Thursday Night Football for December 28 features the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, two teams with different prospects for the remaining part of this season. Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks for the season due to injuries. Cleveland found a solid replacement in veteran Joe Flacco, while the Jets are in a different situation with their quarterbacks, whose performance drastically oscillates from one game to the next.
On Thursday, a win for the Browns will clinch a Wild Card spot and improve their chances of winning the AFC North division. The visiting team Jets is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but will not capitulate without a fight at FirstEnergy Stadium. The best betting sites with free bets favor the Browns with a 7.5-point spread. Let’s overview both teams ahead of the last Thursday game for 2023.
Veteran Flacco Is Steering the Browns
The Browns have a 10-5 record, and the math indicates that a win on Thursday gets them into the postseason. A mission that looked out of reach after Deshaun Watson injured his shoulder. The solution for the Browns was to give the starting job as a signal caller to veteran and former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco, who was chilling on his couch this season.
The Browns have a 3-1 record with Flacco, and despite the 7 interceptions in 4 games, it's a productive offense, averaging 23 points per game. Flacco is passing for over 300 yards per game, with 10 touchdowns, and has a completion rate of 59.4%.
Cleveland’s run game is not as effective after Nick Chubb went down with a season-ending injury. Cleveland averaged 55 rushing yards per contest over the last 3 games, meaning the Browns will probably have to rely more on their passing to move the chains. The interception-prone Flacco will go against the 2nd best ranked pass defense in the league.
However, head coach Kevin Stefanski has shown he can overcome challenges and scheme his team to victory. Thanks to the dominant defense, which allows 20 points per game, the offense will be able to compensate for its shortcomings.
Jets Carousel of Quarterbacks
The Jets’ record of 6-9 is surprisingly positive after everybody wrote them off following QB Aaron Rodgers's season-ending injury in his first official game as a Jet. With Zach Willson predominantly filling in as the starting quarterback. The carousel of quarterbacks is continually spinning in New York, with Trevor Siemian assuming the starting role as signal caller in their last two games.
Siemian produced a touchdown and interception for 217 yards in a narrow 30-28 win for the Jets against the Commanders on Sunday. Running back Breece Hall was the star of the game, with 2 TDs for 95 rushing yards. This team averages 15.4 points per game on offense, and the bright spot is its defense which concedes 21 points per game.
Betting Prediction
The odds indicate a one-sided matchup. Cleveland has a three-game winning streak and will be motivated to secure a playoff berth. Top sports gambling appsoffer -340 odds on a Browns moneyline bet, and +270 for the underdog Jets. The point spread odds stand at -120 on the Jets to cover its +7.5 points, and +100 for the Browns to justify their favorite status of -7.5 points. The total is 36 points with -112 odds for the Over and -108 odds for the Under bet.
The Jets scored zero points against the Dolphins in week 14, and that hit the afterburners and dropped 30 points on the Commanders. Yes, those are teams with different roster qualities, but it just goes to show that the Jets can be unpredictable this season.
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