New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars Picks and Odds Week 16
New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Preview
WagerTalk NFL handicapper Tony Mejia offers his New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars Bears NFL Week 16 betting preview. At the time of posting, the Jets are holding steady as a 1.5-point home favorite over the visiting Jaguars, with the total sitting at 41.5 points.
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| NFL Week 16 | Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | New York Jets -1.5 vs Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Total: | 41.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT on Sunday, December 26 |
| Stadium: | MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands |
| TV: | CBS |
New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions
Jacksonville won’t have its top pass rusher due to COVID-19 protocols and will be without one of QB Trevor Lawrence’s top targets as well.
Receiver Laviska Shenault and right guard Ben Bratch were also ruled out of Sunday’s game between two of the NFL’s four worst teams records-wise. Lawrence, the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, will square off with No. 2 pick Zach Wilson for the first time after being tied together by being the top-rated quarterbacks in a 2021 class that also featured New England’s Mac Jones, Chicago’s Justin Fields, San Francisco’s Trey Lance and Houston’s Davis Webb as first-year starters. The matchup will mark just the fourth time in NFL history that quarterbacks selected with the draft’s top two picks will square off as rookies.
The Jaguars lost to the Texans in their most recent contest and have now fallen to 2-12, evening them up with the suddenly resurgent Lions in the race for the NFL’s worst record. Darrell Bevell’s debut as interim coach was foiled in part by Lawrence’s continued inconsistency.
Even with RB James Robinson producing and guys like Laquon Treadwell stepping up now that he’s getting an opportunity at receiver, Jacksonville’s offense has been too spotty to trust, particularly on the road.
Wilson is back in the saddle in what has been an injury-riddled rookie season and has an opportunity to close with a flourish by winning a head-to-head duel against Lawrence. Even though Robert Saleh’s first season in Gotham could’ve obviously gone better, there have been signs of life and he’s clearly got the Jets in a better position than the Jags are now that they’ve moved on from Urban Meyer. Unfortunately for Saleh, he’s going to be stuck watching from home after testing positive for COVID earlier in the week.
His absence leaves tight ends coach Ron Middleton in charge. Ironically, he was on the Jags’ staff the previous eight years so he should know some personnel well but has his own problems since 15 Jets are scheduled to be out due to protocols.
The Jets are 3-11, tied with Houston record-wise but behind the Texans due to head-to-head tiebreaker. With games against Buffalo and Tampa Bay scheduled after this matchup with the Jags, the Jets can absolutely finish 3-14 if they fail to come up with a victory here. Jacksonville visits New England and then hosts Indianapolis to wrap up, so a 2-15 record is likely if it drops this result in East Rutherford.
The Jaguars are 0-6 away from home this season and have lost their two December games outside North Florida by a combined margin of 57-7. They’ve only covered in two of six road games and are counting on seeing some improvement out of Lawrence, who appears to have hit the wall, missing throws and struggling mightily with sustaining drives. The 16 points Jacksonville scored against Houston last week ended up being the most the team has scored in a five-game span, which tells you just how challenged they’ve been on that side of the ball. The Jags scored a season-high 23 points in a win out in London over Miami on Oct. 17 but have given up 30 or more in three of their last five contests, including last week’s 30-16 upset loss to the Texans.
With Jamison Crowder not playing and rookie standout Elijah Moore being banged up before landing on the COVID list, Wilson does have his top receiving options sidelined. Denzel Mims, Braxton Berrios and Keelan Cole will vie for targets on what should be windy day in East Rutherford.
Pass rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aidan Hutchinson and George Karlaftis join defensive backs Kyle Hamilton, Andrew Booth Jr., Derek Stingley Jr., Kaiir Elam and Ahmad Gardner among the top draft prospects. There’s no question that both the Jets and Jags can use significant help on that side of the ball, so losing would benefit both. Neither team is likely to win another game after this one, and even without Saleh, the Jets are the best bet to pick up a win now that Allen is unavailable to pressure Wilson into mistakes. Lay the points with New York.
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New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars Analysis from GoldSheet
New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars Video Preview
Who has the upper-head in the battle between rookie quarterbacks? Tony Mejia offers his New York Jets vs Jacksonville Jaguars preview.
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