It doesn’t look like they’ll catch the Patriots in the AFC East, but the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have each taken strides over the past few weeks to save their seasons. With both teams winning their past two games, at least they’ve become a little more respectable in the division. However, one team will see its winning streak come to an end when the division rivals square off for the first time this season in Week 9.
This contest in Week 9 of the regular season will go down Sunday, November 6, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Jets +3.5
Miami Dolphins -3.5
Over/Under 44.5
Odds Analysis
Early wagers flooded the Jets at +4 knocking the spread down a half point to its current number. Both teams enter riding two-game win streaks with the Dolphins finishing up a rare four-game home stand and coming off their bye. Miami hasn’t had much success playing at home following its off week. The Fins are 0-3 SU and ATS in those games while cashing the over each time.
Injury Report
Buster Skrine – The Jets missed their starting cornerback on Sunday, though they did pick up the win. New York allowed Josh McCown to throw for 341 yards and a pair of touchdowns in another near miss for the Browns.
Arian Foster – Was brought in to bolster the Dolphins backfield and won the starting job in preseason. However, another injury in Week 2 was too much for Foster to overcome and he announced his retirement. Jay Ajayi now takes over as the No. 1 back and he isn’t used to the number of snaps he will continue to see. This will likely take a toll on the Dolphins running game.
Matchup to Watch
It’s not a complete surprise that the Dolphins offense has been much better since the projected five starters on the line have actually been playing together. Miami was without center Mike Pouncey for the first four games of the season. Then the Dolphins lost their most reliable lineman when Branden Albert was shelved. Throw in the loss of Laremy Tunsil and the Fins were down three fifths of the unit that was to protect Ryan Tannehill and open holes for Arian Foster and jay Ajayi. The holes never came for Foster, who unexpectedly announced his retirement during Miami’s bye week.
With the line intact over the past two games, Ajayi has been the beneficiary. After not rushing for more than 42 yards in any of his previous four games, Ajayi surprisingly became the fourth back in the Super Bowl era to record consecutive 200-yard rushing games. He followed his 204-yard day in a Week 6 win over the Steelers with a 214-yard game against Buffalo the next week. Ajayi is the No. 1 back now with the Foster calling it quits and will continue to get his touches. The Jets allow just 74 rush yards per game and that is their strength. New York can get the Dolphins in trouble if they are able to contain the Fins ground attack.
Free ATS Pick
As long as Ryan Fitzpatrick can stay pissed off at the organization for his perceived snub when he was benched a few weeks back, the Jets might have a chance to get on the fringe of the postseason conversation. But they’ll need the quarterback to perform much better for an entire game than he did in the win over the Browns. Sure, Fitz brought his team back with an impressive second half, but his play in the first half nearly got him benched again. And against a team not named the Browns, things may have turned out differently.
With a pair of big wins over the Steelers and Bills prior to their bye, the Dolphins are in the same boat as the Jets. Catching the Patriots in the AFC East is likely out of the question, but with the conference looking shaky, stringing together wins can get the Fins in the conversation, too. Ajayi has been a beast the last two outings and the ground game has relieved a lot of pressure on Tannehill. If the Dolphins continue to effectively run the football, the pressure slides to the other side. New York’s run defense is solid, but they are susceptible in the passing game. Look for Tannehill to take his shots and the Dolphins to escape with a win.
NFL Odds: Dolphins 24, Jets 20
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