With the conclusion of this weekend’s NFL betting action the majority of teams revealed their true colors. One game that was particularly revealing was the contest between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo was ill-prepared for the defensive onslaught that Baltimore would bring, and Rex Ryan – the Bills head coach – even had this to say after the matchup.
“It’s a pretty darn good defense over there,” Ryan stated. “I’m probably one of the only coaches that’ll give credit to the opponent because they deserve it. That defense played extremely well. They’re well coached and they got after us.”
Ryan may be quick to pat himself on the back for giving well deserved credit, but the loudmouthed coach doesn’t have a reputation around the league for handing out compliments, not even amongst his own squad. In reality Ryan has a soft spot for the Baltimore defense considering he coached them from 1998-2008. Perhaps his comments were a subtle way of praising his own effort with the franchise. Either way, the Baltimore defense was terrific and Buffalo’s offense was nowhere to be seen.
Tyrod Taylor, the former Raven, finished the day with a 79.9 passer rating. Taylor joined the Bills in 2015 and beat out both a veteran and a first round draft pick to earn the starting position. After finishing the year with 3,035 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions Rex Ryan was confident that Taylor was the man to lead this team in 2016. However, Taylor’s performance against the Ravens speaks to the contrary. But to be fair, Taylor had absolutely no help from the running that averaged a measly 2.7 yards on 24 attempts that gave way to a 13-7 defeat. Buffalo has a long way to go before they become NFL betting favorites in the East, but luckily for them so does their next opponent.
The New York Jets opened the 2016 by facing the Cincinnati Bengals. Facing a playoff contender isn’t the best way to start the season but nonetheless it was a chance for the Jets to see how they measure up. Surprisingly enough, the Jets held their own. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a modest debut throwing 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. However, he was only able to complete 19/35 passes and that gave way to a 77.0 passer rating. Matt Forte averaged 4.4 yards on 22 carries but fans would’ve liked to have seen more out of the former Bear. Defensively the Jets performed well against the run only giving up 57 yards for the day. Unfortunately they weren’t as good against the pass; Cincinnati finished the day with 324 yards through the air on their way to a 23-22 win.
The contest between the Bills and the Jets will be held on Thursday to give fans some NFL action mid-week. Let’s check the odds across the best betting websites to see what lady luck has to say about this pairing.
Thursday September 15th
Jets +2 ½ (-105) 42 (-105)
Bills -2 ½ (-115) 42 (-115)
The Bills will be without Seantrel Henderson who is serving the 1st of a 4 game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Tyrod Taylor will be eager to get his chance against the Jets defense that Andy Dalton had his way with. Both teams have good defenses against the run and this game will likely be determined by the quarterbacks. It’s certainly hard to pick a clear NFL betting favorite when both Taylor and Fitzpatrick have so much room for improvement. Come Thursday both teams will compete to prove who the more dominant force in the AFC East is.
