Jets Open As 17 Point Underdogs vs Bills

The New York Jets lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28 - 24 yesterday to drop their record to 4-12 on the year. The Jets never trailed in the game until the final 15 seconds, when Tom Brady broke their hearts for the umpteenth time with a last gasp touchdown pass.

Now the Jets prepare for a game against the Buffalo Bills to close out their season. The Bills have already clinched a playoff spot, but they are still trying to win the AFC East crown. A win over the Jets clinches the crown, so the Bills are unlikely to rest any starters or put forth less than a good effort.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Jets are 17 point underdogs on the road against the Bills on Sunday. That seems like a very large spread. There’s no doubt the Bills are the better team, and they may well cover. Indeed, the Bills destroyed the Jets by 28 points the last time these two teams met. But the Jets have quietly become a more competitive team since then. In the first nine games of the season, culminating in that blowout loss to the Bills, the Jets lost by more than seven points five times. Since that blowout loss to the Bills, over the last seven games, the Jets have lost by more than a touchdown just twice. In the last three games the Jets won just one, but they had the better of the action deep into the second half in all three.

The Bills for their part have had just one win by 17 or more points in the seven games since they beat the Jets. It’s not easy to win by 17 points in the NFL. Even when you build a big early lead, the tendency is for the score to get a little closer as the game wears on. Of course the Bills are more talented than the Jets, and they are playing for a division title. But with the Jets playing better recently and Zach Wilson taking care of the ball and looking more like an NFL quarterback, beating the Jets by 17 may not be so easy on Sunday.

Can the Jets actually win this game? It’s unlikely, but possible. Anybody can beat anybody in this league. Heck, even the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Bills a few weeks back. Huge underdogs win games sometimes. The Jets could get some defensive turnovers, some big plays, some lucky breaks. Zach Wilson could play the best game of his short NFL career. There are always possibilities to win any given game. But that’s not the way to bet.

The Moneyline odds are New York Jets +850/ Buffalo Bills -1500.

The Over/Under for the game is 45.

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