New York Jets at San Diego Chargers NFL Picks & Predictions

The 10-7 New York Jets take on the 13-3 San Diego Chargers Sunday in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Last week, the Jets followed up their Week 17 win over the Bengals with a 24-14 win over Cincinnati in a wild card matchup. Meanwhile, San Diego earned a bye with the No. 2 seed in the AFC. These two teams last met last season with the Chargers winning 48-29 on the Monday Night Football stage. The Chargers lead the all-time series 19-12-1, but the Jets have won the only meeting in the playoffs. NFL odds makers have listed the San Diego Chargers as a 7-point favorite with the total set at 42.

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San Diego enters the postseason as the NFL’s hottest team, having won 11 straight games, but it will have its work cut out for itself against the league’s best defensive unit. Riding a winning streak into the postseason hasn’t exactly treated the Chargers well in the past either. San Diego entered the postseason with a 10 game streak in 2006 and fell to New England in the divisional round. The Chargers brought in an eight game winning streak the following season and lost to the Patriots again in the AFC title game. Last year, the Chargers entered on a four game run and lost to Pittsburgh in the divisional round.

While the Chargers haven’t quite been able to get over the hump in recent years, you have to acknowledge that they have a good opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 seasons. The Patriots are eliminated and they have had Indy’s number if they were to meet up with the Colts in the AFC title game.

But first things first, the Bolts must take care of the Jets. Each of San Diego’s last three playoff losses have something in common. They came against teams ranked in the top five in the NFL in scoring defense. It just so happens that the Jets are No. 1 in that category this season, allowing only 14.8 points per game. New York is also No. 1 in total defense, allowing only 252.3 yards per game.

While the Chargers, who average an NFL-low 3.3 yards per rush, don’t figure to get much on the ground, the Jets will have to deal with Philip Rivers and one of the best aerial assaults in the league. Rivers ranked No. 3 in the NFL with a 104.4 passer rating following the regular season. He has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 4,254 yards and 28 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. The Jets will have their hands full with his top three targets: Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates.

Pro Bowl cornerback Darelle Revis will be asked to slow down Jackson, San Diego’s top receiver. Tight end Antonio Gates is the guy who I feel the Jets should be most concerned with though. He finished with 79 catches for 1,157 yards and eight scores and is a nightmare matchup for linebackers, because of his speed, and defensive backs, because of his size. It is worth noting that the Chargers are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0 points. If you like San Diego to win and cover Sunday, bet the Chargers at -7 at BetUS.

Being able to run the football effectively will give New York its best shot to pull off the upset. The Jets boast the NFL’s best running attack, which averages 172.2 yards per game. New York was able to gash the Bengals for 171 yards on the ground last week.

Thomas Jones led the way this season with 1,402 yards and 12 scores, but he was bothered by a banged up knee last week. That opened the door for rookie Shonn Greene, who is averaging five yards per carry, to run all over the Bengals for 135 yards.

While San Diego has had trouble defending the run, allowing 117.8 yards per game this season, it is worth noting that no other team in the league has held the Jets to fewer rushing yards the last two seasons. The Chargers would love to shut down the Jets running game in order to take their chances with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has thrown 20 interceptions this season. It is worth noting that the Jets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as an underdog. If you like New York to pull off the upset, bet the Jets at +7 at BetUS.

Jimmy Boyd crushed the books wild card weekend with a 3-1 performance, including winners with his Wild Card Game of the Year on the Cardinals and his Wild Card Total of the Year on the Ravens/Patriots Over. Join him in the divisional round for more expert football picks on the pro gridiron!

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