New York Jets: Can they reach playoffs after posting a 4-7 record? – NFL Special
There seems to be two different types of perceptions currently prevailing in the football community about New York Jets’ playoff chances.
The first opinion is the one which is held by Jets head coach Rex Ryan along with a number of analysts. It asserts that the team still has a great chance to qualify for the wildcard berth.
However, others argue that a team hanging at third spot in the American Football Conference (AFC) East with a 4-7 record does not have enough chances to secure a playoff berth as it is unable to win games consistently.
Looking at the current AFC standings, we will predict what Jets can do to get through to the postseason.
Current Situation:
Jets are currently in a bottle-neck situation. The team is ranked 11th in AFC after a 19-49 defeat against division rivals New England Patriots. That loss means Patriots will win the AFC East.
The Gang Green is below Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans in the playoff rankings.
They will face Titans and Chargers in Week 15 and 16 respectively and the outcome of those games will decide the faith of each of these teams.
However, Jets will have the biggest threat from Colts, Steelers and Bengals. One cannot rule out Dolphins who have the easiest schedule among the teams.
What they can do to save the season?
Jets have the capacity to come out on top against their upcoming opponents like St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Titans and Bills.
The team can get a boost by looking at the record of the rest of the teams in the division. Apart from the top four, every team has shown weak points and tendency to lose the game against meagre opponents.
As teams like Chargers and Steelers are struggling to get a grip on things, the conference looks to be in good shape to give a chance for middle-tier teams to step up and get the wildcard position.
Their current 4-7 record is not bad considering the fact that Jets got off to a disastrous start to the season.
Most importantly, the team has not given up hope of saving the season with Ryan leading the charge in lifting the spirit. Ryan recently said:
“Our goal was to beat New England also but that never worked out. That’s why you play. You try and win every game that you’re in. I’m saying right now I’m not going to make a guarantee that we’re going to make the playoffs or that deal. We have to get better.
It has to start right now. You can’t look down the road.”
Odds are stacked against Jets:
Despite all the optimism from the coach as well the players, there seems to be problems inside the camp which are lingering since the start of the season that could ultimately lead to the downfall of the Jets.
The most prominent of those is absence of consistence performance from quarterback. Even though both quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, have commanded the field in previous years, now each defensive team in the league knows their weaknesses.
Moreover, the defence looks to be in shackles as current starters have failed to stop the run even against mediocre opponents.
Getting a win against Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 will be tough. Losing this game would put an end to all the hopes of Jets getting forward, but this looks to be the likely scenario.
Disclaimer: The views do not represent editorial policy of bettor.com
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