Jaguars vs. Jets Thursday NFL Week 16 odds, trends: Bettors backing Jacksonville on spread in rainy and windy weather, Travis Etienne to score touchdown

A hugely important game in the AFC playoff race will be played tonight to kick off Week 16 when the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) visit the New York Jets (7-7). Because of the bomb cyclone hitting much of the northern United States, weather is going to be a factor in many outdoor NFL games, and this one is no exception. The Jets are currently -2 at BetMGM with a small total of 37 points that has dropped in a big way.

Here's the current forecast for the Meadowlands area in New Jersey tonight: "Rain likely. Low 44F. Winds ESE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible." 

It's no surprise, then, a total that opened as high as 43 at some books is down to 37. At BetMGM, 53% of the bets and 59% of the money are on the Under. Thanks to terrific play from 2021 No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, the total has gone Over in four straight Jaguars games with at least a combined 54 points scored in each. Lawrence has 11 touchdowns over that span while eclipsing 300 passing yards in three.

Jacksonville has scored at least 35 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2015. The Jags also are looking for consecutive road wins – they won at Tennessee in Week 14 – for the first time since 2017. First-year Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson is 6-0 in in his career on Thursday Night Football, but all of those wins came while he was with the Eagles.

On the spread, 64% of the bets and 59% of the money are on the Jaguars. On the moneyline of +110, 70% of the bets and 66% of the money are on the Jags.

The two most-wagered player props are on Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne: +550 to score the game's first touchdown and +110 for an anytime TD. Both of those props make sense given that passing might be tough in this weathe. He only has four TDs all year, all on the ground, and hasn't scored since Nov. 6 vs. Las Vegas. Etienne doesn't have a road touchdown.

With quarterback Mike White still not cleared by doctors, Zach Wilson will make a second straight start for the Jets, giving us a matchup of the 2021 No. 1 overall pick in Lawrence and the No. 2 in Wilson, who led a 26-21 home win over Lawrence and the Jags in Week 16 last year. Wilson threw for just 102 yards with a TD but had a 52-yard rushing score, the longest in franchise history for a QB. It was the fourth all-time matchup of rookie quarterbacks taken with the first two picks in the draft.

This season, Wilson has the lowest completion percentage (55%) and highest off-target percentage (18%) among 33 qualifying signal-callers. The Jets have lost three straight games, all by one score, since starting the season 7-4. New York has zero takeaways in that skid after forcing 15 in the first 11 games.

Jacksonville will not be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss simply because it can still win the AFC South. New York could be eliminated with a loss or tie depending on what happens in a few other Week 16 games. 

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