Jamison Crowder #82 of the New York Jets makes a catch for a touchdown. Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images/AFP
The Patriots and Jets square off on Monday Night Football. Let’s take advantage of the prop betting opportunities offered by the top sports betting sites.
New England Patriots vs. New England Jets
Monday, November 9, 2020 – 8:15 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium
Jamison Crowder – Over/Under 49.5 Receiving Yards & At Least 6 Receptions
Consistency
Jamison Crowder is New York’s most valuable wide receiver. With relatively few pass-catching options and with the 0-8 Jets often behind in games, Crowder is always sure to get a lot of attention from his quarterback.
Defenses must be aware of Crowder’s emphatic role by now. But it doesn’t seem to matter. Crowder has played in four games this season. In every game, he’s caught at least seven passes and has been targeted at least 10 times.
With your NFL Picks, you can eat up a bit more chalk and take Crowder over 4.5 receptions. I prefer to stick to the trend and expect him to accrue at least six catches. He eclipsed 100 receiving yards in three of his four games. In the one exception, he accrued 48 receiving yards at Miami.
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Staying Upright
New York’s offense was shut out by the Dolphins in what was a uniquely low point for Adam Gase’s offense. The unique problem was pass protection. New York necessarily became a pass-first team.
However, quarterback Joe Flacco faced relentless pressure. In that game, the Dolphins accrued 10 quarterback hits and three sacks. New England, though, ranks 10 spots behind the Dolphins in adjusted sack rate. So Flacco will have more opportunities by staying upright more often.
Cornerbacks
One extra piece of good news for Crowder is that he won’t have to deal with cornerback Stephon Gilmore. New England’s top coverage guy has been ruled ‘out.’ Gilmore admittedly does not prefer to man the slot, where Crowder prefers to line up. But his absence rules him out completely from doing so.
Instead, Jonathan Jones will focus on Crowder. Jones is an easier cover opponent than Miami’s Nik Needham as their clear disparity in metrics like opposing passer rating when targeted shows.
Jones is consistently vulnerable. In his past two games, he’s stayed on San Francisco’s’ Kendrick Bourne and Buffalo’s Cole Beasley. He’s seen seven targets in those two games and has allowed seven receptions.
Neither wide receiver is regularly targeted much. So Crowder, in being targeted heavily, will magnify Jones’ problems with opposing catch rate.
Damiere Byrd #10 of the New England Patriots. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
Damiere Byrd – Over/Under 42 Receiving Yards
Snaps
Patriot wide receiver Damiere Byrd certainly benefits from the absence of fellow pass-catcher N’Keal Harry, who has been ruled ‘out’ for this game. He also benefits from the fact that the Jets own the NFL’s second-worst pass defense in terms of DVOA, which is a metric that adjusts for the quality of the opponent.
Byrd takes the fourth-highest rate of snaps in the NFL. He’ll continue to be on the field for at least 97 percent of his team’s snaps as the Patriots look to exploit a uniquely horrible pass defense.
Match-up
One may want to stay away from Patriot wide receivers because one lacks trust in the passing ability of quarterback Cam Newton. But NFL Oddsmakers really aren’t asking for much.
They are also underrating Cam because they are not accounting for the uptick in RPO plays that the Patriots are performing. This uptick in RPO plays signifies an attempt to make Cam more comfortable as a passer.
Byrd, too, is an obvious candidate to help Newton be more comfortable because he was already Newton’s teammate in Carolina. He’s great at getting open quickly, using his speed to do so. He owns the NFL’s 20th-best average distance of separation from the nearest opposing defensive back.
RPO plays will work great against a Jet defense that is aggressive — the Jets execute blitzes at the 10th-highest rate — and that plays a lot of zone defense. With zone defense, defenders are forced to leave their assigned area in order to guard against the possibility of a run. With blitzes, too, defenders leave coverage spaces in order to attack the opposing quarterback.
So, Cam will flex the possibility that he hands the ball off in order to create scenarios where wide receivers are open. He will have no trouble finding Byrd to help us cash at the best sportsbooks.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
