Only four road teams are favored in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason and the biggest favorite of those four is the Tennessee Titans. It’s not much of a surprise to see Tennessee so heavily favored given their opponent, the hapless New York Jets. The Jets have a win total of just 3.5 this season and are widely expected to be the worst team in the NFL in 2017. Their roster has been panned as entirely bereft of talent and it would be a bigger miracle to see them make the playoffs this season than it was for them to win Super Bowl III. If they want to prove the naysayers wrong, some players on their roster need to separate themselves starting with this game.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Saturday, August 12, 2017,
at 7:30 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tennessee Titans -3
New York Jets +3
Over/Under 37
Odds Analysis
Mike Mularkey went 3-1 in his first preseason with the Titans last year. The Titans were one of the higher scoring teams in the preseason in 2016 and weren’t afraid to keep some of their starters on the field for a while.
The Jets were even bad during the preseason in 2016. Gang Green went just 1-3, but did stay within a score in all three losses. The Jets beat the Jaguars in Week 1 of the preseason last year, so that bodes well for them. Todd Bowles is 4-4 in the preseason in two years with the team.
Player to Watch
Mularkey announced that Marcus Mariota will see some playing time against the Jets this week. It will be the first time that Mariota has played since fracturing his fibula in Week 16 of last season and he has spent most of the offseason recovering from the injury. Mularkey didn’t indicate how long he intends to keep Mariota out there, but playing him for any amount of time will be good.
Hopefully, Mariota can continue to develop without any hiccups. He was having a fine campaign last year and was on his way to the Pro Bowl, before suffering the injury. There seem to be no lingering effects but he will have a close eye on him, especially when scrambling.
In last year’s preseason opener, Mariota played three series before being pulled. He may play a little more in order to get some additional work with free-agent signing Eric Decker and first-round pick Corey Davis but don’t expect Mularkey to push it.
Position Battle to Watch
The Jets might have the worst passing attack in over a decade. New York seems set to go with journeyman Josh McCown as the starter this season, but the 38-year old has been awful for much of his career. He has thrown just 10 more touchdowns than interceptions and is 18-42 as a starter.
Christian Hackenberg might go down as the worst non-first round bust ever. Hackenberg couldn’t see the field last year despite the Jets abysmal situation at quarterback and the training camp stories about his inaccuracy have been comical. He seems locked into the third position again just because of where he was drafted, but probably shouldn’t even be on the roster.
The wide receiver position is bare too. Quincy Enunwa was just placed on Injured Reserve with a neck injury and the leading returning receiver is running back Bilal Powell. It would take all day to come up with the first three names on their depth chart and this unit will undoubtedly be the worst in the NFL.
Free ATS Pick
Preseason is typically a time to go against the grain, but not here. Whereas the Titans have a lot of talent up and down the roster, the Jets have very little. Tennessee’s players will be looking to move up the depth chart or at least cement their spots, but the Jets have been bungled so badly that many of their players wouldn’t even be on other team’s radars as more than training camp fodder. Lay the three with Tennessee.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Titans 27, Jets 10
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