New England at New York

This could be the Jets’ last big hurrah for 2003. I won’t say it’s their Super Bowl, but getting the league’s (arguably) best team at home on the national Saturday night stage is big for New York. They’ve had a frustrating season that has fallen plenty short of expectations. They can go a long way towards putting that behind them by beating New England on Saturday night. Combine that with their weak six-point performance last week and a strong desire to avoid a losing season, and you’ve got a very motivated team, ladies and germs! The Pats have won 10 straight and that kind of streak just can’t last forever. Some would argue they’ve had some lucky wins. Lucky or not, they’ve had their fair share of close calls. The Jets running game got going last week and they’ll need it against one of the stingiest defenses in the league. At first glance, it looks like the Jets won’t be able to score in this game. After all, New England is giving up just 16 points per game and the Jets have scored a combined total of 12 in their last two! This is a perfect situation for a turnaround. The Jets actually match up pretty well with the Pats. New York’s primary weakness is run defense but New England doesn’t have a running game to take advantage of it. The Jets should actually hold up pretty well against Tom Brady and the New England passing game. If the Chiefs lose to the Vikings in the 5:00 Saturday game, this becomes an even better pick as the Patriots will have less to play for. The Jets are 19-4 ATS over the past six years when facing an opponent on a win streak of two or more games. The Jets will bring New England back to earth this week.
And don’t forget, all three of New England’s ATS losses this year have come on the road.