Patriots-Jets Odds: New England Opens As Heavy Favorite In Rivalry Game
The New England Patriots will be looking to solidify their position atop the AFC East with a ninth consecutive straight-up (SU) victory when they host the New York Jets on Sunday as 9-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Patriots improved to 5-0 SU this season with a 34-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, denying Andrew Luck and the Colts their revenge for New England’s crushing 45-7 win over Indy in last season’s AFC Championship Game.
Instead, New England tallied its seventh straight SU win over the Colts but suffered its first loss of the season against the spread (ATS), failing to cover as 8 1/2-point favorites.
New England now takes a 5-1-1 ATS mark over its last seven games overall into Sunday afternoon’s Jets vs. Patriots betting matchup at Gillette Stadium.
Despite the Patriots’ lukewarm performance at the sportsbooks in recent home games, they have clearly emerged as the NFL’s top offense this season, averaging an impressive 422.4 total yards and 36.6 points per game, both tops in the league, and have scored 35 or more points in four of their last six home dates.
That offense will be put to the test this weekend against the Jets, who bring the NFL’s stingiest defense to Foxboro, Mass., holding opponents to a minuscule 269.2 total yards, and just 15 points per game.
New York’s suffocating defense, combined with the NFL’s seventh-best point production, has translated into SU wins, with the club taking a 4-1 SU record into Week 7, fourth-best in the AFC, and just a game back of the Patriots in the AFC East standings.
The club’s success has buoyed their Super Bowl 50 betting line, which now sits at 25-1 after opening the season at a distant 100-1.
But the signs of the Jets’ success first started to show late last season, which they ended on a 2-1 SU run, 3-0 ATS, after winning just two of their previous 13 games according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
After New York won by double digits in each of its four SU victories this season, it is now 6-2 SU in its last eight, and 9-3 ATS in its last 12.
The Jets are also 5-1 ATS in their last six against the Patriots, but SU wins have been hard to come by, going 1-7 SU in their least eight meetings, and 0-6 SU in their last six visits to New England.
Thumbnail photo via Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports Images
