NFL Odds Makers Giving Jets No Respect in Divisional Playoff Game vs. Patriots

The NFL betting odds makers are giving the New York Jets no respect in their Divisional Playoff game versus the top seed in the AFC, the New England Patriots, on Sunday, January 16th.

The Jets are -9 ½ point dogs to beat the Patriots in the rubber match between the two AFC East rivals. Football handicappers are actually split between the Jets and the Pats with 51% so far taking the points and backing J-E-T-S and 49% backing Tom “Fabio” Brady and the 14 and 2 New England Patriots.

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? Find out more exciting details HERE.]

Will the Jets be ready to take down their rivals on Sunday? Or, as some expect, will the Patriots end the game before halftime?

New York Jets (12-5) at New England Patriots (14-2)

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

When: Jan. 16th, 2011 at 4:30 pm EST

TV: CBS

NFL Betting Line

New York Jets +9 ½ -110 O 44 ½ -110

New England Patriots -9 ½ -110 U 44 ½ -110

Check out some betting trends in this game:

• The New York Jets are 5 and 2 ATS in their last 7 playoff games.

• The New York Jets are 9 and 3 ATS in their last 12 vs. the AFC.

• The New England Patriots are 13 and 3 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite of 3 ½ to 10 points.

• The New England Patriots are 5 and 1 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite.

The NFL odds makers, and many sports handicappers, are obviously weighing the second game between these two more heavily then they weighed the first game. In the first game between these two, the New York Jets beat the New England Patriots straight up 28 to 14 as 3-point favorites. That game occurred in Week 2 of the season.

In Week 13, the Patriots got their revenge and then some against the Jets. New England pounded NYJ 45 to 3 as only 4-point favorites. New England embarrassed the Jets’ proud defense by racking up 405 total yards. Brady was 21 for 29 for 326 yards. T. Fabio also threw 4 touchdowns.

What New York Jets team figures to show up on Sunday? The one that looked so impressive when beating the Patriots or the one that laid down like a dead dog in the second game?

I’m actually going with the team that played in Week 2. To me, the Jets showed something last week versus the Indianapolis Colts in a 17 to 16 victory on the road as 2-point NFL betting odds dogs that they hadn’t shown in a long time. It wasn’t their defense that impressed me. It was their offense. The Jets rushed for 169 yards versus a Colts’ D that hadn’t allowed 100 yards rushing in their last 3 games of the regular season.

NYJ dominated the ground game and that’s the reason that they should control the clock and keep it close versus the New England Patriots on Sunday. If New York doesn’t get their running game going, then Tom Brady is going to carve up New York’s secondary that still hasn’t been able to overcome the loss of safety Jim Leonhard, but if the Jets can control the clock with running backs LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, then they could very well keep Brady on the bench and squeak out a huge upset.

The Patriots’ D is still allowing roughly 108 yards per game on the ground and 258.5 passing yards per game. As well as the D has been playing, there are holes in the secondary that the Jets could exploit in the passing game if they can get Tomlinson and Greene off first. My fear, though, is that Jets’ coach Rex Ryan is going to try and throw the ball first. That would be a disaster for NYJ.

My pick in this game comes down to the fact that NYJ appears to be back on track with their running game and the NFL odds. I just can’t give up 9 ½ points to the New York Jets. That’s true even if the team they’re playing are the New England Patriots.

I’m not sure if the Jets are going to win the game, but I’m confident that, if they play a smart game, they could keep the margin of defeat to less than 10 points. I’ll take the points and back the New York Jets in their game versus the New England Patriots on Sunday, January 16th.

NFL Betting Pick: New York Jets +9 ½ -110

Log onto the sportsbook for NFL odds on this weekend’s games, click here!