It’s the battle of two struggling teams… That’s right, the New York Jets will be lining up across from the Atlanta Falcons in what should be a tightly fought contest.
The Jets were somehow able to overcome their losing demons and snag a victory against the Tennessee Titans despite being listed as heavy underdogs. It seemed like they were finally able to piece things together and allow their rookie quarterback, Zach Wilson, to remain untouched in the pocket. He was still sacked once or twice and had to scramble on numerous occasions but let’s just take it one step at a time with the Jets offensive line.
The Atlanta Falcons on the other hand continued to be a mess on all levels. They were controlling the game for what felt like three and a half quarters against the Washington Football Team and even led by two points with 30 second remaining. However, somebody on defense forgot to account for the running back out of the backfield and he took a small pass about 30 yards to the house to put the final nail in the coffin for Atlanta.
Patterson Flying High for Birds
There are a couple of things that could be worth betting on in this matchup. I for one think that Cordarrelle Patterson’s stats might be worth a shot. Patterson has been playing incredible football and was seriously flying under the radar until he scored three touchdowns against Washington last week. He plays running back for them and handles carries while simultaneously running receiver routes if the team needs him too. He is such a dual threat offensive player that there is no doubt he will be able to get over 100 yards of scrimmage against a mediocre Jets defense that hasn’t really been able to stop anybody throughout the course of a game.
I also think that Wilson having another solid game is worth making a bet on. He has admittedly struggled, a lot, so far in this young 2021 NFL regular season. However, he was able to show the NFL community that if he gets the correct protection in the pocket, he is able to do some incredible things. Now don’t get me wrong, Atlanta has some good pass rushers, but they aren’t THAT good if you know what I mean. Wilson should have more than enough time to roll out or sit in the pocket and find open receivers down the field. The Falcons offense has been consistently torched throughout the year and even though they are heavy favourites I don’t see it changing this weekend.
Finally, I think that betting for the Falcons is a great choice. Look, they aren’t always consistent and are pretty well known for choking close games. On the other hand, the Jets have looked like the worst team in NFL history during those first three games of 2021. Even though they grabbed an improbable victory last week it doesn’t mean that thoughts should instantly flip. To me, they are still arguably the worst team in the league right now (sorry Jets fans!) and the Falcons should handle them even if they can’t put them away early on.
