Looking for unique ways to get involved in the NFL betting market? You’ve come to the right place. Recently, we chronicled the Arizona Cardinals’ odds of potentially going 17-0, along with the rebuilding Detroit Lions’ prospects of finishing 0-17.
Well, 24 hours after examining the Cardinals’ chance of going undefeated, Arizona went out and suffered its first loss to the Green Bay Parkers. Then last week, the Lions, uh, improved to 0-8-1 with a 16-16 tie at Pittsburgh — and, thus, Detroit no longer has to worry about finishing 0-17.
While the Lions remain the only team without a victory, they’re not the only squad slogging through a lost season. Three AFC teams — the Texans (1-8), Jaguars (2-7), and Jets (2-7) — aren’t that far ahead of Detroit.
Which of those four will end the season with the fewest victories? Let’s see what a couple of sportsbooks think.
Odds via DraftKings and FanDuel, and updated as of 1 p.m. ET Nov 18.
Detroit Lions (0-8-1)
DraftKings: -200
FanDuel: -190
Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells once famously quipped, “You are what your record says.” In the Lions’ case, though, that might not be entirely accurate.
During its season-opening eight-game losing skid, Detroit held second-half leads against Green Bay, Baltimore, Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Rams — all viable playoff contenders. And if not for a 66-yard field by the Ravens in Week 3 and a 54-yard field goal by the Vikings in Week 5 — both on the final play — the Lions would already have two victories.
Then last week, the Lions’ young running back triumvirate of D’Andre Swift, Jermar Jefferson, and Godwin Igwebuike collectively rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns. That was against a Steelers defense that had surrendered just two rushing scores in its previous eight games.
So unlike the next team on this list, Detroit has been competitive in several of its games. If that continues, the Lions will have a decent shot at picking up victories down the stretch against the Bears (home), Vikings (home), Broncos (road), Falcons (road), and Seahawks (road). Even a win over the Packers in the season finale could be possible — if Green Bay has already clinched its playoff seeding and rests it starters.
Heck, don’t discount the possibility of Detroit picking up its first victory this week against the banged-up Browns. Cleveland has scored 17 or fewer points in five of its last seven games.
Houston Texans (1-8)
DraftKings: +250
FanDuel: +200
Remember the Texans’ 37-point explosion against the Jaguars in Week 1, a shockingly thorough victory that ruined a flood of “survivor” pools on the NFL’s opening weekend? That might as well have happened a decade ago.
Since the opener, Houston’s porous offense has averaged only 11.4 points per game. The result of that ineptness: eight consecutive losses, including six by double-digit margins.
The remaining schedule contains more than a few potential blowouts (Colts, Chargers, Titans twice), along with struggling clubs that are on the mend at quarterback (Seahawks, 49ers).
The Texans’ only two winnable games — on paper, anyway — are in Week 12 (Jets at home) and Week 15 (Jaguars on the road). For what it’s worth, The SuperBook has the Texans as a 2.5-point favorite over the Jets next week on its lookahead line.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
DraftKings: +2200
FanDuel: +1800
It’s been a harrowing season for Jaguars “rookie” head coach Urban Meyer, transitioning from his dominant days of college football to the dog-eat-dog world of the NFL.
However, things are slowly turning around for Jacksonville, which has either owned a fourth-quarter lead or trailed by no more than five points late in five of its last seven games.
Plus, the Jaguars’ defense has surrendered 23 points or fewer in three of the last four games. That includes holding the high-octane Bills to six points in Week 9.
Jacksonville has three subpar opponents left on its schedule (Atlanta, Houston, N.Y. Jets). There’s also this week’s home clash versus San Francisco — a schizophrenic club that tends to play up or down to its competition.
New York Jets (2-7)
DraftKings: +2200
FanDuel: +1800
The Jets recently became the first NFL team in decades to surrender 45 or more points three times in a four-game span.
New York has also been working through a revolving door of mediocre backup quarterbacks (Mike White, Joe Flacco) while waiting for rookie Zach Wilson to return from a knee injury.
On the positive front, the Jets already have two victories against playoff-contending clubs (Titans, Bengals). And New York has the league’s easiest schedule in Weeks 11-16, when it encounters five teams with a combined record of 15-32 (including the 3-7 Dolphins twice).
If they can get some consistent quarterback play, the Jets could reasonably finish with 4-6 victories. That would be bad enough to secure a top-five pick in next year’s draft — but good enough to avoid being the team that “wins” this prop.
