PREMIUM
Rogers' 3-Game Saturday SWEEPER PASS
(NFL) NY Jets vs. New England,
Point Spread: 17.00 | -115.00 NY Jets (Away)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: 17.00 | -115.00 NY Jets (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up: New England began the season with Tom Brady on the sidelines for the first four games (you may have heard) but with two games left, the 12-2 Patriots have wrapped up the AFC East for an NFL-record eighth consecutive division title! The Patriots can now go about the bigger business of trying to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs when they host AFC East rival the New York Jets on Saturday afternoon. The Jets will limp into Foxboro 4-10 on the season and will sit out the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season (8th time in the last 10 years).
NY Jets: New York has gone five straight games without scoring more than 17 points in regulation and is down to third-string QB Bryce Petty, who practiced fully Wednesday after absorbing a huge hit in last week's 34-13 drubbing by Miami. Asked about his QB situation Wednesday on a conference call with New England media, beleaguered head coach Todd Bowles said, "We had (Ryan) Fitzpatrick early on. Obviously, we didn't play great there, so we changed to Bryce until the end of the year to get a look at him. It's not even about having the right guys, it's about making plays and not turning the ball over, so we need some stability that way." Undrafted WR Robby Anderson has emerged as a favorite target of Petty with 14 catches and a pair of touchdowns on 29 targets over the past three games. RB Bilal Powell is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at RB in place of an ailing Matt Forte, who suffered a torn meniscus in his knee in Week 14 and sat out practice Wednesday while dealing with a nerve problem in his shoulder. That's the good news though, as Powell has amassed 341 yards from scrimmage and rushed for two TDs in the past two games. The Jets D ranks 27th in points allowed (25.6 PPG) and no wonder, it owns second-fewest interceptions (seven) and sacks (23) in the NFL.
New England: The Patriots are already are assured a first-round bye and hold a one-game lead over Oakland for the top overall seed in the conference. The Patriots are fresh off a 16-3 victory at reigning Super Bowl champion Denver, which extended their winning streak to five games.Tom Brady downplayed a thigh injury that limited him in practice Wednesday and he's had a remarkable season, even for him. After returning from his four-game suspension, Brady's thrown for 298.6 YPG with 22 TDs and just two INTs for a 109.7 QB ratio. It hasn't seemed to matter who is healthy week-to-week in the New England receiving corps. Blount is over 1,000 yards (1,060) and leads the NFL with 15 rushing TDs, as this year's running game is the best the Pats have had in years (117.0 YPG ranks 7th). The defense has also risen to the challenge and with two weeks to go, has allowed the fewest points in the entire NFL at 16.6 PPG.
The pick: Of course, this is a "no-contest" on paper but the Patriots' toughest test during the team's recent five-game winning streak came against the Jets in Week 12, when they rallied for a 22-17 victory with nine points in the final 7:02. The Jets also sprung a 26-20 upset of New England in Week 16 a year ago. Almost incredibly, the Jets have covered the past SEVEN games in this rivalry during this span, having lost lost by five, won by six, lost by seven, lost by one, lost by two, won by three and lost by three! Take the YUGE points and make the Jets an 8* play.
NY Jets: New York has gone five straight games without scoring more than 17 points in regulation and is down to third-string QB Bryce Petty, who practiced fully Wednesday after absorbing a huge hit in last week's 34-13 drubbing by Miami. Asked about his QB situation Wednesday on a conference call with New England media, beleaguered head coach Todd Bowles said, "We had (Ryan) Fitzpatrick early on. Obviously, we didn't play great there, so we changed to Bryce until the end of the year to get a look at him. It's not even about having the right guys, it's about making plays and not turning the ball over, so we need some stability that way." Undrafted WR Robby Anderson has emerged as a favorite target of Petty with 14 catches and a pair of touchdowns on 29 targets over the past three games. RB Bilal Powell is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at RB in place of an ailing Matt Forte, who suffered a torn meniscus in his knee in Week 14 and sat out practice Wednesday while dealing with a nerve problem in his shoulder. That's the good news though, as Powell has amassed 341 yards from scrimmage and rushed for two TDs in the past two games. The Jets D ranks 27th in points allowed (25.6 PPG) and no wonder, it owns second-fewest interceptions (seven) and sacks (23) in the NFL.
New England: The Patriots are already are assured a first-round bye and hold a one-game lead over Oakland for the top overall seed in the conference. The Patriots are fresh off a 16-3 victory at reigning Super Bowl champion Denver, which extended their winning streak to five games.Tom Brady downplayed a thigh injury that limited him in practice Wednesday and he's had a remarkable season, even for him. After returning from his four-game suspension, Brady's thrown for 298.6 YPG with 22 TDs and just two INTs for a 109.7 QB ratio. It hasn't seemed to matter who is healthy week-to-week in the New England receiving corps. Blount is over 1,000 yards (1,060) and leads the NFL with 15 rushing TDs, as this year's running game is the best the Pats have had in years (117.0 YPG ranks 7th). The defense has also risen to the challenge and with two weeks to go, has allowed the fewest points in the entire NFL at 16.6 PPG.
The pick: Of course, this is a "no-contest" on paper but the Patriots' toughest test during the team's recent five-game winning streak came against the Jets in Week 12, when they rallied for a 22-17 victory with nine points in the final 7:02. The Jets also sprung a 26-20 upset of New England in Week 16 a year ago. Almost incredibly, the Jets have covered the past SEVEN games in this rivalry during this span, having lost lost by five, won by six, lost by seven, lost by one, lost by two, won by three and lost by three! Take the YUGE points and make the Jets an 8* play.
