New England Patriots (2-5 3-4 ATS) at New York Jets (0-8 1-7 ATS)
Not the most marquee of Monday night games but an AFC Division one with the winless New York Jets playing host to the struggling New England Patriots. The Pats are a 7.5-point betting favorite with a total of 42.5.
Since opening the total has gone from 41 to 42.5 but the line has remained the same.
The Jets are the lone winless team in the league and the Patriots have lost four games in a row.
The Patriots lost to the Buffalo Bills 24-21 in their last game where it looked to go to OT before Cam Newton fumbled the ball late deep in the Bills territory. His play has been less than stellar as of late, as in his last three games he has five INT and no TD.
The Jets’ season has been a disaster and they rank dead last in the league in ppg and passing yards per game and 27th giving up an average of 29.8 ppg. Many fans think they should throw in the towel and tank the rest of the season to win the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes.
The Pats’ D has not been bad, and the team ranks third in the league in rushing yards per game, but Newton has not played well and the team only ranks 29th in the league in ppg.
This is the first game between these teams this season and the Patriots have beaten the Jets in eight straight games.
The Patriots have covered the spread in four of their last five games facing the Jets.
Is Newton the Guy?
The Pats are sticking with Cam Newton even though he has struggled. He ranks 29th in the league in QBR and has not passed for over 174 yards in his last four games.
In the 24-21 loss to the Bills in the last game New England did rush for 188 yards Damien Harris rushing for 102 yards and Newton chiming in for 54 rushing yards. Newton leads the team in rushing with Harris having the second-most yards and averaging a solid 5.7 yards per carry.
Newton does not have a good WR corps and the leading and third-leading receivers in yards in Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry are listed as out and questionable for this Monday night game.
The Jets’ defense has given up the fourth-most yards in the league and while their run defense has been decent their pass defense has been torched.
Is Tanking In the Cards?
The Jets are saying they are not tanking but it is hard to tell with how bad they have been playing. Since a 37-28 loss in their fourth game, they have been outscored 107 to 29 in their last four games. They are coming off a 35-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs where they were outgained 496 yards to 221 yards.
Sam Darnold ranks 30th in the league in QBR and in his last three games has no TD and two INT.
The ageless Frank Gore is the leading rusher for the team but only rushed for 30 yards in the loss to Kansas City and is only averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
The WR corps is a less than stellar one and Jamison Crowder is the only player with over 210 receiving yards. On top of that, he missed the last game and is listed as questionable for this one with a groin injury.
New England’s defense has played well against the pass this season but has not played the run well giving up an average of 140.4 rushing yards per game.
Prediction
Not only are the Jets 0-8 but they have failed to cover the spread in seven of those games.
Newton has been less than stellar, to say the least, in the last few games but he will be facing the Jets. New York is a mess and their offense has few weapons. Look for Cam to bounce back in this game and even on the road the Pats will easily win and cover the spread.
PICK: Patriots -9.5