Baltimore, coming off a gritty win in Buffalo, needs to keep winning to stay a full game ahead of New England for home-field advantage. It can’t afford to look ahead to rematches with Cleveland and Pittsburgh in the final two weeks. New York, coming off a narrow win over Miami, are staring at losing out with Pittsburgh and Buffalo.
Will the Jets pull off a major upset? Or will the Ravens take care of business?
Here’s everything to know about betting on Jets vs. Ravens in Week 15, including updated odds, trends and our prediction for “Thursday Night Football.”
MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting trends at Sports Insider
Jets vs. Ravens odds for ‘Thursday Night Football’
Spread: Ravens by 15 Point total: 45 Odds: Jets -110, Ravens -110
The Ravens have been dancing around two-touchdown favorite status all throughout the short week. The Jets have done well of late against a very favorable schedule, but the degree of difficulty is raised considerably here. The point total is tied more to how they might struggle against the Ravens’ defense.
Jets vs. Ravens all-time series
The Ravens hold a 8-2 all-time edge. They lost the most recent meeting, however, 24-16 in 2016. Before then, the Ravens had won eight in a row after losing the first-ever meeting. When coach John Harbaugh has been around, the Ravens are 4-1.
Three trends to know
— 54 percent of spread bettors are on the Ravens despite the big number. 61 percent of moneyline bettors are solidly behind the Ravens.
— The Jets are also 5-8 against the spread this season. They are 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread in the past five games. They have covered only once as losers, however.
— The Ravens have won eight straight games and covered in 7 of them. The total has gone under in three of their past four games.
MORE: Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick as a QB long before record
Three things to watch
Lamar Jackson and the rushing record
The Ravens’ NFL MVP-to-be quarterback needs 23 yards to get to 1,040 yards rushing on the season, breaking the 13-year-old single-year mark of Michael Vick, who briefly played for the Jets. Jackson is playing through a quadriceps injury, but that total is low enough for him to make history. The Ravens should do whatever they want with Jackson passing on the Jets’ depleted back seven to grab a big lead, so once Jackson hits the mark by 5 rushing attempts, they might not force the issue with his running.
The Jets’ run defense
New York has moved up to No. 2 against the run, allowing on average 78.8 yards per game. The Ravens are No. 1 offensively at 200.9 yards rushing per game. While that might help the Jets slow down Mark Ingram in the traditional running game, their mess at linebacker and having no Jamal Adams again to clean up at safety doesn’t bode well when Jackson takes off.
The Ravens’ secondary
The Jets have a decent receiving corps with Robby Anderson and slot man Jamison Crowder. But they both will struggle for Sam Darnold against the Ravens’ cornerback combination of Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey.
Stat that matters
The Ravens have the No. 5 scoring defense in the NFL, allowing on average 18.2 points per game. They are No. 9 against the pass and No. 6 against the run. The Jets have the No. 29 scoring offense at 17.4 points per game. They are No. 30 in passing and No. 31 in rushing. Nothing has to give here.
Jets vs. Ravens prediction
The Jets are overmatched here in most ways. They will do their best defensively to contain Jackson and the Ravens on the ground, but they will get burned plenty by the pass before wearing down. With Le’Veon Bell in a weird returning spot against a tough run defense and Darnold not seeing many open guys, it’s hard to see the Jets moving the ball much offensively.
Ravens 30, Jets 10
