Week 9 of the NFL season kicks off Thursday night with one team coming off a surprising win and another suffering a heart-breaking loss. The 2-5 New York Jets travel to take on former AFC East rival Indianapolis Colts (3-5) in a battle of teams trying to stay in the playoff race. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and is televised on FOX and NFL Network.
These teams have a lot of history, most notably the Jets Super Bowl III win when the Colts were still in Baltimore. The Colts won at home against the Jets 36-7 last September, but New York has won four of the last six matchups. They won at Lucas Oil in both 2015 and in the 2011 playoffs while also winning at home in 2018.
Mike White Leads Jets Offense
With struggling first-round pick Zach Wilson out injured, Mike White stepped up and led the Jets to an upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. In his first career start, White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns while becoming the first Jets quarterback to surpass 400 yards since 2000.
In addition to White having a breakout game on Sunday, the Jets also got a breakout game from rookie running back Michael Carter. He posted a career-high 77 yards and 15 carries while also scoring a touchdown and catching nine balls for 95 yards. On the season, Carter has 279 yards for a 3.8 average while catching 26 passes for 226 yards.
Wide receiver Corey Davis is likely out again this week, as is running back Tevin Coleman. Jamison Crowder had a season-high eight catches against the Bengals while racking up 84 yards in just his fourth game of the season. Ty Johnson caught a touchdown last week while going for 71 yards on five catches, and rookie Elijah Moore had six catches for 67yards.
Taylor Takes Reins of Colts Offense
The Colts haven’t hosted a primetime game in nearly four years, last welcoming the national stage to Lucas Oil on Dec. 14, 2017. Nearly the entire team wasn’t on the Colts back then, giving them their first home national showcase under coach Frank Reich.
Quarterback Carson Wentz showed the good and the bad in last week’s overtime home loss to Tennessee. He threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns but also had two backbreaking interceptions, one returned for a score and the other setting up the game-winning field goal in overtime. On the season, he has 14 touchdowns, three interceptions, 1,926 yards, and Wentz has completed 62 percent of his passes.
Jonathan Taylor is a lead back, and he carried the ball 16 times for 70 yards and a score on Sunday. On the season, he has 649 yards on 121 carries for an average of 5.4 yards. Taylor has scored six times rushing and once receiving while totaling 914 yards.
T.Y. Hilton is again out, this time with a concussion. Michael Pittman Jr. has stepped up and last week had ten catches for 86 yards and two scores. On the season, he has 45 catches for 594 yards and four touchdowns while tallying 191 yards the last two games.
Betting Analysis
- New York Jets +10.5 (-105). Money Line +400
- Indianapolis Colts -10.5 (-105). Money Line -550
- Total Points: 46.5 Over -110 Under -110
The Jets’ defensive line has struggled this season as they allow 116 rushing yards per game and 408 total yards. Taylor could have a big game for the Colts in this one, and Wentz is still able to pick apart teams when he’s not pressured. White was just what the Jets needed last week; now he and Carter have to show it wasn’t just a flash in the pan on offense.
Betting Pick: Under 46.5 points (-110)
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