Commanders fans should bet the over for team’s projected win total

The NFL released its 2022 regular-season schedule on Thursday, though many teams knew their full 17-game slate hours before the primetime reveal. The Washington Commanders came out as big-time winners, as they’ll play nine home games and got an incredibly favorable draw to the start the campaign.

From opening the year against Jacksonville and Detroit, who owned a combined 6-27-1 record last year, playing back-to-back games versus Houston and Atlanta later in the schedule and having six games vs the always-competitive NFC East, the Commanders are positioned to improve their win total.

For any fans bored amid the doldrums of the offseason, the NFL futures market may pique your interest. Why do we say that? Because BetSided just released every team’s projected win total following the schedule release.

What’s the Commanders’ projected win total for 2022?

As of this writing, the Commanders sit at 7.5 wins, with the over sitting at -125 (bet $125 to win $100) and the under checking in at +105 (bet $100 to win $105), according to BetSided. How could you not hammer the over?

Regardless of the setting, betting the over is always more fun than betting the under. Whether it’s total points, a fight’s duration, innings pitched or touchdown total, having the over always makes for a more thrilling experience.

In this instance, you can experience the thrill and (most likely) win some money, as 7.5 wins is hugely disrespectful. Yes, Washington has produced back-to-back seven-win seasons under Ron Rivera, but they made a seismic upgrade at QB, play the weakest schedule in the league and have a clean bill of health.

Since money’s at stake, let’s break it down to a fine powder.

The Commanders will play the Jaguars, Lions, Bears, Texans and Falcons this year. That should  be five wins, with potentially two more to come against the Giants. That’s seven wins right there. Even if they stumble against one of those weaker opponents, they get the Packers, Titans, Vikings and Browns all at home.

If you’d rather be conservative, that’s fine, but why set the bar so low? This team won seven games last season despite starting Taylor Heinicke for 16 games, experiencing a litany of injuries to star players (not to mention a COVID outbreak) all the while playing one of the league’s toughest schedules.

If they can’t win more than seven contests in 2022, then the front office will have led everyone astray with their evaluation of the roster. Eight wins should be the bare minimum, with nine and 10 being the more realistic goals.

If you’re a betting fan, Washington’s 7.5 projected win total likely looks pretty tempting right about now. Anyone willing to bite?