Getty Lamar Jackson vs. the Bills.
The Baltimore Ravens are closing in on the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have already clinched a playoff berth as they take on the New York Jets Thursday in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson is now the heavy favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. Jackson is the first quarterback since Michael Vick in 2006 to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a single season. Lamar is battling through a quad injury but says he is 100% and will play on Thursday.
The Jets will most likely be without safety Jamal Adams who has not practiced this week due to an injured ankle. Le’Veon Bell is expected to play after missing Sunday’s game with the flu. Bell still made headlines over the weekend after going bowling just hours before the game.
ESPN’s FPI gives the Ravens a 93.4% chance of winning this game. We break down the line and offer our best bets and analysis for Thursday night’s matchup between the Jets and Ravens.
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Jets vs. Ravens Game Details
Date: Thursday, December 12
Time: 8:20 pm
Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Maryland)
TV: FOX, NFL Network
Spread: Ravens -16.5
Total: 45
*All lines, odds, and trends are courtesy of Covers & The Action Network
Jets vs. Ravens Line Movement
This line opened at Ravens -14.5 and has been bet up slightly to Ravens -16.5 at some books with the majority of the bets and money coming in on Baltimore. This line is correlated to the action and is moving with the market.
Jets vs. Ravens Betting Trends
- Jets are 5-8 SU and 5-8 ATS this season
- Ravens are 11-2 SU and 7-6 ATS this season
- Under is 7-6 in Jets games this season
- Over is 7-6 in Ravens games this season
Jets vs. Ravens Prediction & Pick
What a season it’s been for Lamar Jackson. Proving doubters wrong at every turn, the budding superstar is basically a lock to win MVP. The only question that remains is can Jackson lead the Ravens to a championship. Thursday’s matchup won’t provide much clarity to that as the Jets continue to flounder under head coach Adam Gase. New York needed some help from the refs in order to get past the Dolphins on Sunday and now have to face the league’s best rushing offense on a short week.
Meanwhile, Jackson has shined under the bright lights and has thrown 7 touchdowns with 0 interceptions and a 128.8 rating in 3 career primetime starts. Some fresh legs helped spark the Jets offense last week Bilal Powell filled in for Le’Veon Bell with a season-high 74 rushing yards in the 22-21 victory over the Dolphins. Ty Montgomery also added a season-high 61 scrimmage yards. Both have been under-utilized weapons for New York this season.
The Jets defense is stout against the run allowing just 78.8 rushing yards per game, but I think that stat is a tad misleading as teams have mostly attacked New York through the air. Baltimore has also chewed up good rushing defenses this season, most notably, a dominant 285-yard performance in a 45-6 win over the Rams two weeks ago. This line is high, but I can’t back the Jets here. Swallow the points and hope Lamar does enough to cover this number.
PICK: Ravens -16.5
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Follow Jared Smith on Twitter: @jaredleesmith
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