Online betting odds have the New York Jets as a dangerous darkhorse to win the Super Bowl, but they’ll need to improve after getting away with one in their opener. Look for the Jets to play inspired football when they welcome Jacksonville to town this week, and romp to an easy win.

What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, September 18th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Pick: New York Jets -9.5

Why Bet On Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars used their reliable ground game to hold on to the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 16-14 victory over Tennessee at home, racking up 163 rushing yards, led by 97 yards and a score from Maurice Jones-Drew. Luke McCown played better than many expected, going 17-of-24 for 175 yards, which isn’t bad when you remember that he was handed the starting job just days before the season because the Jaguars released veteran David Garrard unexpectedly. Jacksonville went in with a gameplan that revolved around clock management and they stuck to it perfectly, and that may be their plan until McCown becomes more comfortable in the offense. The Jaguars also did an excellent job on third down, converting nine of their 18 chances, which kept the chains moving and the ball in Jacksonville’s hands. The defense put the Tennessee running game in check, holding Chris Johnson to 24 yards and the Titans to 43 yards as a team.

Head coach Jack Del Rio will be out to fix the pass defense in practice as Tennessee made it a close game, while having half of the time of possession that Jacksonville did. They gave up a couple of big plays through the air and you know the Jets will be looking to exploit that. Offensively, the Jaguars need McCown to do exactly what he did against Tennessee, and that is to play within himself, but that may prove more difficult against one of the top three defenses in the NFL. He may also go into battle without tight end Marcedes Lewis, who is questionable because of an ailing hamstring.

Why Bet On New York Jets

The saying goes, “you have to be good to be lucky, and lucky to be good”, and the Jets were a little of both in a 27-24 win over Dallas at home, where they came back from a 24-10 deficit in the fourth quarter. A couple of Tony Romo turnovers helped their cause, and kicked Nick Fold booted a 50-yard field goal with 27 yards left to seal the deal, and while they had to depend on the turnovers, the Jets had a hand in forcing them as well. The Jets had four sacks on the night, while Darrelle Revis had the key pick that put New York in position for a huge victory. Mark Sanchez was 26-of-44 for 335 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, and he got off to a good start with Plaxico Burress, who had four catches for 72 yards and a score. Overall, it was a solid performance in all three facets of the game for the Jets against a talented Dallas team.

However, it wasn’t all clean as Romo carved up the Jets for three quarters, until he made some massive mistakes in the final 12 minutes. You have to give the defense some credit because the Jets have a knack of coming up big when it counts, but head coach Rex Ryan will be working on some aspects of the defense in practice this week. The Jets also couldn’t run the ball, although they had to start heaving it up in the fourth quarter.

How It Will Play Out

The Jets are 9.5-point NFL betting favorites at home this week, even though they’re 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS in their last five meetings with the Jaguars since 2002, with the last three games going over the posted total. At home, the Jets are 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS against the Jaguars, so a point spread of almost 10 points has to be worrying.

However, you can back the Jets to win comfortably here as they’ll be able to shut down the run against the Jaguars, leaving the game in McCown’s hands, and that is a recipe for disaster for Jacksonville, especially on the road. The offense should be able to run the ball better as well, so wager on the Jets to cover thesports betting spread this week.

Jaguars Jets Betting Pick: New York Jets -9.5