There is a lot of excitement building around the New York Jets this season. Not only did they have three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, they also added arguably the best running back in the class (Breece Hall) early in the second round.
Combine that with a stellar 2021 draft haul and there is suddenly a lot of reasons to be optimistic going into the year.
ODDSMAKERS NOT BELIEVERS
However, not everyone is convinced that the Jets will make a major leap this season. That starts with the top New York betting sites.
In fact, most in the know in New York NFL betting believe the Jets will still finish in last place in the AFC East.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook NY, the Jets are +2200 to win the division and the team with the next-lowest odds (New England Patriots) is at +500.
DraftKings, then, has the Jets as a major longshot in its Super Bowl odds, at +13000. Only five teams (Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Houston) face longer odds. Here is another telling number: DraftKings currently has the Jets over-under for wins in the 17-game season at 5.5.
Another operator, FanDuel Sportsbook NY, has the Jets listed at +15000 to win the Super Bowl. That is 30th of 32 NFL teams. They are +2000 to win the AFC East. The closest division rivals are the Patriots and Miami Dolphins at +450. FanDuel also has the wins at 5.5
Of course, the team from upstate, the Buffalo Bills, are a -185 favorite to win the division and +650 to win the Super Bowl. We will analyze the Buffalo roster later this week on EmpireStakes.com. You can find our breakdown of the New York Giants from earlier this week there as well.
You also can find New York sports promos on the site as well.
Here are FanDuelโs odds for the Super Bowl, listing the top 10 and the Jets.
ANALYSIS OF JETS ROSTER
What is holding the Jets back from being a legitimate playoff contender? Maybe their roster isnโt as good as many think.
In a recent ESPN article, Ben Linsey ranked 32 rosters in the NFL heading into the 2022 season, based on dated from Pro Football Focus. The Jets finished among the bottom fourth of the league, coming in at No. 24.
Their biggest weakness on the roster is at quarterback, but the Jets are hopeful that Zach Wilson can make a big leap in Year 2. With so many teams in the AFC having established superstars at the quarterback position, itโs hard to get too excited about the overall roster until Wilson starts to play better.
Still, the Jets have other holes on the roster outside of just quarterback. ESPN pointed at linebacker as both C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams struggled last year. Linsey wrote: โLinebacker still stands out as a position where the team needs to be better in 2022, though. Returning starters C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams both earned sub-45 PFF grades last season, stemming largely from how they performed against the run.โ
There is also quite a bit of uncertainty about their secondary, but the Jets do have several young, promising players, including Ahmad โSauceโ Gardner, Jordan Whitehead and D.J. Reed. Itโs a group that theoretically should improve as the season progresses.
The Jets are one of the youngest teams in the NFL on both sides of the ball. Theyโve added five first-round players over the last two seasons and are hoping to get more from other young players on the roster, such as wide receiver Elijah Moore, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and offensive tackle Mekhi Becton.
If that happens, this could be a competitive team this season. But considering how difficult the AFC appears to be on paper, and where their roster stands going into the season, itโs going to be tough sledding again for the Jets this year.
