When I started in the business of picking NFL games there was one rule that was generally passed on from people with more experience, “Don’t bet on the Jets as a favorite.”
Yep, the Jets dismal record as a team burning bettors money goes all the way back four decades.
Not since Joe Namath was playing quarterback for the Jets have they had a quarterback that was ever considered as a possible Hall of Fame entrant. Of course, this year, they do have a Hall of Fame member under contract, but Aaron Rodgers did all his winning in Green Bay and was lost to the Jets in their season opening game to a torn ACL.
The Jets have spent high draft pick after high draft pick in search of a franchise signal caller, and still remain in search for someone that in any way emulates the success they enjoyed when Namath was running their offense.
So, with that as a backdrop, how would you like to have the Jets tonight as a favorite? Even as a road favorite which would appear to make the wager even less attractive.
Well, we’ve got two sides to this coin tonight.
The reason the Jets are favored is not because the public is rushing to the window to get down on the team that wears green in New York. This is not a public play, but rather a wager on the Jets as a slight favorite by the same crowd that had the advice in the past to never bet on the Jets as a favorite.
What we have tonight is a Raiders team that got a win last Sunday over the team that wears blue in New York, the Giants. And the Raiders did it while the Giants were the public pick in that game.
How did that happen?
After being embarrassed on Monday night in Detroit, the Raiders fired everyone in sight, including their head coach, general manager and starting quarterback. What was left was interim head coach Antonio Pierce and rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell to run their team and offense.
That was good enough to come out of their doldrums with a one-sided romp over the Giants, 30-6, but what do you think will happen tonight when they take this same collection of inexperience into battle against the Jets?
I suspect that the Raiders bobble up from under water will be a one week reprieve and O’Connell is about to get throttled by the talented Jets defense.
Oh yeah, we have to lay points with the Jets tonight, but it is a price worth paying.
Qoxhi Picks: New York Jets (-1) over Las Vegas Raiders