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The New York Jets will host their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills, on Monday night in a mouthwatering AFC East week one bout.
Aaron Rodgers will make his much-anticipated debut for the Jets after spending his first 18 seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.
Both teams are viewing the season with a “Super Bowl or bust” approach. Josh Allen has led Buffalo to four straight postseason appearances but has yet to reach the Super Bowl. New York has been in a playoff drought, failing to qualify since 2010.
The Bills are currently 2.5-point favorites and feature -145 moneyline odds to defeat the Jets (+122).
New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills – game predictions
Contents
Note: The odds for the following two picks were correct at the time of writing.
Prediction 1: James Cook over 14.5 receiving yards @ -110 (1.90)
With Devin Singletary’s departure, James Cook is the three-down back for the Bills. The 2022 second-round pick was selected in the draft to be the future franchise running back, and his time has come. He’ll face his older brother, Dalvin, who recently was acquired by the Jets.
Last year, Cook averaged 8.6 yards per reception, and he was the third-down back while also serving as a backup. Singletary, the starter, had 38 receptions on 52 targets, while Cook recorded 21 catches on 32 targets.
Buffalo offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey likes to target his running backs out of the backfield, and with Stefon Diggs being guarded by talented cornerback Sauce Gardner, there’s a good chance Cook will be targeted often and record enough catches to break the 14.5 receiving yard threshold.
Bet365’s odds of -110 at 14.5 yards are favorable. FanDuel is currently listing the receiving prop for Cook at 17.5 yards and at -114 odds, while Caesars lists Cook at -125 to hit the over 14.5.
FantasyPros and its model, which includes multiple sources such as ESPN, CBS, NFL.com, Numberfire and Fantasy Football today, projects Cook to record 17 rushing yards.
Prediction 2: Jets to record more combined pass/rush yards than Packers @ +100 (2.0)
This weekly special offered by sportsbooks such as FanDuel is centered around Rodgers’ new team against his old one.
New York’s offense is filled with many more proven weapons than Green Bay’s. Rodgers is clearly a better quarterback than Jordan Love and has a proven weapon outside at WR1 with Garrett Wilson. Rodgers’ friend Allen Lazard came over from Green Bay, and speedster Mecole Hardman also poses a threat.
It remains to be seen how Breece Hall performs after recovering from last year’s ACL tear and how much action he sees in his return. Regardless, the duo consisting of him and Dalvin Cook provide a dangerous running and receiving game out of the backfield.
Green Bay will be without its top weapon, Christian Watson, against the Bears, which leaves Love with an extremely weak receiving corps consisting of two second-year receivers, a rookie wideout and a rookie tight end.
The Packers will also be in hostile territory playing at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Jets vs Bills preview – all eyes will be on Rodgers
The 4-time MVP was brought into New York to end their years of misery and turn things around. The pressure certainly will be on Rodgers to lead his new organization to a strong start.
New York form, news and injuries
The Jets finished last season 7-10.
Jets injury report
- OT Mekhi Becton (knee and illness) is questionable.
- OT Duane Brown (shoulder) is questionable.
- RB Breece Hall (knee) is questionable.
Buffalo form, news and injuries
The Bills ended last season 13-3 and fell in the Divisional round of the playoffs to the Chiefs.
Bills injury report
No Buffalo player carries an injury designation heading into Monday night.
Jets vs Bills head-to-head record
12/11/2022 | New York Jets | 12 | @ | Buffalo Bills | 20 |
11/06/2022 | Buffalo Bills | 17 | @ | New York Jets | 20 |
01/09/2022 | New York Jets | 10 | @ | Buffalo Bills | 27 |
11/14/2021 | Buffalo Bills | 45 | @ | New York Jets | 17 |
10/25/2020 | Buffalo Bills | 18 | @ | New York Jets | 10 |
Key match details
- Date & Time: Sunday, Sept. 11 at 8:15 p.m. ET
- Venue: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
- Where to watch the match in the UK: Sky Sports, FuboTV or other live stream
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