NFL odds: Bills, Jets bracing for tightly contested Thursday night tilt
The Bills and Jets will both be searching for their first win of the season on Thursday Night Football in a key divisional game that is listed as a pick’em at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Bills will be playing their home opener following a 13–7 loss to the Ravens in Week 1, while the Jets are coming off a tough 23–22 home loss to the Bengals.
The Bills own a five-game winning streak both straight up and against the spread versus the Jets, according to the OddsShark NFL Database, a trend that has meant even more since ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan took the reins in Buffalo.
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Ryan helped the Bills sweep New York a year ago in a pair of games that resulted in identical 22–17 scores, with defense making the difference each time. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was intercepted a total of five times in the two games and threw for fewer than 200 yards in both contests. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s Tyrod Taylor avoided throwing an interception and also ran the ball well, totaling 63 yards on 16 carries.
The quarterback battle figures to be an important one yet again here, especially after neither team’s QB played particularly well in Week 1. Against the Bengals, Fitzpatrick completed 19 of 35 passes for 189 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. But his defense did not help him either, as top cornerback DarrelleRevis was repeatedly burned by Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green, who finished with 180 yards on 12 receptions with one touchdown.
Running back Matt Forte did have a nice Jets debut with 96 yards rushing and 59 receiving to lead the team in both categories.
Meanwhile, Taylor was repeatedly pressured by his former team in Baltimore, throwing for only 111 yards on 15 completions and getting sacked twice. Taylor may not have Sammy Watkins available on Thursday due to a lingering foot injury after the third-year player snagged four catches for a team-high 43 yards in the loss to the Ravens.
Buffalo is an impressive 19–6 against the spread in its last 25 games played in Week 2 and 8–3 straight up and against the spread in its past 11 games following a loss, so bettors will be looking for them to bounce back in Thursday night’s matchup.
