Two years ago, Todd Bowles was named the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year for his effort as defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. He returns to the desert in Week 6 for the first time riding a three-game losing streak as head coach of the New York Jets. Don’t blame the entire mess of the Jets season on Ryan Fitzpatrick, who actually went a whole game without throwing pick. Rather, it’s been a complete team effort and the Jets are staring at another playoff-less season unless things turnaround quickly.
This contest in Week 6 of the regular season will go down Monday, October 17, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Odds Analysis
There’s a good chance Carson Palmer clears the league’s concussion protocol and plays on Monday night, but without official word, the line and total have yet to hit the board. Considering how the Jets have played defense this season, Palmer will lobby hard to get back in the lineup and that will mean trouble for the Jets.
Injury Report
David Harris – The Jets suffered a critical injury when their defensive leader left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. The unit has struggled bad enough with Harris in the lineup and could be even worse if he misses some time.
Evan Mathis – The Cardinals starting guard was put on injured reserve after sustaining an ankle injury in Thursday’s win, and his season could be in jeopardy. Mathis has been a big part of the Cardinals’ improved run game and he was rated the ninth-best run blocking guard by Pro Football Focus prior to his injury.
Matchup to Watch
A big reason for the Jets poor start has been a weak pass defense, and it was something they couldn’t overcome in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. The scouting report going into the game was that New York couldn’t cover the deep ball and Pittsburgh exploited that on the first series with a 72-yard bomb for a touchdown on their third play of the game. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns, was rarely hurried, and seldom touched by the Jets front. New York has now allowed eight pass plays of at least 40 yards this season and ranks next to last giving up over 302 yards per game through the air.
The Jets have allowed opposing quarterbacks to compile a passer rating of over 100 in five straight games and will have a hard time slowing down Palmer and the Cardinals. Arizona will try to take advantage of the weakened secondary with speedsters John Brown and Michael Floyd while using Larry Fitzgerald from his slot position. The improved running game behind David Johnson will set up opportunities for the Cards to go over the top and they could hit a few big plays.
Free ATS Pick
It took a while for the Cards to get going, but once they did it was an easy victory over the 49ers. With the extra time to recover, Palmer should be good to go and the Jets leaky pass defense is in trouble. The Cards haven’t been as prolific throwing the football as they’ve been in previous years, but the weapons are still in place and it’s likely just a matter of time until the unit starts clicking. But what makes the Cards a tough foe is their ability to run the football with the elusive David Johnson. He had a monster game in San Francisco on Thursday night even though Niners knew what was coming.
The Cards have some of the top talent in the league and while a win over the 49ers isn’t the cure-all, it’s a step in the right direction following a pair of ugly defeats. The Jets have proven good enough to compete with the stronger teams in the league, but not good enough to beat them. Bowles made his mark on the defensive side of the football and his Jets have struggled in that area. The coverage has been poor and the pass rush non-existent, and that’s not what they need facing the Cards. I expect the Jets to play much better defensively than they have, but it still won’t be enough to overcome the Cards.
NFL Odds: Cardinals 27, Jets 21
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