Philadelphia Eagles (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS) vs. New York Jets (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
NFL Week 3
Date/Time: Sunday, September 27, 1:00pm
Where: MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
TV: FOX
by Bob, NFL Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: PHI +3 / NYJ -3
Over/Under Total: 46
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This Sunday on Fox we will see a match-up between a 2-0 team and an 0-2 team. Now, three weeks ago if I had told you that the Eagles and Jets were to play and one team was 2-0 and other winless, I bet 99% of you would have said Oh, of course, the Jets suck. Yeah, well here are. The New York Jets sit at 2-0 and the Eagles have yet to win a game. The Jets have not just won their first two games, they have looked absolutely good doing so. They destroyed the Cleveland Browns 31-10 and then, on Monday night did a number on Andrew Luck and the Colts holding them to just a single score in a 20-7 win. That is a great start, especially defensively. The Eagles however, oh man, what a mess. They were absolutely shell shocked in the first half against the Falcons, then came back to make it a game. Many thought, okay, they had a bad half and Atlanta was just a little too far ahead, the second half is the real Eagles. Then they hosted Dallas, good lord. The Eagles had -4 rushing yards heading near the two minute warningin the FOURTH QUARTER. Eventually the Dallas defense folded and called it a day pretty much letting Philly get a meaningless score late in the game. I am very interested in seeing how this game unfolds.
Vegas has the game set with the New York Jets as three point home favorites and the total points at 46. So far this season, the Eagles have yet to cover a spread and the Jets are 2-0. You can never look much into that since the betting public gauges those stats as well and it causes movement in the current lines. These two teams have only met five times since 1993 and during that time, the Eagles have covered in four of those games, and the one time they did not cover, they still won outright. But, that was then, this is now. Neither of these teams are the same. As of right now, 55% of the action is on the Jets and just 45% on the Eagles. This is going to be very interesting to see unfold. I am absolutely torn with this game.
All I heard all offseason was how dominant the Eagles would be. Teams would need to score in the mid 30s to even compete with them. The Eagles finally had a quarterback in Sam Bradford that could run Chip Kellys offense. Now, I do not like to toot my own horn much, but I have not been sold on Philadelphia at all. Well, their offense anyway. Yeah, I saw them as a playoff team, but no, I did not see them as a dominating force going 13-3 or anything like that. They play in a crap division, yeah, I said itthe east is weak and they will get a few wins out of that alone. Then, their cross division schedule has them playing the NFC South this year. Including a Falcons team (which already beat them), Tampa with a new QB, an aging and depleted Saints team, and the Panthers who are as bi-polar of a team as they come. I figured worst case, and absolute worst case, the Eagles would go 9-7. Well here we are. Philly is 0-2 and has yet to face the part of their schedule that they considered to be the tough part. What is the Eagles problem this season? Well, where do we start? The defense is average at best, DeMarco Murray is about as good as Monte Ball, and Sam Bradford cannot hit an open man to save his life. The Eagles right now are just plain bad. How can they win this week? I mean, I dont know. For starters, get the running game going. Murray must establish some sort of threat in order to keep the Jets defense on their heels. If the front four of New York stuffs Murray without the need of help, then the Jets will sit back and take advantage of an average Sam Bradford. Defensively, the Eagles have not been horrible. They just havent got any help from the offense. If the defense can force a few turnovers, then they may stand a chance in this onemay.
Well, the Jets look good, real good. They allowed the Browns to score just 10 points in the season opener, then this past week on Monday night, they made the Colts offense look pathetic. They forced four turnovers, three of which were interceptions thrown by Andrew Luck. On the offensive side of the ball, New York has been pretty solid as well. It was announced this week that even when Geno Smith returns from his injury, Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain the starter. So far in 2015, Fitzpatrick is 2-0, and has passed for 423 yards and four touchdowns. His passer rating is a 94.3, nearly 20 points higher than it has been his entire career. Having Brandon Marshall is obviously a huge help for him. Marshall has already caught 13 balls for 163 yards and two scores. He is averaging over 12 yards a reception and this type of output keeps up, the offense could be dangerous. A solid passing game, and the running ability of Chris Ivory has given this offense the boost they need to capitalize off the stunning defense. The game plan here is simple. Shut down the Eagles running game and do not just hand them points. If you make the Eagles drive the full field and limit turnovers, I just do not see them scoring much on the Jets in this one.
This game is a tough call. I am waiting for the Jets to become the Jets again, and I am waiting for the Eagles offense to get pissed off enough to have that blowout game. But I will say thisuntil I see it, I am not going to count on it. I think the Jets win a low scoring game that they control most of the way through. I also predict the Philadelphia call in shows will be extremely entertaining to listen in on come Monday when they are 0-3. Jets win this game 20-13.
Bobs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Take the New York Jets -3 and Under the posted total.
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