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Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets Prediction: AFC Teams' Postseason Hopes on the Line for TNF
Our NFL experts predict, pick and preview the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets "Thursday Night Football" game with kickoff time, TV channel and spread.
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Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets: AFC Teams' Postseason Hopes on the Line for TNF
With their playoff hopes nearly on life support, the New York Jets will look to get their first win in almost a month when they host the surging Jacksonville Jaguars for "Thursday Night Football."This is a critical game for both teams. The Jets (7-7) have lost three straight and five of their last seven to leave their playoff chances hanging by a thread. Last Sunday, New York led Detroit 17-13 with less than five minutes to play but the Lions connected on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to tight end Brock Wright on fourth down right after the two-minute warning. The Jets got the ball back and gave Greg Zuerlein a chance to tie with a 58-yard field goal attempt but his kick sailed wide left as time expired.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville (6-8) has won two in a row and three of its last four to climb to within a game of first-place Tennesee in the AFC South. The Jaguars rallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit at home to Dallas last week before winning the game in overtime on a Rayshawn Jenkins pick-six.
Thursday will mark the 16th meeting between the Jaguars and the Jets. Jacksonville holds a slight 8-7 advantage in the series.
Thursday Night Football: Jacksonville (6-8) at New York (7-7)
When: Thursday, Dec. 22 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Broadcast Outlet: Prime Video
Live Stream: fuboTV (only available in New York and Jacksonville
markets)
Spread: Jets -1
Tickets: As low as $28 on SITickets.com*
Three Things to Watch
1. Zach back under center
On Tuesday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced Zach Wilson would start for the second consecutive week. Mike White, who replaced Wilson when he was benched three weeks ago, has not been cleared for contact. White injured his ribs two weeks ago in the eight-point loss to the Bills.
There was some good and some bad with Wilson's performance against the Lions. The good was he went 8-for-15 for 185 yards and a touchdown in the first half. The bad was Wilson's second-half performance as he missed receivers and threw a bad interception which later turned out to be a big difference in the game.
Wilson did make some throws that showed people why he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 draft. But consistency has always been a huge problem with him.
"The frustrating thing is that this kid's going to be a good quarterback," Saleh said. "The NFL and this new instant coffee world that we're in just does not want to give people time.
"So, we look at him, and he is just nitpicked with a fine-tooth comb, everything he does, and rightfully so. It is what it is. He did a lot of really good things, so we're going to try our best to focus on the things he did good and make sure that we kind of bring that to life, and we'll continue to work on the things he needs to improve on."
2. Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense clicking on all cylinders
Trevor Lawrence, who was chosen a pick ahead of Wilson in the same draft, has been playing out of his mind recently. In his last six games, Lawrence has thrown for 1,680 yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception.
Lawrence's play, along with the rest of the Jaguars' offense, has helped them go from one of the worst teams in the AFC to a playoff contender.
We've always believed in Trevor," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said. "It was never like that because we were all struggling; offense, defense, I think we all struggled at our moments.
"We couldn't blame one person for the mistake, so we knew that Trevor Lawrence is Trevor Lawrence. We knew what type of player he is, he just had to find his groove. He found his groove, and this is the Trevor Lawrence that we knew we all had."
3. Jets' defense vs. Jaguars' offensive line
New York has been stout on D all season long. The Jets currently rank third in yards allowed per game (305.4) and fourth in points (18.8).
However, a defensive breakdown contributed to what turned out to be the game-winning, 51-yard touchdown pass to Brock Wright on fourth down in last week's close loss to the Lions. New York also could get a boost if defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is able to return. He injured his calf two weeks ago against the Bills and missed last week's game. His absence was felt as the Jets gave up 359 total yards (107 rushing) and didn't sack Jared Goff.
Jacksonville has allowed the fifth-fewest sacks this season (24). Williams leads New York and is tied for seventh in the NFL with 11 sacks. As a team, the Jets are tied for seventh in the league with 39 sacks.
Final Analysis
Thursday is a make-or-break situation for the Jets, as they need a win in the worst way. It will have to come against one of the hottest teams in the league as Jacksonville also has a lot to play for.
It's going to come down to if the Jets can run the football effectively. The Jets averaged 166 rushing yards in their last two wins. During their three-game losing streak, the Jets are averaging half that (82) on the ground.
The pressure will be on Wilson, but the Jets must find ways to take the pressure off of him. If not, this could be another heartbreaking outcome for a team that started 5-2 and showed so much promise.
Prediction: Jaguars 24, Jets 20
