Why Are the Giants and Jets Still Considered Underdogs?
The consensus of Vegas experts has been that the Giants and Jets are going to shock the world by coming in with a playoff berth.
A lot of the reason for that is because the two teams are relatively unknown, especially after years of being the AFC’s powerhouse teams. The Giants have never had a world-class quarterback, and even when they did have one (the immortal Dan Marino) they struggled to win consistently to be a legitimate force.
The Jets are still relatively unknown, but as long as they get out of their playoff-contention phase in the next few years, they’ll always have a chance to play like a championship team.
The two teams are also relatively easy to root for. The Jets were all but destroyed with Mark Sanchez and the offense was so bad it’s almost hard to believe it led to an 8-8 record and 3-13 finish. The Giants have been a mediocre team in the past and are a good team again now, but last year they were still very much a wild card team.
Now, neither team has ever won a Super Bowl. Last year the Jets did make the postseason, but they got blown out by an old team that had a few down years. The Giants have lost some close games along the way, but had the biggest of those by far when they lost to Carolina in their very first game. The Jets have a lot of talent, but the Giants have a better record and more wins.
And it’s not like the Giants have a losing record every year. They’re not the Jets (except in the sense that you can be a mediocre team and always find a way to win). They do have a losing record at the moment, but because they’ve not had to play in the postseason for a few years, this is their fourth consecutive season in the playoffs (and their ninth overall).
While the Giants and Jets are not going to be the undefeated,