New York Jets at Detroit Lions
Sunday, 11/7/2010, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: New York -3.5
Current Betting Line: New York -4.5
Opening Total: 43
Current Total: 42.5
Current Moneyline: New York -230 / Detroit +190
New York entered its bye week with many believing that head coach Rex Ryan may have been right to state that his team was the best in football, but it was short lived after a humiliating 9-0 home loss to the Packers. “We had plenty of opportunities,” said Ryan. “We didn’t execute very well.” Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions for the second straight games after managing to navigate through the first five games with no mistakes. Ryan would actually like to see Sanchez be more aggressive in picking up first downs with his feet in crucial situations. “When you have a quarterback that can run for a couple of first downs, that’s extra possessions,” he stated. The team is 3-0 ATS on the road this year and 13-8 ATS over the last three campaigns, which has them listed as a small road favorite on the NFL lines page.
The Jets have been patient with their second-year quarterback, but he’s carrying a 53.0 passer rating, which is the lowest of any NFL quarterback with 100 or more pass attempts this season. “It’s not in his DNA to really pout about what happened,” said offensive tackle Damien Woody. “He’s a fighter. He’ll put that game behind him.” Defensively, New York’s star cornerback Darrelle Revis is now 100 percent and will draw the assignment of covering Lions superstar wideout Calvin Johnson. New York has won the previous two matchups in this series after losing all four meetings from 1991-2000.
Detroit has won their last two home games against the Rams and Redskins by an average of 25 points, but that streak will certainly be tested against one of the best teams in football. “There are a lot of challenges for us in this game,” said head coach Jim Schwartz. “We need to protect our quarterback, we need to be able to run the football, we need to be able to make big plays.” The Lions are averaging an NFC-best 28.2 points per game since Week 2 and have averaged 37.7 in three home games. Detroit is 6-1 ATS this season and 3-0 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
The Lions were happy to see quarterback Matthew Stafford shake off the rust of playing in his first game since Week 1 by throwing three touchdown passes in the second-half of last week’s 37-25 win over Washington. “Matthew and I talked before the game in warmups,” said Johnson. “We started off flat, but I saw what he saw and vice versa.” On the other side of the ball, the key matchup is the defensive line against the physical front of the Jets. Detroit was able to shut down the Redskins and make them one-dimensional, but this attack is far different.
Bettors may jump in playing the Jets due to their 5-0 ATS mark as a road favorite of 3.5 to 10 points, while the Lions are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 games as an underdog of that type.
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