Jets vs. Falcons Preseason Betting Odds: Sam Darnold’s Debut

Betting Odds: Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets (-3.5)

• Atlanta Falcons Moneyline: +156
• New York Jets Moneyline: -181
• Over/Under: 35.5
• Kickoff: Aug. 10, 2018 – 7:30 p.m. ET

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons averaged a ludicrous 33.8 points per game in 2016 under then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan but just 22.1 last season with Steve Sarkisian. Improved red-zone play-calling would help everyone involved in the offense (especially wide receiver Julio Jones), but there’s also reason to believe the Falcons will have notable touchdown progression based on their 2017 efficiency.

• Yards per play: 5.9 (T-3rd)
• Net yards per pass attempt: 7.2 (3rd)
• Yards per rush: 4.3 (T-7th)

New York Jets

The Jets opened as modest -1 favorites but have since moved to -3.5 with 64% of the tickets.  Sam Darnold was considered the draft’s No. 1 quarterback prospect by some, and the Jets got him at No. 3. They reportedly hope Darnold will win the starting job in the preseason. As the team already knows what it has in the 39-year-old Josh McCown, it’s likely that Darnold and trade bait Teddy Bridgewater will play most of the snaps on Friday.

My Bet

Falcons (+3.5) vs. Jets

Atlanta has a talented roster and is one year removed from the Super Bowl while the Jets overachieved last year with a 5-11 finish. In a battle between backups, I’ll take the points.