Point Spread Suggests Different Story for Jets and Dolphins This Time Around
The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins are separated by four full games in the AFC East standings, but the point spread for the Week 15 head-to-head meeting has opened in single digits.
Coming off their Monday night loss to Tennessee at Hard Rock Stadium, the division-leading Dolphins (9-4) are a 8.5-point home favorite for their December 17 clash against the Jets (5-8). Despite closing as a 3.5-point underdog, New York snapped its five-game losing streak by posting an outright home win over the Houston Texans last time out on December 10.
The betting odds reflect a slightly different outlook for this Week 15 game compared to the Black Friday meeting in the Meadowlands. The Dolphins jumped up to 10.5-point road favorites over the Jets, who started Tim Boyle at quarterback back on November 24. They had little difficulty covering the spread in a 34-13 victory, but Miami may not have an easy go this time around.
"We just saw them a couple of weeks ago, so there’s a lot of learn off. It has to be about us," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh.
When reinserted as the starting quarterback prior to last week's game against Houston, Zach Wilson moved the point spread by a full field goal and subsequently proved it was warranted.
After only 10 touchdowns through its first 12 games, the Jets' offense showed signs of life with Wilson at the controls in the 30-6 win over Houston. Engineering three second-half touchdown drives, Wilson finished 27-of-36 passing for 301 yards, two touchdowns and a 117.9 rating.
The Dolphins, who lost starting center Connor Williams to a season-ending injury in Week 14, have yet to defeat an opponent with a winning record. As a double-digit underdog, the Titans erased a 27-13 deficit with 3:00 remaining to stun Miami.
Led by dynamic receiver Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins own the NFL's top-ranked offense (423.6 ypg). Their 31.6 points per game are second best on the circuit. Hill suffered a mild high ankle sprain in the game and is "day to day" according to Miami head coach Mike McDaniel.
Gang Green limits opposing offenses to 5.41 yards per pass play (2nd best in NFL). New York owns the eighth-ranked scoring defense (19.8 ppg).
The Jets have posted one outright road win as the betting underdog this year. New York entered its Week 5 road trip to Denver as a 2.5-point 'dog and recorded a 31-21 victory.
Money line bettors looking to back to the Dolphins in Sunday's AFC East clash must lay -450 odds while the Jets offer +340 potential winnings. The projected point total (over/under) is 37.5. All odds are provided by SI Sportsbook.
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