As Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I get no respect!"
Those who accept bets for a living waste little time setting odds and betting lines, and with the announcement of the NFL schedule last week, the Vegas bookmakers and online betting agencies got to work right away to allow football fans to place early bets on the 2021 season.
Media analysts and fans have been very upbeat about the team that Washington has built in head coach Ron Rivera's second season. The defending NFC East champions spent the off-season adding players to strengthen the roster.
Key free agency additions include QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, wide receivers Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries, and left tackle Charles Leno on offense, and CB William Jackson III on defense.
Related stories:
Signing of CB William Jackson III signals more aggressive defense for Washington Football in 2021
Addition of LT Leno highlights how Ron Rivera is reshaping the Washington Football Team roster
Washington Football Team has a roster custom built for its 2021 schedule
The draft was also a big part of strengthening the Football Team roster, with the selection of LB Jamin Davis, OT Samuel Cosmi, WR Dyami Brown, TE John Bates, and others.
The OL was also bolstered via trade, as the Football Team re-acquired guard Ereck Flowers after he spent a year with the Miami Dolphins.
It appears as if Washington may field the top-ranked defense in the NFL this season, and with the changes in the offensive personnel, they seem poised to repeat as division champions in 2021.
Regardless of what fans and media analysts think, the professionals who set the betting lines seem...unimpressed. In fact, if you judge the season on the early odds, Washington is set to win only three games in the 17-game season that lies ahead.
That's right. In the 2021 schedule, the oddsmakers have the Washington Football Team favored to win only three times!
Consider these current point spreads from SuperBook Sports:
+1.5 v the LA Chargers
-3 at the New York Giants
+7.5 at the Buffalo Bills
+3 at the Atlanta Falcons
+1.5 vs the New Orleans Saints
+6.5 vs the Kansas City Chiefs
+4 at the Green Bay Packers
+3 at the Denver Broncos
+7 vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
+1 at the Carolina Panthers
+2.5 vs the Seattle Seahawks
+2.5 at the Las Vegas Raiders
-1.5 vs the Dallas Cowboys
+1.5 at the Philadelphia Eagles
+5.5 at the Dallas Cowboys
-3 vs the Philadelphia Eagles
+1.5 at the New York Giants
This says that the Washington Football Team is favored in its home matchup against each of its division rivals -- the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys -- but that they are underdogs in the other 14 games of the season!
This "projected" season outcome seems way off the mark for a team that most pundits expect to be in a tight race with the Dallas Cowboys for the division title. The 1-11 start to the season that would occur if these betting lines were to hold seems inconceivable for the roster that will be led by Ron Rivera in 2021.
But when you're a fan of Washington Football, you get used to getting no respect.
I have a feeling that's about to change.