The New England Patriots (1-0) and New York Jets (1-0) are both coming off Week 1 victories, but each got them very differently. Now sportsbook fans must decide if the Jets are legit and the Pats can shake off the rust.
The Jets surprised just about everybody by walloping the Houston Texans 24-7 last Sunday. Houston—a chic playoff pick by handicapping software and bettors alike—was completely overwhelmed by a swarming Jets defense. New head coach and former Ravens defensive architect Rex Ryan has these guys flying around the football. Things got so bad the Texans were mercilessly booed by their hometown fans. Houston’s offense moved past midfield just one time in the first three quarters while being limited to 183 total yards.
Offensively, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez held his own, passing for 272 yards and a score. He turned the ball over once but, for the most part, it is appears he can lean on running backs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, who combined for 167 yards and two scores on the ground. It’s way too early to tell anything definitively, but Sanchez looked impressive enough that he may be in line for a Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco-type rookie season.
New England caught many online betting fans off guard by coming out flat against Buffalo. It pulled off a miracle rally by erasing an 11-point deficit with just over two minutes to play. Tom Brady had an up-and-down evening in his first regular-season action since blowing out his knee in Week 1 of last year; the Pats certainly weren’t shy about testing his arm, allowing him to throw 53 passes. He completed 73.5 percent of them, though that’s a deceiving number—when he missed, he missed badly, and he rarely challenged the Bills downfield. On the final game-winning drive, though, Brady looked as good as ever and made some great throws. He’s certainly on his way back to becoming one of the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Running back Fred Jackson (140 yards from scrimmage) gave the Patriots defense some problems, which is troubling considering how effective Jones and Washington were against Houston. New England did rack up four sacks, however, which is a welcome relief considering it just shipped defensive end Richard Seymour out of town. Ultimately, the “D” performed solid if unspectacular.
NFL odds favor the Patriots by five in this one, but that’s a scary number considering New York excelled and New England struggled last weekend. The Pats are 8-2 straight up and 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games against the Jets, although this is a different team with Rex Ryan at the helm. That said, Brady is only going to get better—and he managed 378 yards and two touchdowns in a “rusty” performance against Buffalo. If one thing was certain about Brady, it’s that his mobility looked fine. He’s one of the NFL’s best in the face of pressure so this new, explosive Jets defense won’t faze him.
Don’t worry about New England venturing into the Meadowlands—the Patriots are 9-1 straight up and 10-0 against the spread in their last 10 games in New York. It will be a close game but, in the end, Brady and Co. will muster enough offense to put away the pesky Jets on the road.
THE PICK: New England -5
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