Once left for dead following a 3-7 start, the Jacksonville Jaguars hit the road to take on the New York Jets Thursday right in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC.
Less than a month ago, the Jaguars’ odds of making the postseason were in the neighborhood of 2%, and their chances of winning the AFC South were less than half of that.
Four wins in six games later, the Jaguars stand one game behind the division-leading Tennessee Titans, with a showdown between the two teams looming in the season’s final week.
The Jets have gone the other way, losing four of five games, to drop their playoff odds to 20% with games with the Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, and Miami Dolphins to close the season.
New York head coach Robert Saleh has yet to name a starting quarterback for Thursday’s game, but presumably, it will be either Mike White or Zach Wilson under center.
White went 1-2 as the starter before a rib injury shelved him in favor of Wilson, who threw for 317 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports, and NFL lines for Jaguars vs Jets. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds and NFL week 16 picks for you to consider.
Jaguars vs Jets Betting Lines
Lawrence Carries Jags to New Heights
Trevor Lawrence has put the Jaguars on his back with improved play across the board, including a higher completion percentage and more yards and touchdowns per game.
Since week 9, only Most Valuable Player candidate Jalen Hurts has been a more efficient quarterback than Lawrence, who has upped his touchdown passes to 2.33 per game, up from 1.25 per game in the first eight weeks, and reduced his interceptions from .75 per game to .17.
Lawrence has gotten more out of journeyman receiver Zay Jones, who is on his fourth team, than any other quarterback, connecting 74 times for 764 yards and five touchdowns, including three scores in last week’s overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys.
It wasn’t all good news for the Jags, who snapped a 20-game losing streak to the NFC dating back to the season opener in 2018, as starting left tackle Cam Robinson was lost for the season after suffering a meniscus tear in his right knee late in the win over the Cowboys. Walker Little, a second-year player out of Stanford, will take over Robinson’s spot in the lineup.
Jets Need Run Game to Flourish
The Jets are at their best when they are running the ball well and utilizing play-action off it, but that wasn’t the case in losses to the Lions, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots.
New York gained just 2.5 yards per carry against the Lions and wasn’t much better against the Bills and Patriots. Rookie Zonovan Knight has gotten the bulk of the carries in the last four weeks and performed pretty well, aside from the Lions game.
Both the Cowboys and the Titans ran the ball well against Jacksonville, a middle-of-the-road team in the NFL in terms of stopping the run, allowing 118.1 yards per contest.
Jaguars vs Jets Game Injuries
Jaguars vs Jets Head-to-Head
Wilson ran for one touchdown and threw for another, and the Jets scored on defense and special teams in beating the Jaguars 26-21 last year to even the series at eight wins each.
Jacksonville, which beat the Jets in 2018 and 2019, is 3-7 on the road in the series.
Jaguars vs Jets Game Information
- Game: Jaguars vs Jets
- Date/Time: Thursday, December 22, 8:15 p.m. ET.
- Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- How to watch Jaguars vs Jets?: NFL Prime Video
Jaguars vs Jets Live stream: NFL Game Pass
Take a Look at Other 2 Previews, Picks & Predictions For NFL Week 16 Matchups
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Jaguars vs Jets Weather Conditions
47°, 15-25 mph wind, 100% chance of heavy rain, outdoor stadium, turf field.
Jaguars vs Jets Picks & Prediction
Predicted Score Jaguars 20, Jets 13
- Worth Betting on the Moneyline?
There is no moneyline posted since this game is a toss-up, but Jacksonville is the team you want to bet on.
- Worth Betting ATS?
The game is a pick’em, so the spread won’t be a factor.
- Worth Betting on the Totals?
With heavy rain and wind forecasted for the game, points could be at a premium, making the under the smart way to go here, even at 38½ points.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
