The New York Jets (1-5) host the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a battle of two teams heading in opposite directions.
New York is one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Bengals would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC if the playoffs started today.
The Jets come into this week’s game still reeling from last week’s embarrassing 54-13 loss to the New England Patriots. Cincinnati’s 41-17 beatdown of the Baltimore Ravens last week is that city’s biggest win in years.
The Bengals are a legitimate playoff team. New York will get a top-three draft pick next spring.
New Jersey online sportsbooks have Cincinnati 10.5- to 11-point favorites.
So, why pay any attention to this game? Because a certain sports betting bankroll currently sits at -$36.23.
Here are my five $5 Jets bets for Week 8.
‘Oh, the pain’ of being a Jets fan
This is becoming easier to say every week, but the Jets have almost no chance of winning this game. Even long-suffering NYJ fans, such as myself, are accepting what this team is: awful.
The offense is atrocious, the defense is about as tough as a wet paper bag, and the coaching staff is winging it. NYJ players have lost purpose.
Whoever plays this team in 2021 is basically getting the equivalent of a college homecoming game.
What more is there to say?
Give me the Bengals laying 10.5 points (-110) at Bet365 Sportsbook.
Something tells me this is a bad thing
For the second time this season, the Jets are going into a game with a quarterback making his first NFL start.
Rookie QB Zach Wilson was thrown to the wolves in Week 1. The team had no viable backup or veteran on the roster.
And that’s how we wound up with Mike White (who?) coming in last week when Wilson (predictably) got injured.
White, 26, is under center on Sunday. But don’t worry Jets fans because 36-year-old Joe Flacco is back, too.
Sigh.
Listen, what’s there to say about White? He was decent in relief last week. His line: 20-32, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT.
The Jets cannot win a shootout with the Bengals. Expect a heavy run attack from the Jets on Sunday.
Caesars Sportsbook put the over/under on White’s total pass attempts at 32.5. I like the under at +100 odds.
Scott Hanson has become the voice of my Sundays
There is no point in overthinking this game. One team is really good on both sides of the ball and the other team is not.
Cincinnati has the league’s 7th-ranked offense and 5th-ranked defense.
Meanwhile, New York has scored the fewest points in the NFL (80) and is the 29th-ranked defense.
The Bengals could easily beat the Jets by three touchdowns. Expect plenty of Bengals highlights on NFL Redzone.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering +500 odds that Cincinnati’s winning margin is between 19 and 24 points.
Three Jets DBs couldn’t cover Chase
Smart bets build bankrolls.
Right now, betting on Ja’Marr Chase is about the smartest thing anyone can do. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 Draft is the favorite to win rookie of the year.
The wide receiver is reunited with his old college quarterback, Joe Burrow. The duo won a national championship together in 2020 before Burrow was picked No. 1 overall by Cincinnati.
The Bayou Bengal reunion tour is going pretty well.
In seven games this year, Chase has 35 receptions and is averaging 21.5 yards per catch. Burrow and Chase have connected for six touchdowns.
I jumped on a BetMGM Sportsbook promo of Chase scoring one TD and a Bengals win at +100 odds.
Jets green with QB envy
Burrow is the quarterback the Jets wish they had.
The Bengals have a franchise quarterback in Burrow. A scary injury last season abruptly ended Burrow’s rookie campaign, but there is no doubt the kid is the real deal.
In 17 career games, Burrow has thrown for 4,644 yards and 30 touchdowns.
In 2020, Burrow threw for 300 or more yards five times. He did it in three-straight games between Weeks 2 and 4, and back-to-back in Weeks 6 and 7.
In three of the 300-yard games, he had two or more touchdowns.
Through seven games this season, Burrow has thrown for 300 or more yards and passed for two touchdowns twice. One of those games was last week in Baltimore.
Burrow could easily light up the Jets’ secondary on Sunday.
Burrow throwing for 300+ yards, 2+ TDs, and a Bengals win is +350 at Fox Bet NJ.