Odds Lions Beat Jets
The Detroit Lions (6-7), winners of five of their last six games, will look to make it three in a row in a pivotal road matchup with the N.Y. Jets (7-6) Sunday.
Detroit has already won once at MetLife Stadium this season, having beaten the N.Y. Giants in Week 11, 31-18.
The Lions currently are fighting for their playoff lives, trailing the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and the Giants (7-5-1) by one-and-a-half games for the final wild card spot in the NFC.
Luckily for Detroit, the Giants and the Commanders are playing this week. So, Dan Campbell's team can pull within a half game of the seventh and final playoff seed with both a win over the Jets and a non-tie between New York and Washington.
Campbell, however, is more worried about his team handling its business the rest of the way this season.
"We know we’ve got a chance, but we also know we feel like we need to win out here and it all starts with the Jets," Campbell told reporters Friday. "If we don’t handle our business, it’s all for naught. It’s nice to be able to look up there and see that a team that’s in front of us did get a loss (Seattle on Thursday night), and so it’s hard to ignore that. But, also we know, our guys know, we have to do our part."
And, it does start with trying to knock off the Jets on Sunday.
New York, which is led by fellow second-year head man Robert Saleh, has lost two in a row, plus four of its last six contests.
The Jets, just like the Lions, are fighting to stay alive in their postseason hunt. They trail both the New England Patriots (7-6) and the L.A. Chargers (7-6) in tiebreakers for the last playoff position in the AFC.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK
In Week 15, New York will do battle with Detroit with second-year passer Zach Wilson under center (and not exactly by choice).
Earlier this week, Wilson, the one-time full-time starter for the Jets, was moved up to No. 2 on the team's QB depth chart.
However, on Friday, the team's present starter, Mike White, was ruled out for Sunday's contest due to a rib injury which he suffered in Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills.
Now, Wilson is being forced into action, which increases Detroit's chances of securing a victory over the Jets.
In seven games this season, Wilson has accounted for just five total touchdowns (four passing and one rushing), and has thrown five interceptions.
The 2021 No. 2 overall pick has also completed just 55.6 percent of his passes (same as his career percentage), and has produced a dismal QBR of 43.2 (the seventh-worst QBR in the NFL in 2022).
The Lions have a great shot at limiting the production of Wilson and the Jets' offense.
Meanwhile, Detroit's offense has been buzzing of late. It's averaged 32.2 points per game the last five weeks, and in four of the five contests, the team has scored at least 31 points.
It brings me to this: I believe the Lions, with how they're presently playing, have a solid chance at pulling off the road win Sunday.
At this current juncture, I'm going to give Detroit a 55 percent chance of winning the Week 15 matchup.
