Seahawks quickly flip to betting underdog after Jets announce Mike White’s return

When the Seattle Seahawks opened as slight favorites against the New York Jets, that was with no confirmation of who would be New York’s starting quarterback. Joe Flacco is cooked, Zach Wilson appears Josh Rosen-esque levels of bad, and Chris Streveler looks to be a Trace McSorley regen.

But if Mike White is available? It’s a game changer.

White has been medically cleared after missing the past two Jets games with injured ribs. Undoubtedly a low bar to clear, but White has clearly been the Jets’ best quarterback when he’s played, and he will get the call for Sunday’s must-win in Seattle. Joe Flacco is the backup and Zach Wilson will be inactive, per Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

Just like that, the Seahawks went from 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook to 2-point home underdogs. Seattle has lost three straight at home and it’s abundantly clear that Lumen Field is no longer a vaunted trip for opposing teams.

White replaced Wilson as starter and immediately threw three touchdowns and led the Jets to 31 points against the Chicago Bears. He nearly pulled off an upset over the Minnesota Vikings, but too many field goals cost them in a 27-22 loss. Against the Buffalo Bills the Jets only put up 12 points (2 via safety) and White was in and out of the lineup with injury. His completion percentage, net yards per attempt, and turnover percentage are all superior to Zach Wilson.

Combine that with the Jets’ 4th ranked scoring defense and 6th ranked defense by DVOA and you can see why a quarterback upgrade is enough to turn the Seahawks from favorites to underdogs in their own building.