September 8th, 2017 
CJ 
Posted in 
The 2017 Jets could determine the direction of the entire franchise over the next decade or so – by losing as much as possible. It’s well known that the potential quarterback class in the 2018 draft could be loaded with the likes of USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen and UCLA’s Josh Rosen, among others. Rosen put on a quite a show in the Bruins’ opener vs. Texas A&M, leading a rally from down 44-10 in the third quarter for a 45-44 victory.
It should be noted that all three of those quarterbacks have eligibility beyond 2017, so they could decide to return to school – that’s not likely, though. While the word “tanking” has been bandied about regarding the Jets this year, the players won’t hear anything of it. NFL careers are very short, so players are going all out in an effort to stay on the team and make a living. The NFL isn’t like MLB where some scrub backup catcher has a five-year guaranteed contract worth millions of dollars.
For New York’s win total this season, Youwager offers odds, so review them first. We have, and the Jets are at 4.5 – with the under a sizable favorite. If the Jets win at least four games, they probably won’t be picking No. 1 overall next April. They are 8-point favorites for Week 1 at AFC East rival Buffalo. New York has won just three of its past 20 games as at least an 8-point underdog. Those were:
*-Oct. 7, 2013: 30-28 at Atlanta. New York was a 10-point underdog on a Monday night at the Georgia Dome. Geno Smith looked like an NFL quarterback for one night, completing 16 of 20 for 199 yards, three scores and no interceptions. Nick Folk hit the winning 43-yard field goal on the final play,
*-Nov. 18, 2007: 19-16 in OT vs. Pittsburgh. Jets were +9 but Mike Nugent’s 38-yard field goal 5:03 into the extra session ended New York’s six-game losing streak at the time. Running back Thomas Jones had a big game with 30 carries for 117 yards. It was the first NFL win for QB Kellen Clemens.
*-Nov. 12, 2006: 17-14 at New England as a 10.5-point underdog. Chad Pennington threw for 168 yards and a score. It ended the Patriots’ 57-game streak without consecutive losses.
So while the Jets aren’t likely to win in Buffalo at that number, they have covered 12 of their past 20 as at least an 8-point underdog when reviewing Youwager’s odds history. That includes one game last year, a 22-17 home loss to the Patriots. New York has been at least an 8-point dog in Buffalo just five times on record and is 2-3 ATS in them. It last happened in 1996.
Under new coach Sean McDermott, the former Carolina defensive coordinator, the Bills are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode as well after trading No. 1 receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams and top cornerback Ronald Darby to the Eagles in August. Tyrod Taylor remains Buffalo’s starting QB, but he’s not the future there. The coaching staff is high on fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed 54 percent of his passes in the preseason for a 75.6 quarterback rating. Taylor suffered a concussion in an Aug. 26 preseason loss to Baltimore but is expected to play.
Buffalo was swept by the Jets last year. Matt Forte had the game of his brief Jets career in a Week 2 37-31 victory in Orchard Park with 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, now both elsewhere, each had at least 100 yards receiving. That was the Jets’ highest-scoring game of the year. In Week 17 at MetLife Stadium, the Jets won 30-10 against Bills interim coach Anthony Lynn, now the Chargers’ head coach. Taylor sat that one out for Buffalo. Bilal Powell rushed for 122 yards.
