NFL Betting Predictions: Week 14 Opening Line Report and Picks
On Sunday, every sportsbook in the country thought they caught their biggest break of the season. The Jets were about to defeat the Raiders and send every parlay with the Raiders moneyline into the trash can.
Except, Jets the now former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, called for a zero coverage, all-out blitz, leaving one of the fastest new wide receivers in the game, Henry Ruggs, wide open in one-on-one coverage with 13 seconds to go and the Jets leading the Raiders 28-24.
Derek Carr dropped back, moved up into the pocket as the pressure was near and heaved a pass right into Ruggs’ hands for a touchdown. The Raiders won the game, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Meanwhile, the Jets lost their 12th game in row and fired Williams as defensive coordinator. Yet, Adam Gase is still around, even with his team 0-12.
The funny thing is that Jets fans were happy with this outcome. The Jaguars lost in overtime to the Vikings and still have just one win. If the Jets won a game, they’d potentially miss out on the number one pick in the draft.
That number one pick will likely be Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, and most scouts believe he’s a once-in-a-generation talent.
Basically, you can say that the Raiders saved the Jets and the Jets saved Raiders. It’s a win-win, unless you’re Williams or Gase.
There have been plenty of times where Williams has called this blitz in these scenarios before. This isn’t the first time he’s called the all-out blitz. The idea is that the pressure will get to the quarterback before any of the receivers can get open in one-on-one coverage. However, Derek Carr was ready for it. The offensive line was ready for it.
And then Carr made a beautiful pass to Ruggs after Ruggs gained a step on the Jets defensive back.
That play changed the entire landscape of the NFL for years to come. We’ll look back at this play when Trevor Lawrence becomes a hall-of-fame quarterback with the Jets 25 years from now.
Jets vs Seahawks (-13.5, 47.5): The Jets weren’t the only team embarrassed after Sunday. The Seahawks offense struggled to score much of anything against the 4-7 New York Giants and ended up losing to Colt McCoy and the Giants. We’ll give the Giants credit. They’re playing extremely well right now, but the Seahawks offense was out of sync every game. Who knows what’s next for the Jets defense and who will call plays. However, what we do know is that the Jets secondary is beat up and struggling a ton this season. You can expect a bounce back from the Seahawks here. The line is hefty, but the offense will be gold. Pick: Seahawks
Giants vs Cardinals (-2.5, 45.5): A couple weeks ago, the line for this game wouldn’t be 2.5. The Cardinals would be huge favorites. Times have changed. The Giants are putting out a product on the field that continues to improve and get better. Daniel Jones should be returning as quarterback, and that makes the Giants much more of a threat with how well the defense is playing. The Cardinals struggled against a solid defense like the Rams. And while the Giants aren’t the Rams, they’ve really developed a consistent defense. I’d roll with the momentum. Pick: Giants
Colts vs Raiders (-2.5, 50.5): The Colts scored 24 points in the first half only to score two in the second half. They still defeated the Texans, after their defense didn’t allow a single point in the second half, winning 26-20. The Colts offense shut down in the second half. If that happens against the Raiders defense, I’d be shocked. The Colts defense has had their moments this season, but the Raiders defense really hasn’t. I’d trust the Colts more in this game. They’re much more balanced of a team. And although they didn’t score much in the second half, the defense was able to get the job done. You won’t be able to talk about the Raiders defense that way. Pick: Colts
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