The first month of the 2020 season hasn’t been kind to the New York Giants and the New York Jets. Not only do these two teams share a stadium, but they also share the same record at 0-3 heading into their Week 4 matchups.
The Giants and Jets also have been hammered by injuries in addition to poor play, inferior coaching, lack of depth and questionable decision by their general managers.
With that said, NFL betting sites have put bettors to the test by asking which of these New York teams will win first. Let’s huddle up to examine this prop bet and see where we should place our money.
For the record, this prop bet doesn’t include the only franchise that actually resides in the state of New York – the undefeated Buffalo Bills.
Not nearly enough questions about the New York Jets future were answered at the debate last night
— 👨🏻🚀 (@JaKoob34) September 30, 2020
Giants and Jets Betting Odds
The following betting odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
- New York Jets (-300)
- New York Giants (+200)
The Jets are heavily favored in this prop bet. But, are they really the favorite or do the Giants offer great value?
To answer this question, we must take a look at each team’s season so far, their upcoming games and other factors that may have an impact on the rest of their years.
New York Jets (-300)
The New York Jets have started off with losses to the Bills, 49ers and Colts. Those are three teams expected to make the Playoffs this year and who have superior rosters. So, it’s a not a surprise that they’re 0-3.
Yet, it’s how bad that the Jets lost that adds to their overall misery in 2020. Combined, the Jets have been outscored 94 to 37. But, that’s not all. Check out their team stats for both the offense and defense.
On offense, the Jets rank:
- 32nd in total yards per game at 263.7 ypg
- 31st in passing at 175.3 ypg
- 28th in rushing at 88.3 ypg
- 32nd in scoring at 12.3ppg
It really doesn’t get much worse than that for an offense in the NFL.
On defense, the Jets rank:
- 17th in yards allowed at 372 ypg
- 15th against the pass at 239 ypg
- 24th against the run at 133 ypg
- 28th scoring defense at 31.3ppg
Although the Jets have flashed potential on defense, this unit is at a constant disadvantage due to the offense not scoring points and having to stay on the field for long stretches at a time.
Injuries a Big Factor
Another factor as to why the Jets have struggled so much is that they’ve suffered some key injuries on offense. Star RB Le’Veon Bell has missed time due to a hamstring injury and Sam Darnold’s favorite WR Jamison Crowder has been out as well.
Coaching and Front Office
Three weeks into the season and head coach Adam Gase is already on the hot seat. He’s done a poor job of managing this team, play calling and decision making. In fact, there’s not one area you can point to and say that Gase has done a good job.
After a horrifying 0-16 campaign the New York Jets select Trevor Lawrence with the 1st overall pick. pic.twitter.com/fvDGJ7K4aU
— #LEARLOCKS (@LEARLOCKS) September 27, 2020
Yet, it’s not all his fault. GM Joe Douglas has done a terrible job assembling this roster. It lacks depth, star players, receivers and defensive backs. Although the Jets have extra draft picks moving forward, we can’t trust that Douglas will do a good job with them.
Upcoming NFL Schedule
The Jets don’t have their Bye Week until Week 11. And, there’s a real possibility that they can end up going 0-10 by then. Over the next seven weeks, the Jets play the following teams:
- Denver Broncos
- Arizona Cardinals
- At Los Angeles Chargers
- Buffalo Bills
- At Kansas City Chiefs
- New England Patriots
- At Miami Dolphins
The Broncos game is the one matchup where the Jets have a shot at winning. Denver is just as ravaged with injuries and also 0-3 on the season. However, I believe that Denver has more talent on both sides of the ball and I predict them to win this game.
After Denver, I don’t see any game between now and the Bye Week that the Jets can win even if they do get their injured stars back. Following the bye, the Jets play the Dolphins, Raiders, Seahawks, Rams, Browns and Patriots.
This is going to be a 2-14 team at best. Possibly even winless on the year.
New York Giants (+200)
The New York Giants have lost their first three games to the Steelers, Bears and 49ers by a combined score of 79 to 35. Those three teams are 8-1 on the season and appear to be Playoff contenders.
However, unlike the Jets, the Giants actually almost pulled out a win in their first three games. They lost 17-13 to the Bears in Week 2, but were driving down the field for the game winning TD. Unfortunately, they came up short.
The Giants Offense Ranks as Follows:
- 31st in total yards at 272.3 ypg
- 26th in passing at 215.7 ypg
- 32nd in rushing at 56.7 ypg
- 31st in scoring at 12.7 ppg
This offense is just as bad as the Jets as they rank almost dead last in three of the four main statistical categories.
The Giants Defense Ranks as Follows:
- 13th in total yards allowed at 357.7 ypg
- 10th in passing yards allowed at 234.7 ypg
- 18th in rushing yards allowed at 133 ypg
- 16th in scoring at 26.3ppg
As you can see, this Giants defense has improved greatly from 2019. It’s in the Top 18 for all of the major statistical categories. It’s also better than the Jets’ defense.
Injuries and Opt Outs
The Giants best offensive lineman Nate Solder opted out on the season due to covid-19. That had a massive impact on an already questionable offensive line prior to his departure.
Just like the Jets, the Giants have also been hurt by injuries. Number one receiver Sterling Shepard is out with a foot injury and WR Golden Tate has also missed some time.
Yet, it’s the season ending injury to the Giants best player RB Saquon Barkley that has really devastated the team’s chances at winning. They have no running game now and lost their biggest offensive threat.
Coaching and Front Office
Unlike the Jets, Giants head coach Joe Judge is not on the hot seat despite the slow start to the season. The first year head coach continues to get his team to play hard, they’ve just been outmatched against better teams like the Steelers and 49ers. I believe they would’ve beat the Bears if Barkley didn’t get hurt.
Giants GM Dave Gettleman is actually on the hot seat and under fire more than Joe Judge. Gettleman has been heavily criticized over the last few years for his inability to put talent around key players like Barkley and franchise QB Daniel Jones.
Furthermore, Giants owner John Mara said he wanted to see progress this year since the Giants finished 5-11 and 4-12 over the last two seasons. Unfortunately, that’s not happening.
With that in mind, I have more faith in the Giants coaching staff than I do the Jets.
Upcoming NFL Schedule
The Giants also have a Week 11 bye. Before then, they play the following opponents:
- At Los Angeles Rams
- At Dallas Cowboys
- Washington Football Team
- At Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- At Washington Football Team
- Philadelphia Eagles
The NFC East is the worst division in football after three weeks. And, the Giants get to play five of their next seven games against divisional opponents.
I actually believe they will win one of these divisional games. Washington is terrible on offense, Dallas has no defense, and Eagles QB Carson Wentz looks like a rookie QB struggling to play at this level.
Passer rating is not the best way to judge a quarterback — not by far. But for what it’s worth, the three worst starting QBs in the NFL based on passer rating through three weeks are:
Eagles QB Carson Wentz — 63.9
Giants QB Daniel Jones — 69.2
Jets QB Sam Darnold — 70.7 pic.twitter.com/cCOhAbM00B— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) September 28, 2020
Following their Bye Week, the Giants play at the Bengals. Even if they go 0-10 to start the year, which I don’t see happening, an extra week to prepare for the Bengals could lead to a victory.
Who Wins First in 2020?
Both the Giants and the Jets are pretty bad. Yet, I do give the overall edge to the Giants as being the better team. They have the following advantages:
- Better QB: Jones over Darnold
- Better defense
- Better head coach: Judge over Gase
- Better receivers
But, the biggest reason why I think the Giants will win first before the Jets is that they play in the worst division in football.
Although the Jets have a chance against the Broncos on Thursday Night Football, I believe that they will lose that game. Furthermore, they play in a tougher division as both the Bills and Patriots look like Playoff teams. While the Dolphins could flirt with a .500 record.
I’m taking the Giants in this prop bet as they could get their first win in October whereas the Jets could end up going the whole year without a victory. Either way, both teams are really bad. You can expect some big changes for both franchises by the end of the year.
Who Wins First in 2020? Giants (+200)
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
