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If it wasn’t for the Detroit Lions being an absolute waste of space this season, the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars would be the laughing stocks of the NFL. Although with their recent win against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions may be on their way up, so there may be an opening for the Jets or the Jaguars to be that team everyone points and laughs at. And what better time than when the two teams face off in Week 16.
As it stands, the Jets (3-10) and the Jaguars (2-1) both sit bottom of their respective divisions in the American Football Conference. But despite having the better record, it looks like for many, the Jaguars are favourites to win. The Draftkings Sportsbook app has betting lines for this exciting game, with the Jets -1.5 spread 10/11, and the Jaguars +1.5 spread 10/11. Now this is an extremely close call if we ever saw one, a real 50/50 could go either way kind of game.
The popular bet people are backing, especially in New York, is for the Jets to win, but to do so by the minimum of margins. Which is surprising as you’d think that those who dabble in the New York betting scene would have more faith in their home side. But even they know that this season they have been incredibly poor, and that the game really could go either way. So let’s take a look at some of the key stats ahead of the Boxing Day game.
Key Influencers
This season hasn’t been great for either side, except for the coup of Trevor Lawrence for the Jaguars, getting the highest rated quarterback in the last Draft with their first round pick. However he hasn’t really taken off as the Jaguars would’ve hoped, although realistically, it will take rookies a bit of time to adapt to the professional game, and there are other areas of the team that need improving too. It’s a long-term project in Jacksonville, and they’ll be under no illusions that one man was going to fix all their problems.
But how does he compare to Jets’ Mike White?
| Mike White | Trevor Lawrence | ||
| 238.3 | Passing Yards per Game | 210.4 | |
| 5 | Passing Touchdowns | 9 | |
| 8 | Interceptions | 14 | |
Whilst White does perform better in terms of distance covered, and with fewer interceptions of his throws, that partly comes down to receivers as well. You have a player with good hands who is strong in the air, they’re more likely to grab those balls and be able to run with the ball, rather than being outfought and losing possession. That said though, Lawrence has actually thrown more touchdowns this season, nearly double that of White. Which may be surprising since they have a much worse record.
But what about in other positions? How do the other key players on both sides compare?
| Michael Carter | James Robinson | ||
| 43 | Rushing Yards per Game | 56.8 | |
| 3.9 | Yards per Carry | 4.8 | |
| 4 | Rushing Touchdowns | 7 | |
Once again, the Jags come out on top where it matters. Their key rushing player scored more touchdowns than their Jets’ counterpart, whilst also managing more rushing yards per game, and yards carried.
| Corey Davis | Marvin Jones Jr. | ||
| 34 | Receptions per Game | 54 | |
| 492 | Received Yards per Game | 610 | |
| 4 | Received Touchdowns | 3 | |
This is the one area in which the Jets have a better outcome in terms of the number of received touchdowns from one player, with Davis narrowly edging out Jones Jr. However, despite having one more, he actually receives less throws and fewer yards are gained, but that does show he is more clinical when he gets involved.
Head-to-Head stats this season
With both teams having a torrid time this season, you have to wonder why that is. There are plenty of rumours that many within the Jaguars camp are not happy with the way that Urban Meyers runs the team, so that could well be one big reason for their form. As for the Jets, they’ve not had a great season for a while, and it’s looking like a bit of a rebuilding process to put together a team that can challenge for any titles, so hopefully in time, their luck will turn around. But how do the two compare this season so far?
| New York Jets | Jacksonville Jaguars | ||
| 17.4 | Points per Game | 13.8 | |
| 321.5 | Yards per Game | 303.1 | |
| 237.4 | Passing Yards per Game | 200.4 | |
| 84.2 | Rushing Yards per Game | 102.7 | |
| 25 | Turnovers Committed | 25 | |
| 30.5 | Points per Game Allowed | 26.2 | |
| 392.8 | Yards per Game Allowed | 357.2 | |
| 254 | Passing Yards per Game Allowed | 241.5 | |
| 138.8 | Rushing Yards per Game Allowed | 115.7 | |
| 9 | Turnovers Forced | 6 | |
As we can see, the Jets have managed more points this season, and seem to be able to make more distance up the field. Hence why they’re the favourites coming into the tie, but as bad as they have been, the Jaguars have a much better defence and have conceded fewer points. The Jaguars have also been forced into fewer errors.
Our predictions
Once again, this is going to be an incredibly close game. Two of the worst performing teams in the NFL as of right now, one slightly outscoring the other, whilst the other concedes slightly less. We reckon this game could go down to the wire and be forced into OT. The question is, who will be able to hold out the longest before someone gets those vital points to take a win? Going off the key players involved, we reckon this could be a game made for Lawrence to take the starlight, and prove the Jaguars didn’t make a mistake when they drafted him in. And for that reason, we’re going for a Jaguars win in OT.
