Chiefs Jets Line

This Sunday the New York Jets will look to stay in the AFC playoff picture when they host the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jets went on the road and defeated the Redskins 34-19 to improve to 7-5 on the year, but still have some work to do if they are going to get back to the postseason. New York is currently tied with Cincinnati, Tennessee and Oakland for the final Wild Card spot. The Chiefs snapped their 4-game losing streak with a 10-3 win in Chicago. While Kansas City is just 5-7 on the year, they are just two games out of first place in the AFC West.

Taking a look at the week 14 spreads, oddsmakers currently have the Jets favored by 10 points over the Chiefs with the total set at 36.5 points.

Kansas City Chiefs:

Not to take anything away from the Chiefs win over the Bears on Sunday, but I wouldn’t read to much into that win coming into this game against the Jets. Kansas City’s only touchdown came on a 38-yard Hail Mary at the end of the first half. While their defense shutdown a Bears offense without starting quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, who was forced out of the game with six minutes to go in the first quarter.

If the Chiefs are going to pull off another huge upset this week, they are going to figure out a way to get something more going offensively. Tyler Palko’s Hail Mary touchdown pass was the Chiefs first touchdowns since starting quarterback Matt Cassel was lost for the season. Palko finished the game 17 of 30 for just 157 yards. At one point he was pulled for Kyle Orton, but Orton injured his finger on the first snap.  Even though Palko led the Chiefs to their first win in five games, he is not the answer.  I have a hard time seeing him have any sort of success against a Jets defense that ranks 7th in the NFL against the pass (204.6 ypg).

While the Chiefs rushed for 113 yards against a solid Bears defense, they averaged just 3-1 yards per carry. New York is allowing just 94 rushing yards over their last six games. Knowing that Palko isn’t a polished NFL passer, the Jets will load the box and keep Kansas City from getting the ground game going.

New York Jets:

This just isn’t any game for the Jets, if they don’t win this game they likely won’t make the playoffs. While they are tied with the Titans, Raiders, and Bengals at 7-5, all three of those teams hold the tie-breaker over New York.  They have to win at least 3 out of their next four to have a shot, and that might not be enough to get them. The good news is this team is starting to show some signs of turning it on after back-to-back  comeback wins over the Bills and Redskins.

The final score may lead you to believe the Jets dominated the game against the Redskins, but they actually trailed 13-16 with just 7:52 to play in the fourth quarter.  Mark Sanchez got New York in front with a nice 30-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, followed by two touchdown runs from Shonn Greene. Despite gaining just 88 yards on 22 attempts, Greene scored three rushing touchdowns.

New York overcame another shaky performance from Sanchez, who finished 19 of 32 for just 165 yards. Right now you just don’t know what you are going to get from Sanchez. One play he can look like an elite quarterback, but then make a complete bonehead decision on the next play. The Chiefs secondary has played extremely well despite all that has gone wrong this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Sanchez had another bad game.

Betting Trends:

Kansas City is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog.

New York is 4-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.

About the Author: Steve will be the first to tell you that College Football is his passion, but he enthusiastically follows the NFL, NBA, College Hoops, and Major League Baseball. Get started today with a premium package from Steve Janus!