The New York Jets started the season 1-7, but since then they have won four of five. In that stretch, they scored 34 points in three straight games — wins over the Giants, Washington and Oakland. Then they laid an egg in Cincinnati, of all places, before returning home to eke out a one-point win over the Miami Dolphins last week. So the team is still inconsistent, but the Sam Darnold era seems to be improving. Now the Jets head to Baltimore to take on a Ravens team that currently holds the top seed in the AFC. However, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is dealing with a quadricep injury from Sunday’s win over Buffalo and was limited in Monday’s walk-through. With this game on a short week, that could make a big difference in Thursday’s game, especially with the Ravens on the minus side of a huge point spread. Don’t miss our sports betting preview for this week’s midweek matchup.
Jets vs Ravens 2019 NFL Week 15 Odds, Preview & Pick
Battle ’til the clock shows 0:00. #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/vimqvicjNi
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 10, 2019
- When: Thursday, December 14, 2019, 8:20 pm ET
- Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
- TV: FOX / NFL Network
- Radio: Westwood One
- Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
- NFL Odds: Baltimore -14.5 / O/U 44.5
Why should you bet on the Jets?
The Jets have overcome a great deal of adversity to put together a solid second half of the season. Sam Darnold went down with mononucleosis in the early going, and then Trevor Siemian suffered a gruesome leg injury, leaving third-stringer Luke Falk to run the offense until Darnold could come back. The Jets picked up their win against Miami without high-dollar free-agent Le’Veon Bell, and they got a last-second field goal from Sam Ficken to get the win.
The game against Miami was statistically even, as the Jets outgained the Dolphins by just 12 yards. Both teams posted 22 first downs, and each team had a turnover. Miami won the battle of time of possession by just 12 seconds. The Dolphins’ defense is not as stout as the Ravens’ defense, so New York will need to come up with a better offensive plan if they want to compete on the road. Baltimore did just clinch the AFC South title, and they are a full game ahead of New England for the top seed and also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving them an effective two-game lead with three games to play, so the Ravens could rest Jackson, which would likely lead to a Jets cover.
Why should you put your money on the Ravens?
Baltimore has not lost a game since Week 4, when they were somehow rolled by 15 points by Cleveland at home. They have plenty of motivation this week as a win would sew up the AFC South title for them. On Sunday, they beat Buffalo, 24-17, in a battle of what might be the two best teams in the AFC right now. The Ravens had a hard time getting their offense going and led just 10-6 at halftime, thanks to a short field that they got from a strip sack of Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen at the Bills’ 24-yard line.
However, shortly after halftime, Lamar Jackson found Hayden Hurst for a 61-yard touchdown pass, and then the Ravens pushed the score to 24-9. However, Buffalo scored a late touchdown with a two-point conversion and had a fourth-down pass into the end zone, but Marcus Peters defended well. The fact that Jackson was limited with a quad injury was reflected in the team’s lack of balance and indicated that if he does not have that dual threat capacity, it will be much easier to slow down the Baltimore offense in the postseason.
Final Score Prediction
I’ve enjoyed watching Sam Darnold develop as a quarterback in New York — and the MVP season of Lamar Jackson is also a sight to behold. Thursday night games tend to be a little slower on offense, and I see Baltimore either resting Jackson or coming out with a conservative game plan to limit the exposure of that quad. I predict Baltimore winning while the Jets cover, with a final score of Ravens 20, Jets 10.
