The New York Jets and the Detroit Lions meet Sunday in NFL action from Ford Field in Detroit. Here’s a Lions vs Jets prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Lions vs Jets pick.
New York Jets Betting Preview
The Jets got off to a pretty good start this year, all things considered. New York took on the Tennessee Titans in their opener, bagging points in every quarter along the way to a 23-10 victory on the road. QB Geno Smith was 19-of-24 for 215 yards and Breece Hall added 102 yards and a score on 22 carries. Garrett Wilson was the top receiver with six grabs for 79 yards.
In game two versus the Packers, New York was up 14-7 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Jets got outscored 10-3 from there and had to go to overtime where they eventually lost 20-17. Smith was 27-of-41 this time with 247 yards and a score. Breece Hall led the rush (16 carries for 29 yards) and the receivers (five catches for 63 yards). Adonai Mitchell added six receptions for 63 yards as well.
Detroit Lions Betting Preview
Over on the Lions’ side, they took on the New Orleans Saints in their first game this year. Detroit had a 21-14 lead going into the final quarter but needed overtime to secure an eventual 31-30 victory at home. QB Jared Goff was 26-of-39 for 206 yards and a pair of scores while Jahmyr Gibbs led the rush on 29 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns for Detroit.
Matched up against the Buffalo Bills for a road game last Thursday, Detroit was pummeled 27-10 in the first half. The Lions got a little better from there with 21 more points but still ended up losing 41-31. Goff was 26-of-38 for 327 yards and four scores this time. Tops in receiving was Amon-Ra St. Brown with nine catches for 142 yards and a pair of scores in the loss.
Why the Detroit Lions will win
- The Jets have lost each of their last eight games without Breece Hall.
- The Lions have won each of their last 16 games as moderate favorites (-3.5 to -7.0 points).
- The Lions have covered the spread in each of their last eight Week 3 games.
- The Jets have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five games without Braelon Allen.
- The Lions have scored the first touchdown in seven of their last eight Sunday games.
- The Jets have lost the first quarter in five of their last six road games following a home loss.
- The Jets have lost the first half in each of their last 11 games as moderate underdogs (+3.5 to +7.0 points).
Why the New York Jets will win
- The Lions have lost four of their last five games as home favorites when playing with a rest advantage.
- The underdogs have won each of the last three games between the Jets and Lions.
- The Lions have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four Sunday home games.
- The underdogs have covered the spread in five of the Lions’ last six games at Ford Field.
- The Lions have lost the first quarter in three of their last four Sunday games as home favorites.
- The Jets have won the first half in each of their last four road games against the Lions.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Jets’ last seven road games following a home loss have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Lions’ last six home games without Kerby Joseph have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the last four Sunday games at Ford Field have gone OVER the total points line.
Detroit Lions Player Prop Facts
- Jahmyr Gibbs has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Lions’ last 10 home games as moderate favorites (-3.5 to -7.0 points).
- Amon-Ra St. Brown has scored two or more touchdowns in four of the Lions’ last five September games.
- Jared Goff has recorded 279+ passing yards in five of the Lions’ last six games following a loss.
- Sam LaPorta has recorded 48+ receiving yards in each of his last five Sunday appearances.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown has recorded 86+ rushing and receiving yards in four of the Lions’ last five games following a road loss.
- Jahmyr Gibbs has scored the last touchdown in each of the Lions’ last three games as favorites following a road loss.
- Jahmyr Gibbs has recorded 90+ rushing yards in six of the Lions’ last seven games as moderate favorites (-3.5 to -7.0 points).
- Jared Goff has recorded 25+ completions in seven of the Lions’ last eight Sunday games.
- Heading into Week 3, Amon-Ra St. Brown ranks T1st in the NFL in touchdowns (4) this season.
New York Jets Player Prop Facts
- Garrett Wilson has scored a touchdown in four of his last five road appearances.
- Geno Smith has recorded 19+ rushing yards in each of his six previous road appearances against NFC North opponents.
- Geno Smith has recorded 215+ passing yards in each of his last six September road appearances.
- Adonai Mitchell has recorded 43+ receiving yards in each of his last four appearances against NFC opponents.
- Garrett Wilson has recorded 79+ rushing and receiving yards in five of the Jets’ last six September games as road underdogs.
- Geno Smith has recorded 23+ completions in five of his last six appearances with his team as an underdog against NFC North opponents.
- Heading into Week 3, Breece Hall ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Heading into Week 3, the Lions rank T1st in the NFL in 4th down percentage (100.0%) this season.
- Heading into Week 3, the Lions rank 32nd in the NFL in 1st downs against (63) this season.
- Heading into Week 3, the Jets rank 1st in the NFL in yards allowed per game (197.0) this season.
- Heading into Week 3, the Jets rank 1st in the NFL in time of possession per game (38:13) this season.
Detroit Lions vs NY Jets Prediction
I’ll lean toward the Lions. Detroit put up a pretty valiant effort against a great Bills team in their matchup last Thursday but couldn’t keep pace on the scoreboard. The 10 penalties for 58 yards didn’t help, nor did the tepid 4-of-11 result on third-down tries. The Lions defense gave up 446 yards (203 rushing) with 34 first downs and 9-of-12 on third downs on the other side, but to be fair the Bills have a nice offense this season. Matching up against the Jets will be abundantly easier.
Speaking of the Jets, they really didn’t play all that well offensively in the overtime loss to the Packers. New York mustered just 67 rush yards and 8-of-19 on third downs. The defense gave up just 199 yards and 1-of-9 on third downs in a nice effort, though. It was a sloppy, sloppy game with the Jets accounting for 13 of the 27 total flags (156 yards). There’s a lot to clean up ahead of this one.