Monday Night Football Betting Preview – Moss, Favre Battle New York Jets

Monday Night Football betting just got a whole lot more interesting this week when the brain rattling news hit the pipeline that Randy Moss had arrived in Minnesota to star as Brett Favre’s newest target. The Vikings are hoping their former rookie of the year can be as much of a stud as he used to be as they face the New York Jets, who are riding a whole ton of momentum over the past few weeks. Can Moss turn the tide for the hapless Vikings, or will the Jets continue to soar?

Just because you’re all probably wondering what I think about the trade, here’s a few random thoughts:

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“Gee, I wonder who leaked all the ‘Moss is a douchebag’ news to the press?”
“I sure hope they can use their six early draft picks in 2011 to find a guy who’s caught 82 touchdowns.”
“Brandon Tate’s a rookie. Why do people think he can be the same deep threat as Moss? Didn’t we say the same thing about Ted Ginn Jr.?”
“A team as good as the New England Patriots shouldn’t be celebrating more draft picks. They should be celebrating more Super Bowl wins. Now, they won’t.”
“Wes Welker’s year just went to hell.”

Ok, I’m done. Happy? Can we focus on the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets in Monday Night Football betting now?

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) vs. New York Jets (3-1)

Monday, October 11th — Meadowlands Stadium — 8:20pm EST

Monday Night Football Betting Line: NYJ -3.5 (39)

It’s not like the New York Jets aren’t bragging about the debut of a new receiver either. Santonio Holmes will make his Jets debut this weekend as well, starting alongside the secondary killing Braylon Edwards and giving Mark Sanchez yet another weapon.

Not only are the Jets doing just fine without Holmes, they’re 3-1 ATS this season and a tough game against Baltimore at the Meadowlands shouldn’t deter anyone. The Ravens have made every opponent look awful this year.

That being said, I still think that the Jets can have their bubble burst this weekend. It’s not that I think the Vikings have played near a contender’s level, but they can’t possibly be bad enough to start 1-3 SU this year. People love to pile on Brett Favre because they think he deserves it, but having Moss forces New York to cover the pass at all times.

Which means Adrian Peterson is in for a huge day in Monday Night Football betting. He’s already the unspoken crux of the team, has averaged 5.6 yards per carry this year and scored three times. Running behind the best left side in football has its advantages, after all.

It certainly doesn’t help matters that Favre and the Vikings are 0-5 SU in their last 5 roadies, but this has more to do with my doubts about New York’s consistency. The stakes couldn’t have been higher in their past three games, all against divisional opponents and here are their numbers as a team: 48 percent on third-down efficiency, 68 total first downs, 394 total yards per game, 32.3 points for, just 17.0 points against, 6 turnovers generated and 0 turnovers allowed.

Those are unreal numbers for any team and while there’s a lot of reason to believe in New York, I still think there’s room to doubt them. Minnesota ranks 8th and 9th against the pass and the rush, allowing just 276.3 total yards per game and they’ve generated 5 takeaways in their past three games.

This is going to be a nail biting affair if you bet on the Jets in Monday Night Football betting. One thing Randy Moss has been exceptional at against the Jets is getting behind their safeties in coverage. He scored on a 34-yard bomb from Tom Brady in the back of the endzone and could’ve scored another one had he not dropped it in the endzone.

In the past four seasons, Moss has faced the Jets five times and averaged just 4.2 catches for 58 yards and just over half a touchdown per game. But that’s not really the point – he can still force the Jets to respect him, because if he’s left open Favre will find him.

This game has less to do with how I feel about Moss-Favre, however. The Jets have played perfect football for the last three weeks, and a team relying on a second-year quarterback simply can’t keep that up forever. They’re coming off three big wins in their division, and the heat of the spotlight will eventually get to Sanchez.

Everyone seems to have given up on Favre and the Vikings already, and I still can’t see why. If this NFL season is anything, it’s infantile in age and unpredictable.

That’s why I’m encouraging you to go against the football betting trends, the grain and the last three games for each team. The Minnesota Vikings needed a wakeup call to kick start their season, and coming off a BYE week with two weeks to prepare for this game is a big help, especially with Moss in tow to give this receiving corps a semblance of respectability.

The Jets haven’t proven to be absolutely trust worthy against the line. How could they? It’s so early on in the season. This is one of those games that has “gaffe” written all over it, as Favre and the Vikings remind us all that they’re also one of the most complete teams in the NFL on Monday Night Football betting.

Monday Night Football Betting Pick: Minnesota +3.5 (OVER)

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