Monday Night Football: Chargers vs. Jets Prediction

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: CHARGERS VS. JETS PREDICTION – This didn’t feel like a game I’d be interested in a month ago. But here we are. The Jets are shockingly competitive even with Zach Wilson, as they are looking to push their recent winning streak to four games tonight.

The Chargers are just doing what they do. They had a nice win last week, but those haven’t come as often as they’d hoped for to start the season. Their mediocre record doesn’t represent the talent-level on this team. They just simply cannot get out of their own way when it comes to winning.

Related: Toby’s Complete Week 9 Predictions

Kickoff

When: Monday, November 6, 2023 at 8:15 PM ET

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

TV: ABC/ESPN

The Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

The Chargers

The offense has been decent for the Chargers this season with Kellen Moore in his first season as OC there. The problem is that they are a little (read: a lot) imbalanced and it’s hurt them a few times this season.

Despite having Austin Ekeler in the backfield, they haven’t generated much of a threat with the running game, which has been forcing Justin Herbert to try and win games with his arm. Austin Ekeler isn’t generating much in the way of yards after contact, and the run blocking has been horrific.

That one-dimensionality could be difficult for them to navigate against a very good Jets defense. LAC struggled to get much going offensively this season when they’ve played high-level defenses like Dallas and Kansas City. I suspect they could also struggle agains the Jets.

The Jets

The Jets feel like they are succeeding almost purely on grit at this point. Zach Wilson has reined in some of his impulses and has been a little bit better with throwing interceptions. He’s only had one in his last two games, which is pretty good for him.

The defense has been what wins them games lately. They force a lot of mistakes and their passing defense is elite. They struggle against the run, but that shouldn’t be a huge issue given the Chargers impotence when it comes to generating explosive rushes.

Still, the Jets are nearly last in a lot of offensive metrics, with the passing game being especially bad. Well-timed long runs from Breece Hall have been giving them just enough offense to be able to stay in games. The entire offensive game  plan for them seems to be hoping that Wilson doesn’t turn the ball, while praying that this happens a couple of times.

Breece Hall does it again! 😱 @BreeceH

📺: #NYJvsDEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/FWWyCS9aA1 pic.twitter.com/YyTvuJVl87

— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022

The Pick

This just feels like a bad matchup for the Chargers. It’s a cross-country flight to play a hot team in prime time, for starters.

The issue once the Chargers get on the field is that everything they do well is something that the Jets can probably exploit. The Chargers have to throw the ball to move offensively and this is a dangerous defense for Justin Herbert to be attempting 40 passes against.

I suspect he’ll probably try and force it, throwing an interception that could be critical in what may well be a low-scoring snooze.

I’ll take the Jets on the key number with reduced vig.