After years of postseason-less soccer, the Jets are as near the playoffs as they’ve been in 12 seasons.
At the midway level of the season, Gang Green is 6-3 and a half-game out of first place within the AFC East. Following a 1-2 begin, the Jets have gained 5 of their final six video games.
The Jets at the moment have the longest playoff drought within the NFL (2010).
“We’ve got a good opportunity, obviously, over the next eight games to do something,” Jets coach Robert Saleh stated. “I don’t suppose [Sunday’s] video games matter a lot as a result of we’re nonetheless in place the place we have now to maintain our personal enterprise, and there’s numerous soccer to be performed earlier than we even take into consideration situations.
“We all still have to play one another. We all still have to play a lot of really good football teams, and obviously, this game coming up is the most important game. There’s so much football to play before we even think about what’s at stake.”
This Sunday, the Jets will attempt to avenge the one loss they’ve had over the past two months as they may journey to Foxborough to tackle the Patriots. New England defeated New York 22-17 at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 30.
If the Jets defeat the Patriots, they’d be in first place within the AFC East and in place to host a playoff recreation for the primary time since 2002, when the final time they gained the division. With eight video games to play, it’s by no means too early to take a look at the present standings.
If the season ended at this time, the Jets could be the fifth seed within the AFC as a result of Dolphins enjoying one further recreation. That means Gang Green would open the playoffs in Baltimore in opposition to the Ravens. Baltimore is main the AFC North with a 6-3 document, as they defeated the Jets in Week 1 24-9.
After the Jets’ recreation in opposition to the Patriots Sunday, they may host the Bears in certainly one of their closing three dwelling video games of the season on Nov. 27. The Bears are 3-7 and in final place within the NFC North.
We will study lots concerning the Green and White because the calendar flips to December. The Jets may have back-to-back problem highway video games in opposition to the Vikings (Dec. 4) and the Bills (Dec. 11). The Vikings have the second-best document within the NFC at 8-1.
The Bills can be searching for revenge as they dropped they fell to the Jets 20-17 on Nov. 6. That started a two-game dropping streak for Buffalo because it additionally misplaced to Minnesota 33-30 final Sunday.
The Jets will then have two winnable video games at dwelling in opposition to the Lions (Dec. 17) and Jaguars (Dec. 22) earlier than ending their season on the highway in opposition to the Seahawks (Jan. 1) and the Dolphins (Jan. 8), which may decide not solely AFC seeding however whether or not the Jets get into the playoffs.
The participant who may make or break their season over the past eight video games is quarterback Zach Wilson. His defenders will say Wilson is 5-1 since coming back from the meniscus damage he suffered in the course of the preseason opener in opposition to the Eagles.
However, Wilson’s play has been inconsistent in his six video games. During that span, Wilson has thrown for 1,202 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He additionally has a complete quarterback score of 49.1, which is 18th within the league.
If you’re solely nearly as good as your final recreation, then Wilson’s play is trending up. In the upset victory in opposition to the Bills, Wilson accomplished 18 of 25 passes for 154 yards, one landing and 0 interceptions. He additionally accomplished 72 p.c of his passes, which was a career-high.
During his good and dangerous moments, the Jets gamers and coaches have continued to again Wilson as they imagine he’s adequate to assist lead the workforce to the playoffs. In the loss in opposition to the Patriots, Wilson accomplished 20 of 41 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns, however he additionally threw three interceptions.
As lengthy because the workforce can run the ball successfully, proceed to have an excellent protection and Wilson takes care of the soccer, the Jets may have a chance to win all remaining eight video games on their schedule. But sooner or later, the Jets will doubtless want Wilson to win a recreation or two for them.
I believe we’ve bought confidence in him,” Saleh stated. “We’re type of holding him hostage to 4, 5 performs that he had in opposition to New England, for my part, at the least externally.
“Internally, I believe everyone’s bought numerous religion in Zach to have the ability to run this offense and get the ball the place it must get to and do it in an environment friendly method and I do suppose that if we do must put it on his again and put it on our receivers backs and put it on the o-line to guard, I believe we’re able to doing that.
“When you start slinging it around and you ask the quarterback to play 60 plays a game, they’re going to make mistakes, it’s hard to play quarterback, I don’t care how good you are, it’s just hard to play quarterback in this league and it’s our job as coaches to make sure that he’s not being asked to do that constantly.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com