A massive Thursday Night battle between two AFC teams on the precipice of making the playoffs, with the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) heading to New York to take on the Jets (7-7). The Jets are currently 4th in their division, however, still have a chance at a wild card spot, however a win here is critical, in what is the Jets’ final home game of the season. The Jags have been one of the surprise packets of the second half of the season, winning 3 of their last 5, including an impressive come-from-behind victory over the Cowboys last week. They are one game behind AFC South leading Titans, and a win here keeps their destiny in their own hands.
We had a much-needed sweep on Monday Night Football, going 3-0 in our bets as the Packers got by the Rams 24-12. Our record now stands at 27-23-1 (+3.12u) for the season in prime time.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets Preview & Betting Tips
Metlife Stadium, Friday 12:15pm AEDT
Last Week
On any other week, the Jaguars comeback win last week would have been insane, but in what was one of the craziest NFL weekends I can recall, the Jags comeback seemed less impressive than what it was. The Cowboys led 21-7 at halftime in a dominant first half display. But a massive second half performance by quarterback Trevor Lawrence saw the Jags push the game to overtime, where they managed to win on a walk-off pick-6. Lawrence finished with 318 yards and 4 touchdowns, with the Jags rushing for 192 yards on 7.1 yards per carry.
The Jets were on the other side of a comeback, with a crushing 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. With the Jets up 17-13, the Lions had a 4th and 1 just on their own side of halfway. Head Coach Dan Campbell decided to go for it, running a short pitch to tight-end Brock Wright, who ran for a 51-yard touchdown. The Jets had a chance to tie the game late, however Robert Saleh failed to manage the clock properly, leaving Greg Zuerlein a 58-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. Zuerlein missed, sending the Jets to 7-7.
Injury Report
Jacksonville Jaguars
Cam Robinson (OT) – OUT
Shaquill Griffin (CB) – OUT
Jordan Smith (DE) – OUT
Ben Bartch (OG) – OUT
Jawaan Taylor (OT) – QUESTIONABLE
Brandon Scherff (OG) – QUESTIONABLE
Travon Walker (OLB) – QUESTIONABLE
Trevor Lawrence (QB) – QUESTIONABLE
New York Jets
Mike White (QB) – OUT
Mekhi Becton / Cedric Ogbuehi / Max Mitchell (OT) – OUT
Elijah Vera-Tucker (OG) – OUT
Breece Hall (RB) – OUT
Denzel Mims / Corey Davis (WR) – QUESTIONABLE
Quinnen Williams (DT) – QUESTIONABLE
Match Preview
Really looking forward to this clash, with the top two picks in the 2021 NFL draft set to go head-to-head for a second time in their short careers. After one season each, it appeared as though both Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were trending towards being busts, however one of them has made some gigantic leaps during his second season.
No matter which way you slice it, Trevor Lawrence has been a top 5 quarterback in the NFL over the past 6 weeks, with his only mediocre performance coming against a red-hot Lions team in week 13. Conversely, Zach Wilson was unceremoniously axed as the starting quarterback for the Jets, demoted to 3rd string following a poor week 11 loss to the Patriots.
Despite this, Wilson has been given another chance to save his career, after a rib injury to Mike White in week 14 against the Bills, which saw Wilson once again named the starting quarterback. Despite throwing for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, the jury is still out on Wilson, after some horrific decision making during the game. It’ll be fascinating to see if he can fix these issues, because he needs to this week.
The Jets’ defence is the best unit in this matchup, followed by the Jags offense. But where I’m handicapping this game, is the quarterbacks and the Head Coaches. In both instances, I give the advantage to the Jags. I trust the elite level quarterback play of Lawrence to continue, despite coming up against a top 5 defence in the league. My numbers agree with the market number of a pick em’, so I’ll back the better QB and Coach combo.
Jacksonville Jaguars
$2 (2 Units)
