Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets: LeSean is the Real McCoy

Neil Monnery
02 November 2017

LeSean McCoy needs to pound the rock against the New York Jets

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Thursday Night Football this week comes from MetLife Stadium where the Jets need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Neil Monnery previews the encounter...

"The Bills also have the best turnover margin in the league. Gaining 17 possessions via and interception (11) or fumble recovery (6) yet only giving it up three times."

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Friday 3 November, 00:25 BST
TV: Live on Sky Sports Action & Main Event

For the Bills...

When you see Buffalo making a win-now move at the trade deadline, it sums up the fact the NFL is completely topsy-turvy this year. Adding Kelvin Benjamin shouldn't affect this game much. Expect him to suit up and maybe get in the game on a handful of plays but you can't learn an offensive system in 48 hours.

The 5-2 Bills though are very much in the running in both the AFC East and the wildcard. In Tyrod Taylor they have a serviceable QB who is having himself a sneaky solid season. His 8:2 TD/Interception ratio is good enough for a team who likes to pound the rock.

Speaking of which, it is time to talk about LeSean McCoy. He ran for 151 yards and a score against Oakland on Sunday. The former Eagle has a reputation for performing best when all eyes are on him, so a nationally televised game is right up his alley.

The Bills also have the best turnover margin in the league. Gaining 17 possessions via an interception (11) or fumble recovery (6) yet only giving it up three times. Some pundits think this stat is more fluky than others but +14 through seven games is more than just dumb luck.

For the Jets...

Let's start with a look at the Jets' turnover margin which stands at -1 for the season. It's clear that the numbers suggest Buffalo have a real chance of sneaking an extra possession or two during this encounter.

When it comes to Quarterback, Joe Namath is not walking through that door. Josh McCown holds the job for now but when people are starting to think about Bryce Petty or even Christian Hackenberg taking over then something isn't quite right.

The 38-year-old hasn't actually played that badly in the past month having thrown nine TDs to four picks in that period. His biggest problem is a lack of talent to throw the ball to or a stable of dependable running backs to help carry the load.

Bilal Powell is the featured back and he rumbled for 163 yards against the Jags a few weeks back. His highest number outside of that game though is just 43.

The Picks...

Betting against a team whose backs are against the wall and need the win to keep their season alive is a risky business. Still I'm going with the mantra of the better team wins and even with a 3.5pt handicap, I like the Bills at 2.1211/10 on the Exchange.

Points wise the line has been set at 42.5 and despite being burned on the under play several times in recent weeks, I'm going back to that well. This is available at 1.981/1 on the Exchange.

On the side markets, the #OddsOnThat promotion has a glut of options on the Betfair Sportsbook. I'm going with one simple play though of LeSean McCoy to score two or more TDs at 4/1.

Recommended Bets
3pt Back Buffalo Bills-3.5pts at 2.1211/10 on the Exchange
1pt Back under 42.5pts at 1.981/1 on the Exchange
1pt Back LeSean McCoy to score two or more TDs at 4/1 on the Sportsbook