Atlanta Falcons Get Six Against New York Jets

NFL News - December 15th, 2009 - Written by John

The Atlanta Falcons nearly became the unlikely team to usurp the New Orleans Saints last week, but fell short when Jason Snelling was stopped on fourth down with just over a minute left. Historically, Week 15 hasn't been to kind to them either. Going 0-7-2 ATS in their last nine games at this point during the year.

But with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner likely back in the lineup, that certainly has a good chance to change when they face a do-or-die situation on Sunday. They play the New York Jets with a loss by either team meaning a long off-season.

The Jets are favored by six, according to SportsBetting.com, with a total of 40 for the NFL Week 15 Betting Odds for the game.

The Jets are still in the mix after pummeling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-3 last week. At 7-6, they are in a four-way tie for the sixth-and-final spot in the playoffs after winning three-straight. Granted, all three wins have come against sub-.500 Carolina, Buffalo and Tampa Bay, but it's been refreshing to see that the Jets have surged back after losing six of seven midway through the year.

The Falcons are on similar life-support at 6-7, needing both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants to lose out for a shot at the postseason.

Mark Sanchez was out last week, and Kellen Clemens filled in admirably, turning and handing it to Thomas Jones most of the day. Jones had 99 yards and a pair of scores in the win, and is fourth in the league with 1,167 yards. Sanchez figures to be back after resting a sore knee, but he will certainly be forced to slide far more often as the season winds down.

Ryan has also missed time as the Falcons signal caller, sitting the last two weeks with turf toe. In his absence, Chris Redman has played well but failed to win a game, and the Falcons are hanging by a thread in the NFC Wild Card picture. They would need a miracle to slip in for the final spot, and most importantly would need to win out.

Turner has been hobbled by an ankle injury suffered several weeks ago against the Panthers and will be probable this week. He has 864 yards in limited action, with 10 touchdowns and an average of 4.9 yards per carry.

New York would like to keep this a low-scoring game with it's top-ranked defense. It has played the under in 12 of it's last 14 December games.