A couple of weeks ago anyone, outside of Jets fans, would say New York doesn’t have a chance against the Raiders, but with Las Vegas coming off a blowout loss to the Falcons, could this finally be the week that sees the Jets pick up their first win of the season?

Despite being solidly in the playoff picture, there is real uncertainty regarding the Raiders, which may explain why they aren’t favoured more heavily for this game.  The Raiders are 8-point favourites on the NFL odds, with a total of 47.5.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The Raiders have struggled against the Jets when playing in New York.  Las Vegas has lost their last four road games against the Jets and they are 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games in New York.  The under is 7-1 in the Raiders last eight games against opponents with a losing record.

On track to be just the third team to ever go 0-16 in the NFL, the Jets are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a double-digit loss and 2-7 ATS in their last nine games after scoring 15 or fewer points in the previous game.  The under is 5-0 in New York’s last five games against opponents with a winning record and 6-2 in their last eight games as an underdog.

The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings between these teams, while the over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders are coming off a game, which saw them absolutely demolished 43-6 in Atlanta, last week.  Overall, Derek Carr has been having one of the best seasons of his career, throwing for 19 TDs and only 4 interceptions, but last week was an anomaly for him and the Raiders as a whole, this season.  Carr finished the Falcons game without a single touchdown and threw a rare interception.

Carr wasn’t the only Raiders player struggling in Atlanta; the offensive line allowed Carr to be sacked five times against a weak Falcons pass rush. Las Vegas also turned the ball over five times, including Carr’s interception and four fumbles (three from Carr).  The Raiders could be playing the Jets at the perfect time.  A big win on Sunday could be the confidence boost Las Vegas needs to get back on track and make a splash in the playoffs.

New York Jets

The good news for Jets fans last week was the return of Sam Darnold.  The bad news was it made absolutely no difference.  New York struggled on both sides of the ball in a 20-3 loss to the Dolphins, as Darnold finished with 197 passing yards, no TDs and two interceptions.  In seven starts this season, Darnold has been sacked 22 times, including three last week, while the Jets have allowed 30 sacks on the season.

The defence looked a little better for the Jets against Miami.  They were able to sack Ryan Fitzpatrick four times, but they still give up an average of 284 passing yards per game, one of the worst records in the league.  The Jets’ schedule doesn’t get much easier after this game so this week is as good as any to pick up a win and avoid that dreaded goose egg season.

Who Will Win Raiders vs. Jets?