The New York Jets are a mystery to fans and analysts alike.
On Sunday, the Jets were an 8-point Ontario sports betting favorite at home against the Denver Broncos, on the heels of a three-touchdown victory in Week 3 against the New England Patriots. But an ineffective offense and a critical last-minute missed field goal sunk coach Robert Saleh’s team.
The Jets fell to 2-2, bringing up the question: How do teams usually fare after splitting their first four games of an NFL season? OntarioBets.com sought the answer, turning to the Champs or Chumps website for recent history:
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Making The Playoffs | 21 | 39.6% |
Advanced Past Wild Card Round | 13 | 24.5% |
Winning Divisional Round | 5 | 9.4% |
Winning Conference Championship | 0 | 0.0% |
Winning Super Bowl | 0 | 0.0% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
The New York Jets playoff chances will continue to fluctuate each week, so keep track at OntarioBets.com all season. This is a franchise that has not made the postseason since 2010, with the league’s longest current playoff drought at 13 seasons.
From 2019 through 2023, of the 53 teams that started 2-2, 21 of them (39.6%) made the playoffs, according to ChampsorChumps.us data. There were 13 teams that rebounded to reach the Division Round and five advanced to the conference championship game. However, that’s where the road ended for all five of them. The most recent team to win the Super Bowl after starting 2-2 was the 2018 New England Patriots.
In 2022, the Jets started 2-2 and were 7-4 entering December. But a six-game losing streak ended their playoff hopes.
At NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook, New York has +275 odds to win the AFC East, which the Buffalo Bills (-200) lead at 3-1.
The good news for the Jets is that they only allowed 186 yards to the Broncos and outgained Denver, 248-186. The Jets have held opponents to 17 or fewer points in three consecutive games and, at 256.5 yards allowed per game, are tied for the league’s second-stingiest defense so far (with four teams yet to play their Week 4 games, including the Seattle Seahawks, whose defense is first at 248.7 ypg).
In Week 5, the Jets head to London to face the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Stadium (9:30 a.m. Sunday). See our New York Jets betting guide for more insight on the team.
The Vikings are one of the league’s most surprising teams, starting 4-0 under journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold.
For those seeking historic trends (whether they have any predictive significance or not), the Jets are 2-1 in regular-season games played outside the United States. Minnesota is 3-0, all in London games, including a 28-25 win over the New Orleans Saints at Tottenham’s stadium in 2022.
If you want to track line movement and compare sportsbook operators for wagering action on the latest London game, check out our Jets vs. Vikings predictions and odds page, exclusively at OntarioBets.com.
USA Today Network photo by Denny Simmons / The Tennessean
Author
Jim Tomlin is an editor and writer specializing in sports, gambling and the intersection of those industries. He has 30+ years of journalism experience and his work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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