We started the NFL season off right, cashing in on the Giants as my Week 1 upset pick!
Now, we head to Week 2 and I could follow up last week’s winner with a relatively easy or obvious underdog bet like the Vikings, Commanders, or Panthers.
But no, if I’m going to write an entire article about an underdog that’s going to win outright, I’m not going to waste your time like that. Instead, I will provide you with an underdog that’s at least +200 on the moneyline that will (hopefully) win.
So, buckle up. Last week I gave you the Giants, and this week I’m staying in the state of New York (New Jersey?). My Week 2 upset pick of the week is the New York Jets over the Cleveland Browns.
Jets +210 vs. Browns
According to Betstamp, the best moneyline odds on the Jets you can find as of writing this article will be at Caesars Sportsbook, where you can get them at +210.
The Jets looked the same ol’ Jets when they lost to the Ravens 24-9, but there was more to the game than meets the eye. They did a lot of things right, despite the lopsided score.
For example, they held the Ravens, who are known as one of the best rushing teams in the NFL, to only 3.0 yards per carry on 21 attempts. They also had some success of their own on the ground, averaging 4.9 yards on 17 rushes.
Overall, New York’s defense kept Baltimore’s offense to just 5.4 yards per play, which ranked 18th amongst all teams in the first week. They allowed too many big plays and didn’t capitalize on enough opportunities to keep the score close, but it wasn’t the butt-kicking that you might have thought it was by looking at the boxscore.
Then you have the Browns, who managed to squeak out a win against the Panthers on Sunday.
Sure, they got the victory, but they only averaged 4.8 yards per play on offense. The exact same amount of yards per play as, guess who, the Jets.
I had faith that Jacoby Brissett would be a decent placeholder for Deshaun Watson during his suspension, but it wasn’t a good start for him. No team averaged fewer yards per pass attempt than the Browns, at a measly 4.3 yards per throw. It was 0.4 yards fewer than the next worst team, the Cowboys at 4.7.
That’s not promising, especially when you remember that the strength of the Jets defense in the opening week was stopping the Ravens rush attack. If New York can slow down the dynamic duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, they’ll be in this game until the end.
Lock it in. The Jets will take down the Browns on Sunday.
Be sure to catch all of my work over at BetSided, and I’ll be back on Friday with my five best bets for the entire Week 2 slate..