New England Patriots vs. New York Jets Point spread: New York -1.5 Over/Under: 47 |
First place in the AFC East will be on the line this upcoming Sunday night when the New England Patriots and the New York Jets square-off at MetLife Stadium in the second of this season’s two-game set. Game time is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
The bloom is off the rose for New England after rare back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and the New York Giants dropped it to 5-3 straight-up (4-4 against the spread) and into a three-way tie with the Jets and Buffalo for the lead in the division. The total has gone 4-4 overall, but has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last five games.
Tom Brady and the Patriot offense have not looked their best over the past two games, but the main problem with this team is a defense that is ranked last in the NFL in total yards allowed; giving-up an average of 416.2 a game.
New York is headed in the opposite direction with three-straight wins to get back into the AFC East race. It is also 5-3 SU and 4-4 ATS and the total has gone ‘over’ in five of its eight games. Last Sunday, the Jets posted an impressive 27-11 victory over the Bills as 2.5-point road underdogs. This followed a 27-21 win over San Diego as a one-point home underdog on Oct. 23.
The main reason for the turnaround is a defense that is back to playing at a high level against both the pass and the run. The Jets are now ranked eighth in total yards allowed and ninth in points allowed; giving-up an average of 20.4 a game.
The Patriots are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games on the road and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games in the AFC East. The total has gone ‘over’ in their last five games in the division.
The Jets are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games in the division. The total has gone ‘over’ in seven of their last 10 games against the AFC East.
Head-to-head in this series, New England has won 10 of the last 12 meetings on the road ATS and the total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last five games overall. In Week 5, the Patriots hammered the Jets 30-21 as 7.5-point home favorites. Count on head coach Bill Belichick to have his team ready to complete the season-sweep with another win this Sunday night.
The Free NFL Pick: New England 28 New York 24
