The Lions (1-1) and Jets (1-1) head to Ford Field on Sunday afternoon with each looking to bounce back from disappointing losses last week.
Josh Allen and the Bills won an offensive shootout against Jared Goff and the Lions at Hyde Park in Week 2, 31-21. Goff had a productive day through the air, throwing for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled in 9 receptions for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Jahmyr Gibbs added 113 total yards from scrimmage. Unfortunately for Detroit, their defense had zero answers for Allen and the Bills offense, giving up 446 total yards. The most telling stat may have been Detroit’s failure to go down the field on nine of twelve third downs.
The Jets suffered a painful, rain-soaked loss to the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium, leading 17-7 midway through the fourth quarter, eventually losing 20-17 in overtime. As with the Lions, it was the defense that betrayed the Jets last weekend. Geno Smith threw for 247 yards, including a touchdown Garrett Wilsonbut the running game struggled all afternoon managing just 29 yards on 16 carries.
Former defensive coordinator of the Lions Aaron Glenn returns to Motown for the first time since taking over as the Jets’ head coach. Glenn spent four years working under Dan Campbell with the Lions.
Main story: It all comes down to third down. The Jets boast an elite third-down defense, limiting opponents to just 23.8% efficiency through the first two weeks. If Aaron Glenn’s nickel packages can force Goff into third-and-long, they can stop Detroit’s explosive offense and stay inside the spread if they don’t win outright. The Lions’ lapses on third down have been noted before, they need to be better at getting off the field.
Let’s dive into the numbers and see if we can’t find a sweat or two.
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Game details and how to watch Jets vs. Lions
- date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
- time: 1 p.m. ET
- YOUR: Ford Field
- town: Detroit, MI
- TV/Broadcasting: FOX
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Jets vs. End Game Odds
The latest odds from Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Money line: New York Jets (+245), Detroit Lions (-305)
- SPREAD: Lions -6.5
- in total: 48.5
The line opened with the Lions putting up 9.5 points, but even though the numbers have favored the Jets, the majority of bets placed are on Lions ML, Lions ATS and Total OVER.
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Rotoworld’s best bets
Expert picks and predictions for Jets vs. Lions
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Our model calculates predictions around every money line, spread and over/under for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points such as past performance, player matchups, betting trends and weather forecasts.
After the model finishes running, we place its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each bet.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Sunday’s game between the Jets and Lions:
- Money line: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a Moneyline game
- SPREAD: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a game at Jets +6.5.
- in total: Rotoworld Bet recommends a game on Total UNDER 48.5.
New York’s defense comes off the field and doesn’t give up explosive plays. Against a Lions offense that was just held to 52 rushing yards by Buffalo, this is a brutal matchup. Detroit’s offense is explosive, but the Jets’ ability to take away the run and force teams into long third downs is exactly the profile that keeps the totals down.
Here’s the counterintuitive part: the Lions’ defense has been truly awful, allowing 71 points and 915 yards in two games. They have surrendered at least 30 points in both outings and are allowing 457.5 yards per game. This is the single biggest reason the total stands at 48.5.
But the Jets offense isn’t built to exploit him. New York is averaging just 20 points per game (20th in the NFL), and Geno Smith has thrown for just 462 yards and one touchdown through two weeks. The Jets have been efficient — Smith is completing 70.8% of his passes — but they’re not explosive. They’ve scored 23 and 17 points in their two games and haven’t turned the ball over once, which means they’re winning with possession, not big plays.
Simms and Rogers’ best bets for week three
Connor Rogers and Chris Simms share their favorite bets for Week 3 of the NFL season, including their Vikings-Buccaneers and Bills-Chargers predictions.
Jets vs Lions: Betting Trends and Stats
- The Jets are 2-0 against the spread this season
- The Lions are 0-2 against the spread this season
- New York is 0-2 in the OVER this season
- Detroit is 2-0 in the OVER this season
Jets vs. Lions: Quarterback Matchup
- Aircraft: Geno Smith
2026 Stats: 2GP, 46-65 for 462 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 95.8 RTG, Sacked 4 times - The lions: Jared Goff
2026 Stats: 2GP, 52-77 for 533 Yds, 6 TD, 0 INTs, 113.2 RTG, Sacked 5 times
Jets vs. Lions: Best Playmakers
New York Jets
- WR Garrett Wilson
2026 Stats: 2GP, 11 catches on 14 targets for 136 yds, 1 TD - WR Adonai Mitchell
2026 Stats: 2GP, 9 receptions on 14 targets for 123 yds, 0 TD - RB Breece Hall
2026 Stats: 2GP, 38 carries for 131 Yds, 1 TD / 7 receptions on 7 targets for 79 Yds, 0 TD
Detroit Lions
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
2026 Stats: 2GP, 19 catches on 27 targets for 209 yds, 4 TD - THE Sam LaPorta
2026 Stats: 2GP, 11 Catches on 15 Targets for 100 Yds, 1 TD - RB Jahmyr Gibbs
2026 Stats: 2GP, 45 carries for 208 Yds, 2 TD / 11 receptions on 13 targets for 91 Yds, 1 TD
Jets vs. Lions: Injury update
New York Jets
- TE Mason Taylor (thumb) has been ruled OUT of Sunday’s game
- WR Adonai Mitchell (finger) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game
- LB Kiko Mauigoa (quad) has been ruled OUT of Sunday’s game
- RB Kene Nwangwu (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- DE Joseph Ossai (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- WR Arian Smith (knee) was placed on IR Wednesday and is OUT for Sunday’s game
- DT David Onyemata (groin) was placed on IR Wednesday and is OUT for Sunday’s game
Detroit Lions
- G Ben Bartch (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- S Thomas Harper (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- OT Blake Miller (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- G Tate Rutledge (elbow) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- G Christian Mahogany (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- CB Avonte Maddox (foot) was placed on IR Tuesday and is OUT for Sunday’s game
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