NFL Football Odds - Jets vs. Cowboys

Hopefully, the first game on Thanksgiving Day will be a close one, because Game 2 in Dallas, between the 9-1 Cowboys and 2-8 Jets

The Jets actually are coming off an impressive 19-16 overtime win against the Steelers that ended their six-game losing streak.

The Jets' run defense, the NFL's worst, held Pittsburgh's Willie Parker to 52 yards and sacked Ben Roethlisberger seven times after coming in with just nine.

But there was little time to celebrate on of the best efforts of the year.

"Unfortunately with the short week, we move on pretty quickly here and that's what we're doing," coach Eric Mangini said. "We put the Steelers to bed. Now we're working on the Cowboys."

Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens makes his fourth NFL start on Thursday. His stats aren't great - 50.2 quarterback rating, 50 percent completion rate, three touchdowns and five interceptions - but he has led fourth-quarterback comebacks (one as a backup) in his past three games, all against good defenses in the
Ravens, Redskins and Steelers.

"When live bullets have flown, he has done a great job of being prepared and knowing what to expect," Jets tight end Chris Baker said.

However, Clemens will be without his top receiver, as WR Laveranues Coles, who suffered a high left ankle sprain against the Steelers, almost certainly will not play against Dallas; Justin McCareins and Brad Smith would see increased playing time if Coles doesn't play.

That probably means more of Thomas Jones carrying the ball for New York; Jones ran for a season-high 30 times for 117 yards against a Pittsburgh defense that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 35 games.

"It felt good to be able to get the ball that many times and get into a rhythm," Jones said.

Defensively, New York will have its hand full.The Jets give up 148.2 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry. Four times in the last six games, the Jets have allowed more than 150 yards rushing. Washington rambled for 296 yards. And it's not much better in the passing game, as New York allows 220.3 yards per game.

Dallas, meanwhile, owns the second-rated offense in the league, averaging 32.4 points and 393.0 yards per game. The Cowboys do only rank 13th in the NFL in rushing, with only one 100-yard rusher this season, but that's mainly because QB Tony Romo and WR Terrell Owens have been so good.

Romo and Owens connected for four TDs in last week's win against Washington, and Owens has four straight games with at least 100 receiving yards, catching eight TDs in that stretch. He is second in the NFL with 1,028 receiving yards and is a big reason Dallas is third in the NFL in passing yards per game at
275.5.

"I'm just playing out of my mind right now," the always humble Owens said. "This is one of the greatest games, really, that I feel like I've played in, just me coming through in the clutch. I pride myself in trying to make plays for the team. When my number's called and opportunities are there for us to make plays, I know that's my job."

The lowdown: The Cowboys 25-14 on Thanksgiving and 6-2 overall against the Jets. ... Cowboys WR Patrick Crayton has a sprained ankle and will be a game-time decision.... The Jets have put up 68 second-half points this season, the Cowboys 201. ... Dallas has never started a season 10-1. ... The Cowboysave a huge game with Green Bay next week, but Romo says: "We don't look past any opponent." If true, that doesn't bode well for the Jets, as Dallas will cover the spread.

Betting trends

The Jets are 3-6 ATS.

The Jets are 1-3 ATS away.

The Jets are 3-4 ATS as the underdog.

The Jets are 1-2 ATS as an away underdog.

The Cowboys are 7-3 ATS.

The Cowboys are 3-2 ATS at home.

The Cowboys are 6-2 ATS as the favorite.

The Cowboys are 3-1 ATS as a home favorite.


More NFL Trends would appear to be a mismatch; Dallas is -14 on WagerWeb.com.