Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets Betting Preview – NFL, October 1, 2020

Week 4 of the 2020 NFL season starts with the AFC showdown between the Denver Broncos and New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.  

These two conference foes are still winless and will be fired up to finally tally one in the win column, so we will see a great battle at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on the first day of October.

Therefore, I bring you the best Broncos vs. Jets betting pick along with the key tips, team news, and the latest odds update.

All the Jets’ losses in 2020 came by 10 or more points. They are 0-3 ATS on the season, so it’s no strange they are listed as home dogs in the matchup with another hapless team.

Honestly, I don’t think anybody should be favored in this clash. When two really bad teams with a lot of injury problems take on each other, it’s best to observe it as an even-odds matchup. I’m a bit surprised by the Jets as home dogs.

The Broncos fought bravely in the first two weeks of the new season, still losing to Tennessee 16-14 at home and Pittsburgh 26-21 on the road. They lost some key players due to injuries including their starting QB Drew Lock and the best wideout Courtland Sutton, so a 28-10 home defeat to Tampa Bay was pretty much expected.

While Sutton is done for the season, Drew Lock should miss a couple of weeks more, so the Broncos should start Jeff Driskel under center once more. Driskel tossed for 176 yards, one TD, and one interception in Week 3 and was benched late in the fourth quarter.

However, the Broncos don’t have a lot of options to improve their lousy offense. Denver is scoring only 15.0 points per game (30^th in the NFL) on 289.3 total yards (29^th) while surrendering 23.3 points in a return (12^th) on 380.0 total yards (19^th).

The Jets are coming off a heavy 36-7 defeat at the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday. It was another embarrassment for Sam Darnold, as the Jets’ quarterback threw a couple of pick-and-sixes to help the Colts rout his team.

Through the first two weeks, Darnold has 562 passing yards, three TD passes, and four interceptions. The Jets lost Le’Veon Bell due to a hamstring injury in Week 1, so Darnold doesn’t get much of help off the backfield. New York is averaging only 88.3 rushing yards per game (28^th).

The Jets are the most inefficient team in football, averaging 12.3 points per game. They are dead last in total yards, too, racking up only 263.7 per contest. On the other side of the ball, the Jets are yielding 31.3 points (28^th) on 372.0 total yards per contest (17^th).

Both Broncos and Jets played some tough rivals in the last three weeks. They should do a much better defensive job Thursday when they face off against each other. On the other hand, I don’t expect to see dramatic changes attacking-wise, so I’m backing the under on the totals.

The under is 3-1 in Denver’s last four outings, and it is 13-6 in Denver’s previous 19 showings on the road. Also, six of the Jets’ previous nine games overall went in the under.

If you want to stick with the side bet or spread, I suggest you take the hosts to cover. Sam Darnold will be playing for his job in New York, and the Jets head coach Adam Gase is already a top contender to get fired, so I think the hosts will give everything they have to win.