The Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets will get Week 15 of the NFL season started with a Thursday night clash. Baltimore is a whopping 14.5-point favorite at home, with the over/under set at 44.5 points.
To the surprise of many, the Jets have come on strong during the second half of the season. They have won four of their last five games, putting them at 5-8 heading down the stretch. Of course, none of those four wins came against teams that currently have a winning record. There was also that embarrassing loss to the Bengals a couple of weeks ago that helped take the Jets out of the playoff picture.
The Ravens, on the other hand, appear close to unstoppable after rattling off nine straight wins. During that winning streak, Baltimore has blown out bad teams, blown out good teams, and survived stiff challenges from other playoff-bound teams. With a win on Thursday, the Ravens will officially clinch the AFC North title and bring themselves within one win or one New England loss of wrapping up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
No Stopping It
Opposing teams seem to be running out of ways to stop Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense. The Bills actually had a good handle on things last week, slowing down the Baltimore running game. However, Jackson was able to respond with three touchdown passes, including a couple when the Ravens were inside the five-yard line when most would expect them to pound the ball into the end zone on the ground.
The Jets don’t seem like good candidates to keep the multi-dimensional Jackson contained this week. New York’s defense has barely been able to handle the likes of Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick in recent weeks. In fairness, the Jets have been solid against some of the weaker teams in the NFL. But they don’t seem fit to stop the Baltimore offense, particularly on a short week and with so many defensive players banged up.
Let Them Through
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jets have actually shown some promise in recent weeks. Not long ago, they scored 34 points in three straight weeks, albeit against bad teams. Remember, Sam Darnold has a fair amount of arm talent while Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder isn’t a bad receiving tandem. Opposing teams have to respect Anderson as a deep threat, helping open up room underneath for Crowder.
However, New York’s biggest problem all season has been a terrible offensive line. The Jets have yielded 47 sacks in 13 games and have struggled to get Le’Veon Bell established as a threat in the running game. That figures to be a problem against a Baltimore defense that is coming around late in the year.
The Ravens have given up 17 points or less in seven of their last eight games and are coming off a game in which they accumulated six sacks against Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.
Let It Roll
It’s never easy to lay down more than two touchdowns in an NFL game, but this game warrants serious consideration. Can the Jets really slow down Jackson with half the preparation time as every other team that has failed to do so this year? Can the Jets really overcome such a dreadful offensive line in a game in which they’re likely to play from behind?
The answer to both questions is likely a big, fat “No.” Bet on the Ravens to cover 14.5 points against the Jets on Thursday night.
