Jets vs Patriots Week 5 Gambling Preview
Heading in to the regular season this week five matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots was circled as a possible AFC Championship preview, with these two division rivals among the favorites to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.
Venue/Stadium: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Time/Date: Sunday October 9, 2011 – 4:15 PM ET
NFL Odds from TheGreek
Moneyline: Patriots -335
Spread (ATS): Patriots -7.5
Over/Under: 48.5
Fast-forward four weeks later and the perception has shifted somewhat in the AFC East, where the Patriots and Jets suddenly aren’t alone in the race for the division title, with a win this week meaning more to each team then most would have thought it would heading in to this year.
While the Patriots were able to bounce back last Sunday after a tough loss to the Buffalo Bills the week before, New York is reeling on the heals of consecutive losses, and is now 0-2 on the road.
Now, the Jets have to travel to Foxborough to take on a New England team that hasn’t forgotten last year’s playoff exit, and will be eager for redemption.
This game has all of the elements of a classic street brawl, but in the end the home side might simply be too talented for New York to overcome.
Despite their struggles on defense, the Patriots are tied for the best record in the AFC thanks to the play of Tom Brady and one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. Brady threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders without turning the ball over, and the top-ranked passing attack was complimented by rookie running back Stevan Ridley and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who combined for 172 yards on the ground. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
With Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan pledging to return to the power run game that the team relied on so heavily a year ago, New England will need to be ready to stop the run defensively. Meanwhile, it might not be that bad of an idea to run it more on offense considering the performances that the New York defense has yielded over consecutive losses.
Part of the Jets’ problem defensively is the amount of time that they spend on the field, and if the rushing attack can get going then that will help too. New York has talent on both sides of the ball, but there are also question marks about both their offensive and defensive lines.
It won’t get any easier for Ryan and company this week as the Patriots aim to make a statement, which could leave the Jets continuing to surprise for all the wrong reasons.
NFL Betting Pick: Patriots
