NFL PLAYOFFS PICKS AND ANALYSIS: NEW YORK JETS VS. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

The New York Jets needed a miracle to just make the playoffs, and now that they’re here they’re looking to make some noise.  With a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals under their belt, the Jets will advance to the Divisional round as they travel to the west coast to take on the San Diego Chargers.  The Chargers haven’t lost since October 19th and finished the year with eleven straight victories.  The NFL football betting line on this game has San Diego installed as a -7 point home favorite with the total set at 42.

Old school football is the name of the game for the Jets.  While they may have a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez and lack the quick strike offense of the Chargers they boast the NFL’s #1 ranked rushing attack and led the league in overall defense and scoring defense.  The Jets limited opponents to 14.8 points per game this season but will be put to the test by the high flying Chargers.  Working in the Jets’ favor is the fact that their strengths match up well against San Diego’s weaknesses.  The Chargers are 29th in the NFL in rushing offense and rank 20th in stopping the run.

San Diego’s strength is their passing game led by quarterback Phillip Rivers.  Rivers passed for 4,254 yards and had a 28 to 9 touchdown to interception ratio.  Rivers will be challenged by the Jets’ secondary, particularly Darrelle Revis who is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL.  New York will have to shut down the Chargers’ offense if they hope to have a chance to win here, as the Jets are the lowest scoring team in the playoffs with a 21.8 PPG average.

The Jets should be very loose entering this game and are dangerous road underdog covering 9 of their last 12 games in that role.  It’s hard to see the Jets pulling off the outright upset here, in large part due to the lopsided quarterback matchup between Rivers and Sanchez.  Still, it’s a perfect matchup from the Jets’ standpoint.  If they can contain the Chargers potent offense and move the ball on the ground, they can definitely make a game of it.

Eventually, we see the Chargers prevailing in this game and advancing to the AFC Championship.  It’s not going to be easy, however, and there’s not many NFL betting situations more desirable than getting a top notch rushing offense and a stifling defense as sizable underdogs.  That’s what the Jets are here, and we look for them to be in this contest throughout.  For that reason, we’ll be on the Jets as +7 underdogs here and expect this game to go UNDER the total.

Bet the NFL Playoffs New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers at Sports-1.