New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Odds, NFL Week 15 Preview

The Baltimore Ravens are set to host the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 15 of the 2019 NFL season. The sport’s most exciting player will take center stage in primetime, but the game itself might not have a ton of excitement.

With the early betting line up to 15 points, Baltimore is the biggest favorite on the entire upcoming schedule, according to OddsShark. The total is 45.

There’s not much mystery regarding which team will win Thursday’s game. A victory for the Jets would be the biggest upset of the year.

New York is out of contention with a 5-8 record, needing a last-second field goal to narrowly beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 14. The Dolphins beat the Jets earlier this season, giving New York six losses against teams that are below .500.

The Jets haven’t beaten a single team that has a winning record. Baltimore is tied for the NFL’s best record at 11-2, entering Week 15 on a nine-game winning streak. With wins over the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills, the Ravens are the clear Super Bowl favorites with the playoffs less than a month away.

Baltimore should have plenty of motivation. The Ravens have their eyes on securing home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Lamar Jackson has all but locked up the MVP race. The quarterback leads the NFL with 28 touchdown passes. He’s ninth in the league with 1,017 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

A pair of elite defenses have limited Jackson through the air in consecutive games. The second-year player went a combined 30-48 for 250 yards in close victories over the 49ers and Bills. After rushing for 101 yards at home against San Francisco, Jackson only had 11 rushes for 40 yards in Sunday’s 24-17 win at Buffalo.

The Ravens’ defense is actually playing better than the offense in recent weeks. After a slow start, Baltimore has surrendered 20 points or fewer in eight straight games.

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks only scored 16 points at home against the Ravens. Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans were held to one touchdown in Baltimore. A week before the 49ers scored 48 points in New Orleans, San Francisco scored 17 points in a loss to the Ravens.

That doesn't bode for Sam Darnold and the Jets, who scored six points against the AFC’s worst defense just two weeks ago.

Darnold has only faced a handful of good defensive teams. The quarterback threw for 175 yards in a 17-16 loss to Buffalo in Week 1. He was embarrassed in primetime on Oct. 21 when the Patriots shut out the Jets 33-0. Darnold went 11-32 for 86 yards and four interceptions in that defeat.

While Baltimore leads the NFL with 5.5 yards per rush, New York ranks 31st with 3.3 yards per attempt. Le’Veon Bell missed Sunday’s game with an illness and has been among the most disappointing free-agent signings of the last few years.

The Jets are seventh in total defense and sixth in opponents’ yards per play. Their only chance to be competitive Thursday is to make Jackson work as hard for his yards as he did in each of the last two weeks.

Even if he doesn’t put up his typical MVP-caliber numbers, Jackson will make enough big plays to knock the Jets out of this one early.

Prediction: Baltimore over New York, 27-10