Betting odds have NY Jets as NFL’s biggest Week 3 underdogs

Vegas is not fond of the New York Jets entering Week 3

As per usual, sportsbooks are extremely down on the New York Jets after another cold start to the season.

The Jets (0-2) are facing a tall task as they aim to pick up their first win of the season against the undefeated Denver Broncos (2-0) in Colorado this Sunday. It marks the Jets’ first trip to Denver since 2017, when the Josh McCown-led squad fell by a score of 23-0.

New York and Denver are on opposite trajectories to start the season. The Broncos have the fifth-best average scoring margin in the NFL at plus-12.0 points per game. The Jets have the fifth-worst average scoring margin in the league at minus-12.0 points per game.

Thus, it makes sense that the Jets are the NFL’s biggest underdogs heading into Week 3, based on betting odds.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Broncos are the 10.5-point favorites over the Jets – making this the prime David-versus-Goliath matchup of the week.

Following up New York-Denver in a tie for the second-biggest mismatch of the week are the Baltimore-Detroit and Arizona-Jacksonville matchups. The Ravens and Cardinals are 8-point road favorites against the Lions and Jaguars, respectively.

Denver leads its all-time series with the Jets 20-16-1. The Jets are 8-11 against the Broncos in Denver, having lost their last two trips to the Mile High. New York’s last win in the Rocky Mountains came in Week 6 of the 2010 season, featuring a fourth-quarter comeback from Mark Sanchez.

Vic Fangio’s Broncos are 2-0 against the spread this season. They covered as 3-point road favorites against the Giants with a 27-13 win in Week 1 and then covered as 6-point road favorites against the Jaguars with a 23-13 win.

Robert Saleh‘s Jets are 0-2 against the spread. They just missed covering against the Panthers in Week 1, losing 19-14 as 4-point underdogs. Had they converted a two-point conversion near the end of the fourth quarter, they would have covered. In Week 2, they fell by a score of 25-6 as 6-point home underdogs to the Patriots.

The over-under for Jets-Broncos is set at 42.0, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, which is the lowest mark in the NFL this week.

It makes sense that the teams are expected to play a gritty, low-scoring game. Denver is averaging 25.0 points and giving up 13.0 for an average scoring total of 38.0 through two games. New York is averaging a measly 10.0 points but giving up a respectable 22.0 points for an average scoring total of 32.0.

The Jets are trying to snap out of a long-term funk on westbound road trips. Since 2008, they are 4-14 in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. Of the 14 losses, 11 were by double-digits.

New York snapped a four-game losing streak on the west coast with a win against the Rams as 17.5-point underdogs at the empty SoFi Stadium in Week 15 of the 2020 season. They have not won on the west coast in front of fans since defeating the 1-11 49ers in Week 14 of the 2016 season.

Gang Green is aiming for its first two-game winning streak on the west coast since defeating the Oakland Raiders in Week 10 of the 2003 season followed by the San Diego Chargers in Week 2 of the 2004 season.

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