New York Jets Favorites On The Road Against Up-And-Coming Oakland Raiders

USA Today

The Oakland Raiders and New York Jets are two teams in the AFC that have already exceeded expectations at the halfway point in the 2015 NFL season. No one expected either one of these teams to be sitting at .500 over better heading into Week 8, but that’s exactly what has happened with both teams with playoff aspirations.

According to Sportsbook.ag, the Raiders will play host to the visiting Jets at O.co Coliseum as the underdogs at +3.5. Although the Raiders have proven to be a promising young team with a potentially bright future, New York has one of the best defenses in the league and will give Derek Carr and company an actual test to see if they’re the real deal.

This matchup will be a potent offense going up against a lockdown defense. Darrelle Revis and the Jets have shut down offenses all season long with the exception of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Oakland, however, has played extremely well in five of their last six games. The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off the blowout of the Raiders in the season opener, but since then, Jack Del Rio’s squad has been firing on all cylinders.

The Raiders will be attempting to win their fourth win of the season and, therefore, surpassing their win total for all of last season. Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos currently lead the way in the AFC West division with a perfect 6-0 record, but Oakland can put a little extra pressure on the division leaders with a second straight win.

As for the Jets, New York is still trailing the division-leading Patriots in the AFC East division. Although it is highly unlikely the Jets will catch Tom Brady’s squad, New York can compete for the AFC Wildcard if able to keep up their winning ways.

This matchup between these two teams should be as close as the spread (-3.5 Jets) suggests it should be, but in the end, I believe Oakland will prove to be the better all-around squad and improve to 4-3 on the season.