An MRI confirmed the worst fears for the New York Jets and their fan base on Tuesday, and oddsmakers were at the ready.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss the remainder of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles suffered just four snaps into his Jets career. The reins to the offense, at least for the short term, will be handed to embattled former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.
The Jets opened the season at +1600 by DraftKings to win the Super Bowl, +1100 to win the AFC Championship and +270 to win the competitive AFC East. After taking an immediate hit when Rodgers was helped off the field Monday night, the odds plummeted even further following Tuesday’s MRI that confirmed the severity of the injury.
The Jets are now +6000 longshots to win the Super Bowl, +3000 to win the AFC and +600 to win their division. Their odds of even reaching the postseason shifted from -130 to +280, while their regular-season win total Over/Under market dropped from 9.5 to 8.5.
It could prove to be a boon for sportsbooks, with DraftKings reporting that the Jets have drawn the most money among all teams to win the AFC at 23 percent and the second most money to win the Super Bowl at 11 percent. They have also been backed by 37 percent of the money to win the division.
The story was similar at BetRivers, where the Jets went from +1700 to win the Super Bowl entering Monday night to +6000 on Tuesday. They had drawn the sixth-most money at the book with 6.7 percent.
The Jets’ odds of winning the AFC have moved from +1100 to +3000 while their odds of winning the division have lengthened from +270 to +550.
Wilson was able to help steer the Jets to a dramatic 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. It was a huge win for New York, which is now atop the AFC East at 1-0 along with Miami, while Buffalo and New England are 0-1.
However, faith in Wilson’s ability to keep the Jets in the thick of the playoff mix is clearly modest.
The Jets face a difficult upcoming slate, with a trip to Dallas on Sunday followed by home games against New England and Kansas City. New York then travels to Denver before hosting Philadelphia entering its Week 7 bye.
The Cowboys are coming off a 40-0 drubbing of the Giants on Sunday night on the same field where Rodgers suffered his injury 24 hours later.
The spread for the game at the Dallas opened at the Jets +3.5 points at DraftKings, but moved to +8.5 by Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ moneyline shifted from -166 to -395 and the Over/Under moved from 46.5 points to 40.5 — speaking volumes about how oddsmakers expect Wilson to fare against a defense coming off a road shutout.
Rogers’ season-ending injury affected more than just the team futures.
Second-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson opened the season at +2500 by DraftKings to win Offensive Player of the Year honors and now is +4500.
The Jets acknowledged the season-ending injury to Rodgers on social media.
“Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you’ve made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward,” the Jets posted on their official Twitter account, accompanying a photo of Rodgers.
–Field Level Media
