On Monday Night Football, the New York Jets (0-12) faced off against the Las-Vegas Raiders (7-5). The Jets took a 28-24 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ty Johnson scored a 1-yard touchdown, followed by the defense coming up with a vital fourth-down stop that would have likely been any other team’s sigh of relief to winning the game.
One thing you must remember, this is the Jets we’re talking about here. And with a total of zero wins throughout the season, they may have counted their chickens before they hatched.
After the Jets got the ball back from the big fourth-down stop, they went three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Raiders with only 35 seconds left on the game clock. Derek Carr and the Raiders refused to be embarrassed.
Four plays later, and the Raiders have one last shot within the final seconds of the game to try for a touchdown. The Jets used a Cover 0 eight-rush blitz, giving Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III the opportunity to break away from rookie cornerback Lamar Jackson and catch Derek Carr’s 46-yard touchdown pass.
Carr commented on the play, saying, “I couldn’t believe they all-out blitzed us. As soon as I saw it, I was thankful.”
So far, the Jets remain on pace to join the 2008 Detroit Lions and the 2017 Cleveland Browns as the only NFL teams to go 0-16. They travel to Seattle next to take on the Seahawks next Sunday.
Former NY Jets head coach, Rex Ryan, had some words to say on the loss. “Dumbest call I’ve ever seen. Been around the thing for 58 years, 30 years as a coach. That’s the dumbest call ever. There’s a time and place for Cover-0. That sure ain’t it. It’s just stupid,” Ryan said on GetUpESPN.
Sportsbooks around the nation received heavy action on the Raiders moneylines before the start of the game. Only a few sportsbooks were willing to cover the 7.5 spread on the Jets, and even less were willing to take them on an outright win on the moneyline.
The sportsbooks still managed to come out ahead on what would’ve been a giant payday on the Jets. Some sportsbooks reported over 90% of bets going towards the Raiders on their 2020 NFL Betting lines.
“That was some strategy by the Jets…It would’ve been our biggest winner of the season to date if the Jets had won outright,” said John Murray, directory of the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas.
USA online sportsbooks also saw a lot of action on the game, and arguably more action on the Jets moneyline since it is open to nearly everyone in the US with an internet connection. These online casinos not only cover all the major NFL games, but also are a great option for bettors who want to play casino games as well, but don’t have access.
The Jets now have a +125 moneyline on finishing the regular season 0-16.
For the Jets, the only positive out of this game is improving their chances of securing the No. 1 overall pick for next season’s NFL draft.
Sources:
ESPN