Who would have thought that this iteration of the New England Patriots would be -9.5-point road favorites? This Patriots team stinks out loud. But then again, so do the Jets. Between the injuries and the opt-outs, this Patriots team is reminiscent of a late era Jets Rex Ryan team. So, here we are; the 2-6 Patriots visiting the 0-8 Jets. Perhaps the worst game of the year. Monday Night Football – get excited!
If we must watch the worst game of the week on MNF, then we shall bet on it. If the Bills were 10-point favorites against the Jets, then I don’t really understand this line of Patriots -9.5. The Patriots flat out stink! The Bills are regrettably decent. The drop-off from Joe Flacco to Sam Darnold is not as vast as some would have you believe. Sam Darnold stinks. It’s past time we admit that to ourselves. This game is all about Trevor Lawrence. Will Belichick throw the game in an effort to push Lawrence towards Jacksonville? That seems far-fetched, but let’s not underestimate the willingness of Belichick to screw with the Jets. The Patriots are horrible, after all. They could easily convincingly lose this game. And while we’re talking about Belichick’s legacy, let’s take a moment to enjoy the misery of his former protégé, Tom Brady. Of course, this has nothing to do with the game at hand, but it is always nice to see ol’ Tommy take a good old-fashioned ass-kicking like he did yesterday. Also, we saw on live TV proof that Tommy Boy is a bad parent. I will not explain why in these pages, but those who saw it will know.
We must also now discuss the possibility that Adam Gase is fired tonight. After the schedule was re-tooled following the Covid outbreaks around the league, the Jets have their bye week following the game tonight. If the Jets do lose tonight to fall to 0-9, it would be the perfect opportunity to excuse Adam Gase of his duties. Do I think the Jets would do that? I do not. Do I believe the rumors that the Jets are intentionally keeping Gase around to ensure 0-16? I do not. The Browns brought back Hue Jackson after an 0-16 season. Nothing is off the table. Until Adam Gase is fired, I will continue to believe that he will be the HC of NYJ on week 1 next season. Please, don’t allow that to become the reality, Woody. I beg of you. Fire Adam Gase tonight!
Anyway, the old gambling adage says to take the points when two bad teams are facing one another. So that is what we will do. Take the Jets +9.5. This is going to be an ugly game and the Jets will do enough to keep it close in the end.
The pick: Jets +9.5
Big Hank’s long-shot of the week: Player to score a TD – Jamison Crowder, Y, +283
Big Dogs Betting 