Updated Odds Project the Jaguars to Have Least Wins & Be Lowest-Scoring Team
It has been an offseason-long trend for the Jacksonville Jaguars to get disrespected or given low projects by oddsmakers. As the 2020 season draws closer, it is clear that trend isn't changing anytime soon -- at least not until the Jaguars force it to change on the field.
In updated odds from BetOnline, the Jaguars were given several odds that reflect oddsmakers still see the Jaguars as one of the most likely teams to finish near the bottom of the league's standings.
The Jaguars were given 150/1 odds to lead the league in wins -- the lowest odds of any team in the league. As a result, the Jaguars were also given the best odds to have the least amount of wins in the league at 3/1, and also the top odds to have the least amount of wins in the AFC with 3/2.
But perhaps the most striking projection is the fact the Jaguars were given 3/1 odds to be the last winless team in the league. In comparison, the Washington Football Team has 11/2 odds, the Carolina Panthers were given 8/1 odds, the Cincinnati Bengals were given 9/1 odds, and the New York Giants were given 10/1 odds.
Finally, the Jaguars were slated by BetOnline to be the lowest-scoring team in the regular season. This comes a year after the Jaguars were the 26th ranked scoring team in the league, and paints a picture for low expectations in Vegas when it comes to Gardner Minshew II in his first year as the full-time starting quarterback. Below are the following odds BetOnline gave to teams in terms of being the lowest-scoring team.
- Jacksonville Jaguars 6/1
- Washington 7/1
- New York Jets 8/1
- Miami Dolphins 9/1
- New York Giants 10/1
“I think it should put a chip on everybody’s shoulder on our team, know being kind of counted out like that," Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew said in May when asked about the low expectations for the team from outsiders.
"I think we do have a lot to prove, prove that we are not what anybody says about us, the only people that really know, the only peoples whose opinions matter is who is in that huddle, who is on that team and I think we are going to set those expectations for ourselves and not worry about what anybody else has to say about us.”
The Jaguars can, of course, make all of these projections look foolish by the time the season actually rolls around. The national perception that the Jaguars are "tanking" due to the departures of several key veterans likely plays the largest role in Jacksonville getting such poor odds across the board, even if it is an unfair assessment considering the Jaguars are doing more of a reset than a rebuild.
But it won't be until the season that the Jaguars can disprove (or prove) the lowly odds that Vegas oddsmakers have continued to give them throughout the offseason. Still, expect for the Jaguars to continue to use the low expectations for them throughout national media and by oddsmakers as motivation.
