Patriots vs. Jets Odds
Who would have thought we'd be saying the New York Jets are red-hot at the moment? After beating the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns, the Jets have played themselves out of the No. 1 pick but can end the season on a three-game winning streak.
The New England Patriots, on the other hand, are in shambles, losing their last three games by a combined score of 84-24. Things boiled over this past Monday night when they lost 38-9 to Buffalo and Bill Belichick had enough.
Talking to your friend who convinced you to bet on the Patspic.twitter.com/d2AhjxLZKX
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 29, 2020
The Patriots are also out of the playoff picture, so this game has no meaning to them. Despite getting benched in the second half against the Bills, it looks like Cam Newton is going to start the final game of the season.
New York Jets
Offense
To say things are bad for the Jets offense this season would be a major understatement — they are dead last in yards per play, with 4.7. Even though they've won their last two games, they've managed to gain only 4.67 yards per play, so the offense clearly hasn't been the reason for the two-win streak.
The Jets' main issue has been Sam Darnold, who is averaging only 5.9 yards per attempt this season. Even in their win last week against the Browns, he threw for only 175 yards and 5.5 yards per attempt. The biggest difference over the last two games, though, is that he hasn't turned the ball over. However, the Jets still have the lowest-ranked offense in terms of passing success, per Sharp Football Stats.
The running game hasn't been there with 39-year-old Frank Gore, either, as the Jets as a team are averaging only 4.1 yards per carry as a team. The Patriots' strength on defense is against the run, so the Jets may have some trouble moving the ball on Sunday.
Defense
The Jets defense has been terrible against the pass this season. They rank 29th in defensive passing success and 14th in explosive passing allowed while allowing 7.3 yards per attempt. However, that's not going to be much of a problem since Newton has been terrible in the passing game this year.
The real strength of the Jets defense can be found up front. They rank fifth in defensive rushing success and held one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL to just 45 rushing yards last week. The Patriots' strength on offense is in their rushing attack, so the Jets could be poised for a big day defensively.
New England Patriots
Offense
Newton has really struggled this season. He's averaging only 7.1 yards per passing attempt and has five touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He was awful against the Bills this past Monday night, throwing for a measly 34 yards in the first half. In fact, he's broken the 100-yard passing mark only twice over his past five games.
However, the Patriots' main focus has been on their run game. They're top-12 in rushing success rate and explosiveness, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Since the Jets' strength on defense is against the run, the Patriots' rushing attack could suffer on Sunday.
Defense
The 2020 Patriots defense has been horrendous against both the run and pass, which is not something you typically see from a Belichick-led defense.
They're in the bottom eight in both defensive rushing and passing success and are allowing a whopping 5.8 yards per play. They've been especially terrible against the run their last three games, allowing 4.3 yards per carry.
The Jets do not really have any sort of weapons or strengths on the offensive side of the ball, so they should be able to finish the season strong with a solid defensive performance.
Jets-Patriots Pick
With how terrible both offenses have been this season, we should see a really low-scoring game, especially since this matchup has no meaning to either team.
I have only about 37.5 points projected, so there's value on the under at 40 points.
Pick: Under 40
