As we enter the start of the 2017-18 regular season, all the talk surrounding the New York Jets is about who the team is going to anoint their QB1. I can’t help but wonder why? Does it really truly matter if it’s Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, or Christian Hackenberg? The short and immediate answer is no. New York’s offense could possibly go down as the absolute worst in NFL history. The defense is going to be the unit to watch, but defense doesn’t win in this day and age of the NFL. That’s why New York is the owner of the lowest season win total on the board at 4 with heavy +135 juice riding the over.
New York Jets Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
Jets Over 4 Wins +135
Jets Under 4 Wins -165
2017 Jets Offense Preview
The season-ending injury to Quincy Enunwa in training camp rid the Jets roster of one of their only two capable offensive players. No, the remaining one is not Matt Forte who got old real quick, but instead Bilal Powell who opened a can on the league the last month of the season averaging 5.0 yards per carry and rushing for 411 yards. He also added another 141 yards catching passes out of the backfield. Powell is going to become very good friends with whomever checks in under center this season.
New York passed the ball for an average of just 216.6 yards per game last season ( No. 27 ). It was an ugly state of affairs trying to push the ball downfield, and it will likely be again this year with Enunwa out of the fold. There’s a whole bunch of targets out there for the taking, and I firmly expect Robby Anderson and rookie ArDarius Stewart to benefit the most from them. Anderson averaged 14.0 yards per reception and hauled in 42 receptions which were the fourth most on the team. He could double the 587 passing yards he attained if everything falls into place.
2017 Jets Defense Preview
Say what you want about the offense, the defense is of NFL caliber. Todd Bowles prides himself on coaching good defense, and thankfully, he’s got one of those entering his third year coaching in the Big Apple. In 2016-17, the Jets ranked No. 11 in yards allowed ( 342.4 ) but still gave up an average of 25.6 points per game ( No. 28 ). Much of that had to do with the offense putting them in bad situations due to costly turnovers.
Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are back to anchor a defense that ranked No. 13 against the run. The pass defense was atrocious a year ago, but was realigned this past offseason via free agency and the draft. Morris Claiborne was brought in to take the place of an over the hill Darrelle Revis, while rookies Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye were drafted to play both safety spots. There will be a learning curve early, but if the front wall can stay healthy and routinely get after quarterbacks, the Jets defense will likely end up being the heart and soul of a team without an offensive identity.
2017 New York Jets Schedule Analysis
The Jets could seriously start the season 1-0 with a Week 1 trip to Buffalo, and could be 2-3 with a trip to Cleveland scheduled in Week 5. Wins will be few and far between from there with it set to run up against New England, Miami, and Atlanta the next three weeks. Their second or third win could occur in Week 9 versus Buffalo at home, but then they’ll close the year out with games against Tampa Bay, Carolina, Kansas City, Denver, New Orleans, Los Angeles ( Chargers ), and then New England.
The Jets have amassed only seven wins in their last 20 games played within the division. They also get the challenge of taking on the NFC South which looks to be one of the more competitive divisions on paper with numerous high scoring offensive attacks. Throw the AFC West into the mix, and it’s hardly shocking this team has such a low season win total.
The Final Verdict
The Jets have the defense that can win it a couple games it likely shouldn’t. The problem is an offense that brings no sense of trust or security with it to the field. Their QB1 will enter the season 38 years old. A journeyman quarterback paired up with inexperienced receiving targets isn’t a recipe for success. Still, I don’t think this is the worst team in the division. That title will go to the Buffalo Bills come season’s end. If they could sweep that series, I can see two or three other games being won. I liked the over better at 3.5 since four wins is an extreme possibility, but I’ll throw caution to the wind and look to hit the high side of this number at a plus-money return. This wager has a higher probability of winning/pushing than losing in my opinion.
NFL Odds: New York Jets Over 4 Wins +135
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