After a 3-10 start to the season against the spread, the Jets have covered in their past three games.
The opening line for Sunday’s …
After a 3-10 start to the season against the spread, the Jets have covered in their past three games. The opening line for Sunday’s season finale in Orchard Park against the Bills was eye-popping. Sixteen-and-a-half points! For a team that was 1¹/₂ yards away from beating the Buccaneers? A team that is still playing hard for rookie head coach Robert Saleh? Surely the sharp bettors would hammer that number down. But that never happened, and the line hasn’t budged. The initial thought here was that though the Bills would clinch the AFC East title with a win, they would accomplish that with a 10-point victory, or seven or three or even one. Thus, there could be some value in the hefty line. But on further review, the pendulum swings toward Buffalo for three main reasons. No.1 is the Jets’ injuries. George Fant, who was a revelation at left tackle in the absence of Mekhi Becton, is out, so it could get dicey on the blind side. In addition, Zach Wilson might be missing one of his biggest weapons, Braxton Berrios. No.2 is the weather. It is forecast to be wet and windy with a RealFeel of around zero degrees shortly after the 4:25 kickoff. The Jets have been a game bunch, but it’s asking a lot to play in those conditions against a much-better, highly motivated team. And No.3 is the Jets’ defense, which has given up at least 45 points three times this season. If things start going bad, can you count on this unit to keep things close? The pick: Bills, -16.5. Joe Judge’s press conference after the desultory 29-3 loss in Chicago was strange, but at least it was more interesting than watching the Giants play. So the players “quit” on Pat Shurmur in 2019? That team won two of its final three games and scored 94 points in them.
