In what has been an up and down start to the Jets season, they now face a Chiefs team also staring down a 1-1 record looking to get their second win of the season. And while the Chiefs are 3.5 point favorites , I truly believe that the Jets have an advantage going into this game providing they can stay healthy enough to play.
A real key to this game has to be the injury report of the New York Jets. Brandon Marshall sat of practice on Wednesday after sustaining what looked to a devastating knee injury on Thursday Night Football. He caught passes from a Jugs machine and spent time on the stationary bike. In addition to Marshall, LB Erin Henderson, OG James Carpenter, WR Eric Decker all did not practice. RB Matt Forte and LB David Harris were both limited in action. While there are some key names listed here let’s address a few points. Decker, Forte, and Harris are all expected to play, it is more than likely just some mid-week rest for veteran players that don’t necessarily need all the practice reps. My gut tells me that Marshall will play against the Chiefs as well, this team needs Conference wins. Carpenter would be a key miss if he cannot play against the Chiefs, however the depth of the O-line has stepped up this year, and they may be able to pull out a win without him.
The Chiefs are coming off of a game in which they narrowly lost to the Texans with a final score of 19-12. However, the Texans had trouble in the red zone and had 4 field goals. The Chiefs also had 3 fumbles, and never got into the end zone. This offense looked good late against the Chargers week one, however that is a team that is not known for its defense. A big return for the Chiefs has to be that Jamal Charles is expected to play Sunday for the first time since last season. He’ll rejoin a backfield that consists of Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, and while Charles is an incredibly talented back, the Jets are sporting one of the best run defenses in the league. And if one thing is certain, this team has trouble beating people with Alex Smith alone.
A big X-factor at play here is that this game is being played at Arrowhead Stadium. While that is always a daunting challenge, Adam Teicher of ESPN wrote an interesting column of the experience of Ryan Fitzpatrick at Kansas City (The whole article can be read here http://es.pn/2d45ND7). But the key thing is two of the best games of his career came in Chan Gaily’s offense at Arrowhead Stadium. This is a QB who has experience winning and winning big in Kansas City, and that could provide an edge. Fitzpatrick was quoted saying “The biggest thing with us is that it’s an experienced group," Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve got talent but we’ve got guys that are on the same page and understand what we’re trying to accomplish on every play. To me that’s the biggest difference this year from any other years that I’ve played."
From a betting perspective, the Chiefs again are 3.5 point . More than likely due to injury and because they are the home team. I for one have a hard time believing that the Chiefs will win by 4 points or more. If they win odds are it would be by a field goal or less. I believe that if the Jets will be healthy come Sunday and can perform on the road. It certainly helps that the Chiefs don’t have many “big play” type receivers.
My Pick:
Jets win 24-17