Despite entering Week 8 on a three-game winning streak and a 5-2 record overall, the New York Jets find themselves underdogs in the betting odds against the 3-4 New England Patriots.
The New York Jets improbable run to near the top of the AFC standings continued with a 16-9 win in Denver last week. Gang Green improved to 5-2, the team’s best start since 2010. The win in Denver marked the Jets fourth victory in a row, something they haven’t done since 2015. New York improved to 5-2 against the spread, including 4-0 on the road.
The Patriots, meanwhile, took an embarrassing loss on Monday Night Football, surrendering 23 unanswered points to the Chicago Bears in the 33-14 defeat. Mac Jones returned from injury for the Pats last week, but went just 3-of-6 passing for 13 yards and an interception. Rookie QB Bailey Zappe provided an initial spark, but New England’s offense sputtered through a scoreless second half.
New England has dominated this matchup over the last decade, going 20-2 outright since 2012. New York’s lost 12 in a row to the Patriots, but these clubs look very different than they have in years past.
Here’s a look at the best betting odds for this AFC East clash between the Jets and Patriots.
Best Betting Odds for Jets vs Patriots
Despite the Jets rolling into this one on a three-game winning streak, the opening line for this contest stayed consistent with the look-ahead, which set the Patriots at plus-2.0. Key injuries to Jets players factored into the line moving slightly in favor of New England.
However, considering the Jets are at home, and with the uneven play from New England quarterbacks, the line for this game could shift in New York’s favor, as it did late last week against the Broncos.
This game’s 40.5 total points threshold stands as one of the lowest in NFL Week 8 action, but that’s not all that surprising given this matchup sees two middle-of-the-pack scoring offenses squaring off against solid defensive units.
NFL Week 8 Preview: New York Jets vs New England Patriots
The Jets grabbed their third win in a row ahead of this contest, but it wasn’t all good news for Gang Green last week, as the Jets lost two key players on offense to injury. Offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker is out for the year due to an elbow injury, and dynamic rookie running back Breece Hall was lost for the remainder of the season to a knee injury.
The Jets pivoted to reinforce its backfield depth, trading for running back James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Robinson comes to New York with 340 rushing yards and four total touchdowns this season.
The Bears ran up 243 rushing yards against New England last week, so that should be the blueprint for the Jets in this one. The Patriots run defense ranks 25th in the league, surrendering 136 rushing yards per game.
New York’s young defense continued its impressive run, limiting the Broncos to just nine points. The Jets defense has surrendered a league-low 12.0 points-per-game over the last three weeks, and now face a Patriots offense that managed just 14 points at home a week ago.
Betting Trends Affect Jets, Patriots Odds
Several betting trends affect the odds in this grudge match between the Jets and Patriots. New England enters having won 12 in a row outright against the Jets, having not lost to New York since 2015. They’ve covered the spread in seven of the last 10 in this series.
The Jets, though, have covered in four straight and in four of their last five against teams with a losing record. They’ve covered in five straight October games, too. That said, New York is 2-7 against the spread in its last nine AFC East games. The home team is 10-4-1 against the spread in the last 15 meetings between these clubs.
Although the Over has hit in four of the Patriots’ last five games, the Under has hit in eight of the last 12 meetings between these teams. The Jets have seen in the Under hit in five of the last six games between these clubs in New York.
