by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2021
Game time: 9:30 a.m. ET, Oct. 10, 2021
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
Where to watch: NFL Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Falcons -3
BetMGM: Falcons -3
Caesars: Falcons -3
Season record
Jets: 1-3
Falcons: 1-3
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Falcons - Jets preview and analysis
Recent form
Jets: won 27-24 (OT) vs. Titans in Week 4
Falcons: lost 34-30 vs. Washington in Week 4
The NFL’s reasoning to send teams to London is to grow the game internationally.
Whereas it’s actually a punishment at this point for the fine folks of London to watch the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons in a football contest. Maybe that’s why they send them to London because it’s too early on the west coast to watch?
Alas, a game will take place between these two 1-3 clubs and fires may be had in the street for the eyesore that may ensue.
But it is a good week to be a Jets fan after digging deep and winning an actual football game last week. Albeit it came at the expense of a Tennessee Titans team that was without Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, but man, Jets fans have been longing for a Super Bowl (aka a win) for a while and they’ll take it any way they can.
Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson recorded his first NFL win after throwing for a season-high 297 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw another interception to give him seven in the last three games, but these are the times of having a prodigy from BYU (said no one ever).
But it was a solid day for the Jets’ offense altogether. Corey Davis’ revenge game came to fruition against the team that drafted him, catching four passes for a season-high 111 yards and a touchdown. Jamison Crowder caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in his season debut.
I still haven’t concluded if this is more of what the Jets can do with an offense in the right direction, or if this was a one-off situation. The Titans defense just hasn’t been great overall, but to fall this flat on the road said a lot about the Jets taking advantage of those mistakes.
Speaking of taking advantage of another team’s mistakes, that did not exist with the Falcons. Somehow, even with Dan Quinn in Dallas, Atlanta finds ways to blow leads like it’s the New England Patriots in a psychological fashion. Atlanta led by eight just eight seconds into the fourth quarter, but the Washington Football Team scored two touchdowns in 3:21 to eventually win 34-30 and fail to cover the 1.5.
When you waste a vintage Matt Ryan game, you’ve messed up as a franchise. Ryan threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday, and more importantly, did not throw any interceptions. Despite his 13th career game of at least four touchdown passes, the Falcons defense played like it blew a 28-3 lead again.
You also don’t waste a three-touchdown game from Cordarrelle Patterson -- and no, none of them were special teams scores -- and feel you can tell the tale. Patterson is one of four players to have two games of at least two touchdowns this season.
This is a matchup featuring two offenses that have scored less than 20 points per game while allowing almost 24 points per game each. Atlanta’s defense has been more of an eyesore in that regard.
Prediction
It’s a bit more of a talented offense facing the Jets this time around, and that’s going to be the difference this week. Atlanta’s defense will learn from its mistakes and not choke against a young quarterback still finding its ways. Falcons by 10
Betting trends
The Jets are 1-8 in their last nine against the spread in games on a grass field.
The Falcons are 1-6 ATS in games after scoring 30 or more in the previous week.
Players to watch
Jets: Rookie running back Michael Carter ran for his first career touchdown last week. He’s fourth among rookie running backs with 171 yards from scrimmage.
Falcons: One way to benefit this Atlanta offense is targeting Calvin Ridley almost every time. He had a team-high seven receptions for 80 yards last week and has five catches in 11 consecutive games.
Statistical leaders
Jets:
Passing: Zach Wilson -- 925 yards, 4 TD, 8 INT
Rushing: Michael Carter -- 127 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Corey Davis -- 257 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Quinnen Williams -- 3 sacks
Falcons:
Passing: Matt Ryan -- 990 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Mike Davis -- 151 yards
Receiving: Calvin Ridley -- 255 yards, 1 TD
Defense: Dante Fowler -- 2 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
