Jets Favored vs Browns Despite Three Straight Losses

The New York Jets are 1-3 after three straight losses, and Sunday’s 23-12 defeat against the Chicago Bears was easily their most concerning performance of the young season. The defense played a bend but don’t break, but they bent beyond belief. The offense was so inefficient that they ran so few plays before leaving the field each possession.  After opening the year with a win over Tennessee, the Jets have dropped games to Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago. The interesting part now is seeing how the betting market views Aaron Glenn’s team as the schedule moves deeper into October. Despite the losing streak, Vegas hasn’t completely given up on the Jets. At least not yet. In a bit of a surprise, Vegas has the Jets favored vs Browns on Sunday.

Jets Favored Against the Browns

The Jets return to MetLife Stadium on Sunday to face a Cleveland Browns team that has won three straight games and improved to 3-1 with a 27-24 win over Pittsburgh. Early lines have the Jets as roughly 1.5-point favorites with the total around 40.5 points. That’s an interesting number considering the direction these two teams have been heading.

Cleveland has won three in a row. The Jets have lost three in a row. Yet the odds makers are still giving the Jets a slight edge at home. For the Jets, this feels like a game they need to win if they want to keep the season from getting away from them. Falling to 1-4 would make the road back extremely difficult, especially with some much tougher opponents waiting on the schedule.

The Patriots Game Tells a Different Story

Things change dramatically one week later when the Jets travel to New England. Early look-ahead numbers have the Jets as roughly 9.5-point underdogs against the Patriots. That’s a massive swing from being a small home favorite against Cleveland and shows just how differently the market views the Jets when they step up in competition.

After New England, the schedule gives the Jets two games that currently look much more manageable. They host Miami on October 25 and Las Vegas on November 1, with early numbers making the Jets a small favorite in both games. That creates a pretty clear picture of where the Jets stand right now. The betting market isn’t treating them like one of the NFL’s worst teams, but there isn’t much confidence in them against the better teams on their schedule either.

The Schedule Gets Much Harder in November

Things get ugly after the Raiders game. The Jets travel to Kansas City on November 8, where early numbers have them as roughly 9.5-point underdogs. Buffalo comes to MetLife Stadium the following week, with the Jets currently around a touchdown underdog in that matchup.

Then comes a trip to Los Angeles to face the Chargers on November 22. There isn’t much value in trying to predict a point spread that far in advance. Injuries, winning streaks, losing streaks and six more weeks of football can completely change how that matchup looks. For anyone following the betting market as the season develops, the current Los Angeles Chargers odds offer a look at how Los Angeles is being priced well before the Jets arrive at SoFi Stadium.

What Does Vegas Think of the Jets?

Right now, the answer seems pretty simple: prove it.

The Jets are still getting enough respect to be favored at home against Cleveland, Miami and Las Vegas. But against New England, Kansas City and Buffalo, the early numbers aren’t particularly kind.

That’s probably fair after four games.

The first two losses of the season left room for optimism. The Jets were competitive against Green Bay and Detroit and could point to some encouraging signs despite coming up short.

Chicago was different. The Bears outgained the Jets 492-157, and New York struggled to generate anything consistently on offense. That’s the type of performance that can quickly change how both fans and odds makers view a team.

The good news is that the Jets have an immediate opportunity to change the conversation.

Beat Cleveland at home, and they’re 2-3 with games against Miami and Las Vegas still ahead. Lose a fourth straight game, and those long November afternoons against Kansas City, Buffalo and eventually the Chargers are going to start looking a whole lot more intimidating.

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