Don’t look now, but with wins in four of their last six games, including two straight, the Jacksonville Jaguars have moved within a game of first place in the AFC South. It was an improbable scenario just two months ago when the Jags suffered through a five-game losing streak leaving them at 2-6 SU. They turned things around, though, knocking off some decent competition during the run with plenty of points the last two weeks. The Jags totaled 76 points in payout wins over Tennessee and Dallas and will look to extend their streak against the New York Jets in the Week 16 edition of Thursday Night Football.
The Week 16 Thursday Night Football contest between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ at 8:15 p.m. ET on December 22, 2022 and will air on Prime Video.
Thursday Night Football – Jaguars vs Jets Odds
Jacksonville Jaguars PK
New York Jets PK
Over/Under 38.5
Odds Analysis
The spread gives you an idea of just how close oddsmakers and the betting public view this game. And it only makes sense given the records, though recent results favor the Jags. The line has wavered with each team a slight favorite at one point before settling right in the middle as a tossup. We’re likely to see the line bounce around again before kickoff. The Jets were a 1-point favorite when the line surfaced on Sunday and some shops moved the Jags to between a half-point and point favorite. The total was wagered down a point to 38.5 with the threat of rain, though snow isn’t in the forecast. Still, points are expected to be hard to come by. Scoring hasn’t been an issue for the Jags the last two weeks with two of their three highest totals of the season coming in wins over Dallas and Tennessee. They are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games. In control of a playoff spot just a month ago, the Jets find themselves scuffling after three straight losses dropped them to 7-7 SU and 8-6 ATS.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Talk about a weird turn of events the Jags find themselves in the hunt for a division title just a game behind faltering Tennessee. Sure the AFC South has its issues with no team above .500 at this point, but someone has to win the crown. And believe it or not the Jags are the frontrunner after an impressive run that included an OT win over Dallas on Sunday. They put together solid wins of Las Vegas, Baltimore and Tennessee prior to that averaging nearly 33 points in the four wins while cashing the OVER in each of their last four games. It wasn’t that long ago the Jags were 2-6 SU and ATS after losing to Denver.
One bright spot has been the play of Trevor Lawrence, who has blossomed under the tutelage of Doug Pederson. And the better he is the better the Jags are. Lawrence threw for 318 yards on 27 of 42 passing with four touchdowns as the Jags produced their highest point total of the year in their 40-34 win over Dallas. Over the last two games Lawrence has 686 passing yards with seven touchdowns and only one pick. In those games the Jags averaged 38 points with the offense now ranked 10th in the NFL in total yards and 12th in scoring helping the Jags cash the OVER in four straight games.
New York Jets
The quarterback situation in New York might end up costing the Jets a playoff berth. The team isn’t ready to give up on former first round pick Zach Wilson just yet, but the offense has floundered with him at the helm. There was that debacle in New England last month where Wilson was 9 of 22 for 77 yards in a 10-3 loss that led to his benching. With Mike White on the shelf with a concussion Wilson was inserted back into the starting gig last week. He threw for 317 yards against a poor Detroit defense but was just 18 of 35. He’s completed fewer than 55 percent of his passes for the season with the Jets scoring just over 20 points per game. The loss of leading rusher Breece Hall has also impacted the offense.
It’s sad because the Jets are wasting an elite defense. The unit ranks among the top-5 in fewest yards and points allowed and has conceded 20 points or less in nine of the past 11 games. Yet the Jets have dropped three in a row and five of their last seven games while the UNDER is 7-2 in their past nine contests. The group, however, couldn’t come up with a stop when it needed one most allowing the Lions to score the game-winning touchdown on Sunday with less than two minutes remaining.
Jaguars at Jets Prediction
Both teams are still in the hunt for the postseason giving extra meaning to the contest. I also expect the Jets to be fired up after losing a game they probably should’ve won. The defense remains elite despite the loss of Quinnen Williams and will give Lawrence and the Jags problems. Now, if Wilson can do enough offensively, I like New York at home in the tossup.
Prediction: New York Jets PK and OVER 38.5
