When oddsmakers set the 2020 win totals, most of the teams will see numbers ranging from seven to nine. It makes sense, considering only nine teams finished with fewer than seven victories in 2019, and 10 had more than nine.
The majority of teams will finish in that seven to nine win range, so I’ll take a look at two teams that will likely have win totals set under seven, but will go over.
Detroit Lions
For a hot minute, the Lions were considered a playoff contender.
Then, Matthew Stafford got hurt and the Lions were a disaster. By the end of the season, it wouldn’t be out of the question that the Lions were the worst team in the NFL. However, when healthy, the Lions showed some promise. The offense was in the top-12 for much of the early part of the season, before derailing with injuries.
The defense regressed from 2018, so that is a concern. However, with Matt Patricia at the helm, I believe Detroit should improve in that area. Oftentimes, we give up on coaches too early, so I’ll give Patricia another chance.
The offense should be considered a top-half offense, to go along with a defense that will be improved. The Lions should contend for eight wins, meaning the Lions should go over.
New York Jets
The Jets may have an over/under more in the seven-win range, but I’m getting back on the Jets bandwagon. I was high on New York entering the 2019 season, only to see the Jets stumble out of the gate.
The Jets ended 2019 strong and I expect that will continue with the development of Sam Darnold at the quarterback position. The defense ranked fifth in the NFL in 2019 in yards per play allowed and the offense has to improve from its dead-last ranking in 2019.
Even with the worst offense in the NFL, the Jets still won seven games in 2019. The Jets showed improvement, so I’m banking on that happening again in 2020. The AFC East will see less dominance from New England in 2020, and Buffalo should take a step back.
