NFL Betting: Scrappy Jets Try Luck versus Underwhelming Falcons
by Bovada Sportsbook Staff | Oct. 7, 2013
A year after emerging as one of the top threats in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons could stand to benefit from a much-needed victory against a less-than-formidable opponent. The only downside seems to be that, despite the NFL odds pointing in Atlanta’s favor, these seemingly toothless New York Jets still have a better record than the Matt Ryan-led Falcons.
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Wins and losses aside, there’s a reason the Falcons are the team favored on the NFL moneyline heading into the Monday Night Football showdown. Atlanta may have lost more games than they won during the opening month of September, but their early season schedule hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.
While the Jets came up limping against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, Atlanta’s most recent loss came at the hands of the undefeated New England Patriots. The Falcons have also dropped contests against the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins en route to their underwhelming 1-3 mark.
Between Atlanta’s reputation, the fact that they’ll be suiting up in front of the home crowd and the sheer star power available in the lineup – even without Steven Jackson, it’s no wonder why the Falcons have been dubbed 10-point favorites in the sportsbook lined up against 2-2 New York.
The question is whether they can justify the high expectations considering that things haven’t really gone to plan at any point thus far.
Still, in all of their sub-.500 glory, Atlanta has 33/1 odds of winning the Super Bowl. The Jets sit slightly further down the list with 200/1 NFL futures.
Can quarterback Ryan finally take advantage of the platoon of superstar receivers at his disposal while head coach Mike Smith awaits the return of running back addition Jackson? The prized acquisition won’t suit up in Week 5, meaning that Ryan will have to connect with presumably either Julio Jones, Roddy White or Tony Gonzalez if they want to put some points on the board.
A little defense could go along way for the Falcons as well, considering they’ve allowed the 28th most passing yards per game so far this season.
In contrast to the underwhelming Falcons, the Jets have been adequate out of the gates. With uncertainty at the quarterback position since the start, New York has performed admirably under rookie starter Geno Smith.
It may be a while before Smith is the most decorated starting quarterback playing for a New York team, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still reasons to be optimistic about Gang Green.
Pay special attention to New York’s defensive unit which has limited opponent yardage both in the air and on the ground. That may not be a sexy enough reason to commit to this team in the sportsbook, but it’s what makes them an intriguing week-to-week pick when it comes to betting on the NFL spread.
Aside from their disappointing Week 4 defeat at the hands of the Titans, the Jets have done nothing but overachieve so far this season. The victory against Tampa Bay in the opener came despite the underdog label on the moneyline, and they covered the spread in both Week 2 and 3.
Will Week 5 mark a return to the pace the Jets started to set early on?
