The William Hill sportsbook positions the New York Jets toward the bottom of their opening over/under wagers.
Wagers on the 2021 NFL season are likely in full flux after Friday, as the William Hill sportsbook unveiled their opening over/under odds for the league’s 32 teams. Predictable names top the list, with the defending Super Bowl participants from Kansas City and Tampa Bay leading with an o/u mark of 12 and 11.5, respectively.
Alas, for the New York Jets, the oddsmakers don’t foresee much fortune for the retooling squad.
The Jets are toward the bottom of the opening odds, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars with an o/u of six. Only the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans (5.5 each) have a lower projection.
Williams Hill has released its projected win totals for the 2021 NFL season.
Top totals:
1. Chiefs: 12
2. Bucs: 11.5
T-3. Packers/Ravens: 11
T-5. Bills/Rams: 10.5Lowest totals:
T-1. Lions/Texans: 5
T-3. Jets/Jaguars: 6
5. Bengals: 6.5 pic.twitter.com/8OT1YGoz1d— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 16, 2021
With these projections coming before the draft—where the Jets presumably pick up an elite passing prospect like Zach Wilson or Justin Fields—it’s easy to see why oddsmakers don’t have much optimism for the Jets.
Though the team solved some vital issues over the season (i.e. the signings of Corey Davis and Carl Lawson and the hiring of head coach Robert Saleh), the team is coming off a brutal two-win season.
Adding to the Jets’ struggles is the fact they trapped in an AFC East with an apparent new overlord. The defending division champion and AFC finalist Buffalo Bills are tied with the Los Angeles Rams with a 10.5 mark, behind only the Super Bowl co-combatants as well as a Green Bay/Baltimore tandem (11).
Play: 👉 the Jet X Offseason Simulator
But, there’s a reason we play the games after all, and the Jets don’t like being told the odds. Their first win of the season, a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams in December, featured them overcoming the largest regular-season underdog point spread en route to a victory (-17.5).
The organization’s greatest victory of them all is, of course, its Super Bowl 3 triumph over the Baltimore Colts over five decades prior (-18.5), when they took home the trophy in spite of the devastating odds.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
