Pair of Primetime Fixtures Headline AFC East Week 15
Despite its competitiveness level dropping since New England wrapped up the division title two weeks ago, the AFC East will be the focus of national attention this week as both the Patriots and Jets hit the field under the lights.
New England’s Sunday Night Football game against San Francisco is a true battle of NFL heavyweights, while the Jets’ Monday Night Football travels could well decide the fate of the green side of New York.
San Francisco 49ers (9-3-1) at New England Patriots (10-3)
Sunday, 8:20 PM ET
After defeating Houston last week, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will look to knock off another elite side this weekend as the San Francisco 49ers make the trip east.
New England (10-3, 5-1 home) made it look easy against Houston on Monday night. Bill Belichick’s side will look to do likewise against another of the league’s powerhouses on Sunday.
San Francisco (9-3-1, 4-2 road) currently holds the second best record in the NFC, but an unlikely charge from Seattle and recent struggles with St. Louis has the team very much looking over its shoulder. Losing to the Patriots could prove very costly.
New England will welcome the league’s best defense (14.2 points per game) to Gillette Stadium with a bang. That bang comes in the form of a No. 1 ranked offense that averages 36.3 points per game. If defense does in fact win championships, the Niners would do well to grab an early advantage over New England.
New England holds all the cards in terms of recent play. The Patriots have won three straight games in this rare series, a streak that dates back to 1998. San Francisco has not won in Foxboro since 1992, although that span only includes two games.
The spread opened at three in favor of the Patriots and has subsequently risen to five. Both sides have covered the spread eight times this season, making this a tricky game to pick.
The over/under has dropped from 48 to 46.5. The Patriots have seen more totals go over than any other side this season (10), whilst San Francisco has seen the total go over seven times. The over certainly seems the smart bet here.
New York Jets (6-7) at Tennessee Titans (4-9)
Monday, 8:30 PM ET
Week 15 in the NFL closes with the New York Jets (6-7, 3-3 road) making the trip to Tennessee (4-9, 2-4 home) for Monday Night Football.
Three wins from the last four games has the Jets on the very periphery of the playoff picture, but what small amount of hope still remains could be but a glimmer by the time Rex Ryan’s side takes to the field on Monday.
The Jets have asserted dominance over the Titans since the franchise moved from Houston in 1997, taking five of six games, including three of four in Nashville. But this Jets team has proven to be inconsistent and the Titans have already taken the AFC East scalps of the Bills and Dolphins this season.
The Titans open as one-point favorites in this could-go-either-way battle, despite having dropped five of the last six. The over/under is 42.
Check back with BettingSports.com for more on this game on Monday.
Seattle Seahawks (8-5) at Buffalo Bills (5-8)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada – Sunday, 4:05 PM ET
The Buffalo Bills will take to the field at Toronto's Rogers Centre for the fifth year running, welcoming the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Before we get to those primetime showdowns, the AFC East’s other two sides will be looking to keep very slim hopes of the postseason alive. Both need a miracle, and a lot of help from the rest of the league.
Buffalo (5-8, 3-3 home) heads north of the border in a late afternoon game, welcoming Seattle (8-5, 2-5 road) to Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The annual trip north has not proven successful for Buffalo so far. The Bills are 1-3 when playing a home game at Rogers Centre in the regular season. For more on that, check out the BettingSports.com blog.
The Seahawks are winners of four of the last five, including a road win in Chicago two weeks ago. Prior to that game, Pete Carroll’s side had looked particularly suspect away from home.
The opening spread had Seattle as three-point favorites, but overwhelming bettor interest now has the ‘hawks as six-point favorites. The Pacific Northwest side is 9-4-0 ATS this season, making this a tough task for the Bills.
The over/under is 43, with both sides having seen the total go over six times and under seven times.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11) at Miami Dolphins (5-8)
Sunday, 1 PM ET
The division’s remaining game sees a Battle of Florida matchup between Miami (5-8, 3-3 home) and Jacksonville (2-11, 1-5 road).
The Dolphins are favorites (-7.5) against the bottom-feeding Jaguars, but this could be a potential banana skin game for the South Florida side. The Fins are 0-3 against AFC South opposition this season. The team has also lost five of its last six, including two straight.
Fans in Northern Florida may be rooting for the Jaguars – losers of two straight and nine of the last 10 – to beat out the Kansas City Chiefs for worst record in the league and a No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.
Jacksonville’s record against the spread (5-7-1 ATS) has exceeded its outright record this season, and three of its last four games have been decided by a touchdown or less, so bettors should beware taking the Dolphins to cover 7.5 points. The over/under is 38.
