New York Jets at Tennessee Titans Odds
TweetThe Tennessee Titans (4-9) host the New York Jets (6-7) Monday night in AFC non-division action. Oddsmakers have listed the Titans as a one-point favorite and have set the total at 42.5.
Why Tennessee Covers
Tennessee has been a tough place for teams to play this season. The Titans are only 2-4 at home, but both of their wins have come against quality opponents.
They defeated a competitive Detroit Lions team 44-41 Sept. 23, and they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-23 Oct. 11.
The Lions are only 4-9, but they are one of the top offensive teams in the NFL and have suffered seven losses of seven points or less.
The 7-6 Steelers are one of the top defensive teams in the league, and they crushed Sunday’s opponent – the Jets – 27-10 Sept. 16.
Tennessee also took the 9-4 Indianapolis Colts to overtime at home. Their other home defeats have come to the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. There’s no shame in losing to those teams this year.
Led by star running back Chris Johnson, who has racked up 1,037 yards on the ground, the Titans have been a very efficient running team. They are averaging 4.7 yards per carry on the season.
The Jets, who rank 29th in the NFL against the run with 136.4 yards allowed per game, have long had trouble against good running teams. In fact, they are just 10-25 against the spread versus teams that average 4.5 yards or more per carry over the last two decades. They are only 3-12 against the number versus such teams under coach Rex Ryan and have lost to these teams by an average of 5.0 points.
Why New York Covers
The Jets have put a three-game losing streak behind them by winning three of their last four and now find themselves in playoff contention. They trail the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals by just one game for the final wild-card slot in the conference.
While the Jets have found a little life, the Titans have been sliding. They have dropped four of their last five both straight up and against the spread since winning back-to-back games in October. Tennessee is a poor 4-9 against the number in all games this season.
While oddsmakers don’t appear sold on the Jets’ chances this week, you might want to think twice before laying points with Tennessee. After all, the Titans are on a 2-9 against the spread skid as a favorite. They have lost by an average score of 21.0 to 17.8 in these games. Tennessee is 0-2 against the spread as a favorite this season.
The Titans are one of the weakest defensive teams in the NFL. They rank 31st in the league in scoring defense with 29.7 points allowed per game and 26th in total defense with 377.3 yards allowed per game. The Jets, on the other hand, have quietly been one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. They rank eighth in the league in total defense with 332.4 yards allowed per contest.
New York has had Tennessee’s number. The Jets have won two in a row and five of six all-time meetings against the Titans.