The penultimate week of the NFL 2023 regular season begins with the final Thursday night game which will see the Cleveland Browns in the spotlight when they entertain the New York Jets in a huge clash for the home side.
The equation is pretty simple for the home side. If the Cleveland Browns win this match then they will be guaranteed a playoff spot and would still be in the hunt for the AFC North title. Anything else leaves them with work to do. The Jets are already eliminated.
Cleveland Browns
When you consider that the Cleveland Browns are in the hardest division in football, the fact that they have a 10-5 record is testament to their quality but when you consider the issues they have had in the quarterback position it is all the more remarkable and a win here would allow them to manage their personnel in the final week of the regular season should they be unable to win the AFC North come the end of the week.
That will be an advantage when the playoffs come along so this is a big night for the Browns. They go into it off the back of three straight wins so they should full of confidence, especially after such a dominating win over the Houston Texans on Christmas Eve. Their offense has clicked into a nice groove under the veteran Joe Burrow. We know that their pass rush will keep any opposing quarterback under pressure so you would have to say there is a lot to like about the Browns right now.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for the NFL! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
New York Jets
This obviously hasn’t been the season that the New York Jets were hoping for. The hopes were high in their part of the MetLife Stadium going into the campaign with Aaron Rodgers expected to bring the glory times but four snaps into the season those plans went up in smoke. The weapons that Rodgers was given have allowed the Jets to meander to 6-9 for the year, which is creditable given the gaping hole that Rodgers has left, but it hasn’t been enough to keep them competitive.
New York Jets have won two of their last three matches so to their credit they have thrown the towel in and they get the chance on primetime to spoil a party and show everyone what they have got here. If they are going to win you would think their defence will have to carry most of the slack. While they have playmakers on offense, they are probably not a side best served to be playing from behind so the longer their defence keeps them in the game the better.
Betting
The Cleveland Browns have caught fire in recent times and one man who has led the way has been the tight end David Njoku, who seems to be a favourite target for Joe Flacco and although the New York Jets’ defence is decent, it is coming in off a short week and I think they could struggle to contain him here. Njoku has a receiving yards line of 49.5 which feels on the low side given that he has caught six or more passes in six of the last seven games.
He has covered this line in five of those matches and with 44 yards he would surely have covered it last week had the Browns not flown into such a commanding lead and then pulled their starters in the fourth quarter. Prior to last week, Njoku had delivered 91 and 104 yards receiving with longest catches of 34 yards. If he gets a catch for anything like that far here then he won’t need anything like six receptions to cover this line. He is targeted so often that 50 yards looks plenty within range for a man who has come alive recently.
Tips
Back D.Njoku – Over 49.5 receiving yards for a 3/10 stake at 1.90 with Coral
