Jets Redskins Line

Written by Steve Janus - Google +

The New York Jets will to look to stay in the AFC playoff hunt when they go on the road to take on the Washington Redskins this Sunday. New York avoided a third straight loss by rallying to beat the Bills 28-24 at home last week. The Jets are tied with Denver and Tennessee at 6-5 in the AFC, who are all a game back of the Cincinnati for the final playoff spot. The Redskins snapped their six-game losing streak with a 4th quarter rally of their own. Washington overcame a 10-point deficit to beat the Seahawks 23-17, but are still just 4-7 on the season.

Taking a look at the week 13 spreads, oddsmakers currently have the Jets favored by 3-points over the Redskins with the total set at 38.5 points.

New York Jets:

While the Jets got back in the playoff AFC playoff picture by holding serve at home against the Bills, they were very fortunate to win that game. Buffalo’s Steve Johnson dropped what looked like a sure touchdown in the final minute that would have gave the Bills the win. New York hasn’t really played up to their potential all season, and you have to wonder if they ever will.

Mark Sanchez wasn’t spectacular against the Bills, but he stepped up and made the big throws when it mattered. Sanchez was just 17 of 35 for 180 yards, but had four touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Santonio Holmes with just 1:01 left to play in the fourth quarter. His inconsistent play is a big reason the Jets aren’t playing their best football.

Shonne Greene helped the Jets rush for 138 yards on Sunday, as he needed just 13 carries to rack up 78 yards. When a guy is averaging 6-yards per carry and you never trail the other team by more than a touchdown, how does he finish the game with just 13 attempts? When you don’t run the ball it leads to a lot of quick possessions, which in turn keeps your defense from staying fresh. Why do you think the Broncos defense has got so much better now that Tim Tebow is at quarterback:

Whether or not the Jets learn from their mistakes could determine if they win this game. Washington is 10th in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 212.7 ypg, but are 18th against the run. While Washington was able to escape with a win over Seattle, they allowed Marshawn Lynch to rush for 111 yards on 24 attempts.

Washington Redskins:

The Redskins have continued to play hard despite their lack of success this season, and last week it finally paid off in a win. While this team has just four wins, they have been in just about every game they have played. Six of their seven losses have been decided by two touchdowns or less.

While the offense has struggled to get things figured out, the one consistent for the Redskins this season has been the play of their defense. Washington comes into this game allowing just 20.2 ppg. When you consider how little the offense does to stay on the field and put points on the board, it really says a lot about how well the defense has been playing.

While Rex Grossman threw two more interceptions against the Seahawks, he had a season-high 314 yards on 26 of 35 passing. He hit Fred Davis on a 2-yard touchdown pass early in the game and connected with Anthony Armstrong on a 50-yard bomb for what turned out to be the game-winning score.

The Redskins didn’t just have the passing game going, rookie running back Roy Helu rushed for a career-high 108 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown run that got the rally started in the fourth quarter. Helo also had seven catches for 54 yards, and it appears like he is going to be the go to guy down the stretch.

If Washington is going to pull off the upset against the Jets, they are going to need a big game out of Helo. The Jets are 7th in the league against the pass (204.6 ypg), but are a mediocre 16th against the run (114.1 ypg).

Betting Trends:

New York is 10-4 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.

Washington is 8-17-2 ATS in their last 27 home games.

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