Jets Open As 13-Point Underdogs vs Buccaneers

The New York Jets defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 26 - 21 yesterday to improve their record to 4-11 on the year. Braxton Berrios returned a kickoff for a touchdown, Michael Carter ran for 118 yards, Conor McDermott caught a touchdown pass, and Zach Wilson ran wild to lead the Jets to victory in a game filled with backups to backups.

Now the Jets prepare for a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It goes without saying this will be a very different challenge. The Buccaneers are defending Super Bowl champions and one of the favorites to win it all this year. They currently reside atop the NFC South, and they need to win to keep their hopes of the #1 seed and a first round bye alive. A Buccaneers team with a lot to play for led by Tom Brady, who likes nothing better than to beat up on the Jets, is not a great scenario if you’re rooting for a Jets victory.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Jets are 13 point home underdogs against the Buccaneers on Sunday. That seems like a somewhat generous spread for the Jets. These two teams are not in the same league. A Jets defense that has allowed teams to march up and down the field all year seems unlikely to provide much resistance against the NFL’s #2 ranked offense. A Jets pass defense ranked last in the NFL in passer rating allowed seems unlikely to find success against a Buccaneers pass offense ranked #1 in the NFL. A Jets running game that has struggled all year seems unlikely to find much success against an excellent Buccaneers run defense. And Zach Wilson, who has been brutal against the better pass defenses in the league, seems unlikely to light up a Tampa Bay pass defense ranked #8 in the league in passer rating allowed. This game seems like it is destined to be a blowout.

Can the Jets win this game? Sure they can. Huge underdogs win games sometimes. The Jets could get some defensive turnovers, some big plays, some lucky breaks. The Buccaneers could come out flat, expecting a walkover. There are always possibilities to win any given game. But that’s not the way to bet.

The Moneyline odds are New York Jets -500/ Tampa Bay Buccaneers +720.

The Over/Under for the game is 46.

What do you think Jets fans? Will the Jets beat the odds in this game?