The 2-6 Jets host the 6-2 Texans on Thursday night. And, somehow, the Jets are favored to win.
The consensus spread is Jets minus-1.5. The Jets. The woeful, wrong-way, dysfunctional Jets. Favored to beat the Texans.
Yes, the Jets beat the Texans last year at MetLife Stadium, 30-6. But that was last year. This year, the Jets are free falling in the aftermath of the firing of coach Robert Saleh. As the losses mount, including a demoralizing defeat against the previously 1-6 Patriots, why does anyone think interim coach Jeff Ulbrich will be able to get this team to reset on a short week for a game against an AFC Super Bowl contender?
The situation plays right into the hands of Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, who can now point to the point spread as an indication that people don’t believe in his team in an effort to get them ready for the first of three straight prime-time games (the Lions and Cowboys are up next).
Meanwhile, the Jets were favored in two of the three prior post-Saleh games. And they’re 0-3.
But they’re still favored for Thursday night. Maybe the bettors know something the rest of us don’t. Or maybe they’ll just be wrong, again.