New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts Pick ATS

New York Jets (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS) vs. Indianapolis Colts (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS)

Week 3 NFL

Date/Time: Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 4:05PM EDT

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: CBS

Point Spread: NYJ +10.5/IND -10.5 (Intertops – Deposit $25 and get a FREE $50 Bet! Must use bonus code ROOKIE200)

Over/Under Total: 43.5

The New York Jets come to Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday for a week two AFC matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts threw away a win in week one but were able to rebound in week two, giving Philip Rivers his first win as a Colt, with a 28-11 victory over the Vikings on Sunday. They get another one at home this week, with an incoming Jets’ squad looking for their first win of the season. On Sunday, they fell to the 49ers, 31-13. Who can cover the spread this week in Indy? Let’s break it down!

Same Old Jets

At this time in the season, it’s important not to get carried away from the first two weeks of action. Long-starved football fans have been waiting for something to sink their teeth into all offseason, and when you get a few results, the urge is to run with it. Maybe in losing to a good Buffalo team on the road, 27-17, before falling to a Niners team looking to avoid an 0-2 start on Sunday, the first two weeks painted an overly-unflattering picture of the Jets. But if relying on the first two weeks, there’s no mistaking that the Jets are in trouble.

Even with the 49ers seeing key players falling to injury left and right, the Jets couldn’t be so much as marginally competitive on Sunday at home. And they’ve also been snake-bitten by their own injuries, setbacks in personnel they could ill afford. As it stands now, they have Sam Darnold struggling with a depleted cast of playmakers. When it’s 2020, and Frank Gore is getting over 20 carries, it’s not a good sign. And depending on guys like Chris Hogan, Braxton Berrios, Breshad Perriman, and the like, it tells you all you need to know.

Combine the suffering offense with a defense that has seen their best pieces depart, and it’s difficult to identify areas of promise for the Jets. In the first play of the game, they gave up an 80-yard TD run, getting run past as if they weren’t there. The run-defense was a joke, with a slew of gigantic running plays. And their secondary is neither stout nor does it have a ton of playmaking appeal. Again, there have been two-game windows where teams look worse than they end up being. But there is no other takeaway possible from the first two weeks other than the Jets appear to really be suffering.

Can Indy Turn the Corner?

They should be 2-0, but on Sunday, we saw Philip Rivers taking better care of the ball, with both sides of the ball playing well to seal the win at home. Indy has also seen the injury bug descend on their team, with a banged-up secondary, along with key tools like Parris Campbell, Trey Burton, and Marlon Mack already sidelined. On Sunday, however, we saw an offense that has a lot of different sides. Rookie Jonathan Taylor had his first 100-yard game, and his growth would be key to this side of the ball. The pass-catching package isn’t stocked with big names, and maybe TY Hilton isn’t what he once was. But they got a big game from Mo Alie-Cox, with rookie WR Michael Pittman, Jr. starting to get involved. This offense should be licking their chops this week, as they should be able to run the ball, while Rivers can still pick apart suffering secondary-units, like what the Jets have.

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Perhaps even more daunting for the Jets are the prospects of going against an Indy defense that really knotted up the Vikings on Sunday. After falling behind 3-0, they didn’t allow the Vikings to hit the scoreboard until late in the game when matters were already decided. After not playing that clutch in their week one upset loss to the Jaguars, we saw more of what this Indy defense can be on Sunday. Though a little banged-up, we saw what they do well last week, as they were stout against the run and through the air, while making big plays left and right.

When Your Eyes Do Not Deceive You

Week three can be a tricky time in the season, especially when a team either looks really good or really bad. The latter applies to the Jets, and one is forced to ask if this is really what the Jets actually are or if they just had a bad two-game window. In almost every team’s seasons, there would be two-game windows where a team was uncharacteristic. However, I’m not sure that applies here, as the Jets might be this bad after all. None of their moves over the last few years have worked, injuries continue to derail any promise, and you almost wonder if they’re in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes at this point.

They have a quarterback in Sam Darnold with promise, but it’s hard to tell is he just stinks or if his ineffectiveness is more a byproduct of the Jets not putting the right stuff around him to win. This was not an offense that could afford injuries, but now with Le’Veon Bell out, they are down to players who would struggle to make the roster on most teams. It’s just hard to be optimistic at this point. And with Hogan and Perriman banged up, it only makes the situation worse.

Lay the Number

Sure, laying ten on a team like the Colts isn’t the most comfortable bet. And if Rivers makes mistakes, it becomes tough to cover by that much. I would just rather hope the Colts can keep mistakes to a minimum than sit there and watch the Jets suffer and hope they land within ten points of the Colts. While acknowledging the pitfalls of getting carried away on first impressions after just two weeks, I’m going to go off the guttural impression that the Jets are just really bad. I see the Colts winning comfortably in week three.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Indianapolis Colts minus 10.5 points. Bet your Week 3 NFL football picks and Week 4 college football picks FREE by depositing $300 and getting $300 in FREE bets (extra!) at MyBookie Sportsbook!