For the third consecutive week, the Denver Broncos will have a new look on offense. With Drew Lock sidelined with a shoulder injury and Jeff Driskel ineffective on Sunday, Denver has elected to go with Brett Rypien under center for the first time in his brief career. The 24-year-old will attempt to lead the Broncos to their first win of the 2020 NFL season when they visit the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Kickoff from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Rypien gets his opportunity after Driskel was 17-of-30 for 176 yards and sacked five times while Denver (0-3) suffered a 28-10 home loss against Tampa Bay in Week 3. New York (0-3) also is seeking its first victory of the year after being mauled 36-7 at Indianapolis last Sunday. The game is a pick'em in the latest Broncos vs. Jets odds from William Hill, while the over-under is 40. Before locking in any Jets vs. Broncos picks, make sure you see the latest Thursday Night Football predictions from SportsLine's proven projection model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,500 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception five-plus years ago. It's off to a strong 7-2 roll on top-rated NFL picks this season. The model enters Week 4 on an incredible 103-67 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch in three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 95 percent of CBS Sports office pool players three times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has set its sights on Jets vs. Broncos. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NFL odds from William Hill and trends for Jets vs. Broncos:
- Jets vs. Broncos spread: Pick'em
- Jets vs. Broncos over-under: 40 points
- Jets vs. Broncos money line: Denver -110, New York -110
- DEN: Broncos are 2-6 against the spread in their last eight games as favorites.
- NYJ: Jets are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against teams with losing records.
Why the Broncos can cover
Rypien gave Denver hope after replacing Driskel for the team's final possession on Sunday, completing his first eight attempts before being intercepted at the goal line on 4th-and-1. He connected twice with both Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy, who led the Broncos with five catches and 55 yards. The 21-year-old rookie figures to play an important role in determining whether Rypien is successful since he has been targeted a team-high 24 times over the first three games.
Denver may be able to get its ground attack going against a New York defense that ranks 24th against the run (133 yards allowed per game). Melvin Gordon, who rushed for 1,105 yards with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017, has gained 174 on 42 carries in his first year with the Broncos. He'll be leaned on with backup Phillip Lindsay (toe) inactive.
Why the Jets can cover
After enduring a game in which all the news was bad, Darnold will enter Thursday's contest with positivity, as his top receiver from last season is expected to return. Jamison Crowder is ready to get back on the field after missing New York's last two games with a hamstring injury. The 27-year-old was one of the Jets' lone bright spots in their season-opening loss at Buffalo, grabbing seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
After spending his first four NFL seasons with Washington, Crowder set a career-high with 78 receptions in his first year with New York. The 2015 fourth-round draft pick out of Duke led the Jets with 833 receiving yards and six scoring catches, his highest totals since posting career highs of 847 and seven in 2016. The return of Crowder, who has caught seven of Darnold's 22 TD tosses since the start of 2019, figures to give fellow wideout Braxton Berrios a better chance to haul in a scoring pass for the third straight week.
How to make Broncos vs. Jets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total. In fact, it says neither team's starting quarterback records more than 220 passing yards. It also says one side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Broncos vs. Jets on Thursday Night Football? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Jets vs. Broncos spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $7,500 on its top-rated NFL picks, and find out.