Seahawks at Jets: Odds, trends, and more

Here’s your source for the betting odds, as well as a few little notes ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Jets.

The Seattle Seahawks are expected to have quarterback Russell Wilson as he plays through a knee sprain as the perennial Super Bowl contenders take on the New York jets on Sunday.

In advance of that game, let’s take a look at some trends, odds and more to get you set for kickoff.

Trends

This is an interesting matchup, the two teams only meet every four years and won’t see each other again till 2020 (hopefully I’ll have graduate college by then). The Jets sit at 1-2 after their lopsided loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week. The Seahawks (2-1) handed the San Francisco 49ers a brutal 37-18 loss last week.

Who needs a win here more? I would say the obvious answer is the Jets. They need to see a bounce back performance from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick after last week’s hellish outing in Kansas City when he threw six interceptions.

More NFL coverage from FanSided

Each team’s best draft pick of all-time

Heisman winners with best NFL careers

30 best NFL coaches of all-time

Jets head coach, Todd Bowles seemed adamant about a good showing this week from Fitzpatrick when he said he can’t play any worse and they remain confident with him under center.

We’ll see how that goes as the Jets are taking on a Seahawks team who have given up just 162 passing yards in three games. The Jets will be at home in this one, and this will be Seattle’s first true road test against a formidable opponent. The Chiefs gave Seattle a blueprint for success on defense for slowing down the Jets.

Comparing the Seahawks and the Chiefs defenses isn’t an unfair comparison to make, especially in the secondary where both teams are relatively deep. Man to man coverage killed the Jets and no one could get open. The Chiefs took away Quincy Enunwa with a safety and then locked down the outside with Marcus Peters and Phillip Gaines. In the red zone, Kansas City used zone defense to keep the Jets from beating them with pick routes. We’ll find out if the Seahawks take a similar philosophy this game.

Odds

Line: SEA -2.5

Over/Under: 40.5

Coming into the season, both were penciled in as playoff contenders. Seattle has gotten off to slow starts in the past but has come through when it matters. The Jets badly need a win as falling to 1-3 will put them in a big hole with New England who gets Tom Brady back next game.

Though Seattle had their way last week against the 49ers, a similar theme against the Jets doesn’t seem likely. Wilson has a sprained MCL but is expected to start. With that said, he could be limited in the pocket and not able to tuck and run as often as he’d like. The Seahawks should look to running back Christine Michael (averaging 5.2 yards per carry) to get things started early.

The Jets don’t give up much on the ground with opposing ball carriers averaging 3.3 yards per carry. With Wilson potentially limited, I’m concerned the Seahawks won’t muster up enough offensively, leaving the Jets with a chance to steal the game.

must read: 30 Best NFL Receivers of All-Time

This should be a good, physical football game. These are two stout defenses that prioritize stopping the run and forcing their opponent to beat them through the air. Tune in Sunday at 1:00 EST for what could be one of the best games of the week.