Don't Fear for KC Just Because Jets Seem Solid

If you squint, and kind of tilt your head to the side when you look at the New York Jets this season, you can see the vague shape of a solid football team. 2-6 looks bad, but they took the Packers to overtime and lost one-score games to the Raiders, Patriots and Lions. They found a steady, serviceable quarterback on an affordable contract. They're tied for the league lead in forced fumbles and tied for 11th in fewest yards allowed and team sacks.

The Jets offense struggles to be anything more than average this season, but Breece Hall is a key piece of that offense who missed the last five games. He's back today, but their #1 receiver, Garrett Wilson, will miss this game after suffering a concussion last week. New York could still use the return of their talented, young #1 running back to put up more points than their average of 21.3, especially if the Chiefs defense continues to struggle with generating pressure. Kansas City's defense is flirting with elite status in my eyes, but their inconsistency with attacking opposing quarterbacks contributed to both of the Chiefs losses this season. No team in the league has fewer than the Chiefs' nine sacks.

That problem won't be solved overnight, regardless of what may happen before Tuesday's trade deadline. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn could be feeling the pressure of potential unemployment in his near future, which could either destabilize or galvanize his relationship with his team moving forward. It's too early and they're too good to be hopeless at this point, so I think this pressure to perform could work in New York's favor this week. I don't think the Chiefs will cover the spread, but I also won't take that as incontrivertible evidence that the sky is falling. I'm predicting a 29-23 victory for the Chiefs.