Bills & Jets Each Given 11-1 Odds to Win AFC East; Is There Any Reason to Bet Against the Patriots?
- The New England Patriots have won the AFC East in 15 of the last 16 seasons
- The Patriots have reached double-digit wins in 16 straight seasons
- New England crushed the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-3 in their Week 1 contest
The New England Patriots got their 2019 season off to a roaring start, stomping the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-3. With the Miami Dolphins getting blown out and the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills scuffling, it looks like the Pats will cruise to another AFC East crown. Is that the case or are the Jets or Bills NFL divisional odds of +1100 worth a shot?
2020 AFC East Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | -1400 |
| Buffalo Bills | +1100 |
| New York Jets | +1100 |
| Miami Dolphins | +8000 |
*Odds taken September 9, 2019.
Patriots Roll Through Steelers
The Patriots crushed the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, never breaking a sweat in their 30-point win. On Monday, the Patriots will now add Antonio Brown to the roster, giving them another lethal weapon to use on an offense that was already among the most dynamic in the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TThQoviJ0SQ
This is a franchise that’s registered double-digit wins in 16 straight seasons and won the division in 15 of those years. If you were looking for some kind of chinks in the armor or signs of decline, they weren’t evident in Week 1. If anything, this team looks as strong as ever in their dismantling of what many view as a possible playoff team.
Jets, Bills Scuffle
The Bills beat the Jets 17-16 in Week 1 but it’s a game in which both teams scuffled. Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen had four first-half turnovers, which was the most by any quarterback since cast-off Nathan Peterman did that. At the same time, he led the team’s comeback in the fourth quarter, which was impressive.
As a Jets fan, it’s hard to know what to make of the game. They were up 16-0 and should have been up more as kicker Kaare Vedvik missed a field and an extra point. That ended up costing them as they lost by a point. However, the Jets new offense was mostly putrid.
Sam Darnold had just 175 passing yards on 41 attempts and most passes were dump-offs to Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell. His longest completion on the day was 19 yards. As for the ground game, they compiled just 68 yards on 21 carries.
In short, what we learned from both teams here is that they’re both a work in progress. The Bills defense looks quite strong but their offense is still working out the kinks. And even when they get it together, we’re not talking about a 10 or 12-win team; we’re probably talking about a Wild Card contender.
The same goes for the Jets. They looked improved on last season but we need to see Darnold take the next step to consider this team a Wild Card contender. He figures to improve but this doesn’t look like a team that will challenge the Patriots for the division crown.
Patriots Upcoming Schedule Looks Easy
The biggest challenge for teams like the Jets and Bills winning the AFC is that the Patriots upcoming schedule looks quite easy. This is a team that was already likely to achieve double-digit wins anyways but with games like the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins coming, this team should 8-0 or 7-1 after eight weeks.
New England Patriots Upcoming Schedule
at Miami Dolphins
vs New York Jets
at Buffalo Bills
at Washington Redskins
vs New York Giants
at New York Jets
vs Cleveland BrownsWill they lose any of these games? pic.twitter.com/srIJ1sSJgz
— Wager Street (@WagerStreet) September 9, 2019
The Bills and Jets might be teams on the rise but one has to figure that their ceiling – even in a rosy world – is nine or 10 wins. The Patriots should be near that number by the midway mark of the season.
What’s the Best Bet?
If I had to bet a non-New England team to win the division, it would be the Bills. They look like they have a strong defense and the offense should come around. Even so, seeing Allen turn it over four times in the first half is a concern. What that means is that we’re essentially betting on a Tom Brady injury to win this bet.
That’s the only way I see the Patriots failing to win 10 or 11 games this season. That being the case, I’m sticking with the Pats as I don’t see value elsewhere.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
