NFL Odds: Falcons at Jets

Written December 20, 2009 by Rock Henderson

Two teams fighting for their playoff lives will meet in the Meadowlands when the 6-7 Atlanta Falcons battle the 7-6 New York Jets. There are major injury issues in this game that has delayed a line being released by Vegas. It has been reported that Michael Turner and Matt Ryan returned to practice on Thursday, but are still list as questionable for Sunday’s game. Jets QB Mark Sanchez did not play against Tampa Bay in Week 14 and is hopeful to suit up versus the Falcons. According to our NFL lines, New York is a 7 point favorite.

Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez were the face of much criticism from the New York media when they won one game in a seven game stretch in the middle of their season. The Jets have turned things around and won three in a row that has Jet fans believing they could earn a wild card berth. Sanchez has been on quite the ride in his first year under center, throwing 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions after being named the starter in preseason. New York has finally got back to being a physical run first football team and playing superb defense. RB Thomas Jones is having a Pro Bowl type year by rushing for 1167 yards and 11 touchdowns. Third down back Leon Washington went down with a season ending injury, but rookie Shonn Greene has filled in nicely and is averaging 5 ypc. The Jets made a midseason acquisition of much maligned wide receiver Braylon Edwards. Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan, yet Edwards has contributed 26 catches for 403 yards and three scores. The defensive side of the ball has been an area of strength for the majority of the season. This aggressive unit ranks 1st in points allowed, first in yardage allowed per game and first against the pass. They will need to contain that effort in the final three games if the Jets want to reach the goal of reaching the playoffs. Receive a $20 free play at Sportsbook.com by opening a new account and starting betting the NFL.

The Falcons were sitting at 5-3 heading into their match up with the Carolina Panthers and then star back Michael Turner suffered a high ankle sprain. He hasn’t been the same since and Atlanta has went on to win one game in their next five outings. The recent schedule hasn’t done them any favors, but they most likely need to win out to have any shot at the postseason. Turner rushed for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns before his hobbling injury. He was really starting to pick his game up after a slow start. QB Matt Ryan isn’t having the success in his second year that he endured in his rookie season. The former BC Eagle has still thrown for 2291 yards and 16 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Free agent pick up Tony Gonzalez leads the team in receptions with 75 and five of those catches have resulted in touchdowns. WR Roddy White is the big play threat on the team and has 67 grabs for 915 yards with eight scores. This squad has been absolutely decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball. The defense has had to shuffle people around in the secondary, which might explain why they rank 30th against the pass. There isn’t a statistical category that Atlanta’s defense excels in.

There is a lot of uncertainty on the Atlanta side as the health status of both Matt Ryan and Michael Turner is unknown. The Jets situation is a bit more stable as Mark Sanchez will start on Sunday. I would stay away from this game at all cost even if some of the key players are listed as starting because they could be uneffective. The weather could also be a factor in this match up so expect a low scoring affair.

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