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After a wild opening week of the NFL season, the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns should provide plenty of fireworks ahead of their Week 2 matchup that is scheduled to take place at the Dog Pound. Join us for our NFL odds series, where our Jets-Browns prediction and pick will be made.
After not getting much offense going with former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco going up against his former team that he won a Super Bowl with, New York saw themselves come out on the wrong side of the scoreboard by a score of 24-9. With QB Zach Wilson most likely remaining out until Week 4, can Flacco lead the troops to a bounce-back road win in Cleveland?
Since the moment former QB Baker Mayfield was shipped off to Carolina after the Browns acquired QB Deshaun Watson, the opening game for Cleveland against the Carolina Panthers was highly anticipated for weeks leading into the season with many expecting Mayfield to come out cooking versus his former team. However, kicker Gabe York helped to spoil Mayfield's revenge party by booming a 58-yard field goal as time expired to give the Browns a 26-24 victory. With a chance to start 2-0 for the first time since 1993, do the Browns have what it takes to send the Jets home packing?
Here are the Jets-Browns NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Jets-Browns Odds
New York Jets: +6.5 (-105)
Cleveland Browns: -6.5 (-115)
Over: 39.5 (-105)
Under: 39.5 (-115)
Why The Jets Could Cover The Spread
Stuck in the middle of a September swoon, the Jets have shockingly lost 13 straight games during the opening month of the football season. In order for New York to cover the spread against Cleveland on Sunday and end this horrid stretch of losing, a greater sense of urgency for the offense to get into the end zone will need to be as prevalent as ever. For starters, the offensive line failed to do their job against the Ravens a week ago, as Joe Flacco was hounded with pressure in his face that led to Baltimore sacking their former signal caller a trio of times and also hitting him eleven times throughout the contest.
One of the biggest difference-makers will be that of left tackle George Fant, who will be given the challenging task of holding All-Pro Myles Garrett in check. If New York's offensive line can keep Flacco off his back and also provide running lanes for their running backs, then they will be able to keep the Browns defense on their heels.
With Flacco currently 0-6 all-time as the starting quarterback for the Jets, it is vital for New York to establish the running game which could also lead to edging Cleveland out in Time of Possession. With that being said, the one-two punch of running backs Michael Carter and Breece Hall provide a lethal dynamic duo that could be up for the task of gashing Cleveland with some long runs.
Why The Browns Could Cover The Spread
How sweet it was for Cleveland during their opening game of the season! This hasn't been able to be said much if you're a Browns fan, as Cleveland has been historically bad in season openers. In fact, their dramatic win over the Panthers was their first Week 1 victory since the 2004 season. After multiple decades of miserable playouts on the gridiron, going 2-0 to begin a season almost sounds like a native language to many Browns fans who have been starved for even a sliver of success.
With Deshaun Watson serving his suspension until Week 11, the Browns were forced to turn to QB Jacoby Brissett, and boy did he demonstrate the perfect showing off a game manager-type quarterback. While his 18/34 for 147 passing yards and a touchdown to go along with a lackluster 38.1 QBR left a lot to be desired, Brissett did not turn the ball over and kept the Browns from shooting themselves in the foot as they often do. Conversely, Cleveland is equipped with a stupendous running game, and with a gritty defense that held Carolina's offense to only 261 yards of total offense, maybe the Browns can survive in the midst of Watson's absence after all.
Most importantly, look for the continued emergence of wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones to play a huge role in this game as Cleveland's new number-one option in the passing game. Peoples-Jones stepped up in a big way last week as he snagged six catches for 60 yards. With the addition of Amari Cooper, the third-year pass catcher out of Michigan should be in store for a breakout season and could come up with some big plays to help the Browns cover the spread in this one.
Final Jets-Browns Prediction & Pick
Even though the Browns were able to come away victorious a week ago, asking Cleveland to cover a -6.5 point spread is a lot to ask for. On the other side, the Jets actually out-gained the Ravens in yards 380-274 and had eleven more first downs than Baltimore. Acting as nearly a touchdown underdog out on the road, New York is a wise investment to come out with vengeance after losing in the fashion that they did during Week 1.
Final Jets-Browns Prediction & Pick: Jets +6.5 (-105)
