Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins Among Biggest 2019 NFL Playoff Long Shots

Each NFL season features at least one surprise team that comes out of nowhere to become a legitimate contender. The Chicago Bears took the mantle in 2018, going from 5-11 in the previous season to running away with the NFC North at 12-4. The 2017 Los Angeles Rams went from four wins to 11 victories, and the Jacksonville Jaguars reached that season’s AFC Championship Game after a three-win campaign in 2016.

Who will be the biggest surprise team of the 2019 season? A handful of teams can qualify for that title by making a run to the playoffs.

The Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and New York Giants are the biggest long shots to reach the postseason. All five teams have worse than 7/1 betting odds to reach the playoffs, according to New Jersey’s FanDuel Sportsbook.

Miami had the best 2018 season of the group, going 7-9, but they’ve got the NFL’s lowest expectations in 2019. It would be considered a minor miracle for the Dolphins to even earn a wild-card berth. Miami has +790 odds to make the playoffs and -1450 odds to miss the postseason.

The Dolphins are given virtually no chance to win the AFC East with +5000 odds, per FanDuel. The New England Patriots are, of course, heavily favored to win the division.

Arizona had the No.1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft because they finished at the bottom of the NFL standings. After taking quarterback Kyler Murray first overall, the Cardinals rank last in the NFC with +790 odds to make the playoffs and -1300 odds to miss the postseason.

The Oakland Raiders were in competition with the Cardinals for the NFL’s worst record for much of last season. Even after acquiring Antonio Brown, the Raiders have +560 odds to reach the postseason and -850 odds to miss the playoffs.

Oakland has the NFL’s most difficult schedule, based on the 2018 records of their 2019 opponents. The Raiders have four divisional games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, who are thought to be among the top Super Bowl contenders. Oakland has one playoff appearance in the last 16 seasons.

The Giants’ Super Bowl victory in 2012 came as part of only two playoff runs for the team within the last decade. New York has no postseason victories over the last seven seasons, as well as just eight total wins over the last two years. The Giants have +500 playoff odds and -750 odds to miss the playoffs, making them an even bigger playoff long shot than the Washington Redskins.

It is only a matter of time before Daniel Jones replaces Eli Manning as New York’s starting quarterback.

Andy Dalton will be the Bengals’ starting quarterback for the ninth straight season. Cincinnati doesn’t have the player they hope to be their signal caller of the future on the roster, and it could be a very long year for AFC North’s fourth-best team.

The Bengals have +680 playoff odds and -1200 odds to miss the postseason.