jets
The New York Jets were a field goal away from upsetting the New England Patriots. However, the kick was blocked and they were handed their sixth-straight defeat on Thursday. They’ll welcome the Buffalo Bills to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, where they’re 1-4 ATS in their past five games.
Quarterback Geno Smith had a solid outing as he completed 20 of 34 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Smith is poised for another solid outing especially against the Bills’ secondary, which allows 247.6 passing yards per game. Meanwhile, one of Smith’s main weapons, wide receiver Eric Decker, may have a better performance without the Patriots’ cornerback Darrelle Revis hounding him. Decker was limited to four receptions for 65 yards against New England.
Adding another weapon for their quarterback, the Jets acquired Seattle wide receiver Percy Harvin in a trade on Friday. Harvin was one of the primary receivers in Seattle, finishing with 22 catches for 133 yards. Still, Harvin isn’t only a receiver. He can also threaten on the ground as evidenced by his 92 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
On the ground, running back Chris Ivory may be up for an impressive performance against Buffalo. The Bills’ run defense was ranked first in the NFL entering Sunday’s showdown against Minnesota. However, the Bills allowed 5.4 yards per carry and a total of 158 rushing yards in the game. If Ivory can hit his stride, then he should be able to gain considerable yardage on the ground. Ivory is averaging 4.9 yards per carry in the season.
On the other side of the ball, the Jets have tallied six sacks in the past three games. They should be able to beat Buffalo’s offensive line which allowed 11 sacks in their last two games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Jets finally break their streak as they win and cover at home. Create a betting account now and cash in on the best football games in the nation.
