Jets Playoff Hopes Could Come Down to Tonight vs. Jaguars
It will be cold, rainy and downright unpleasant, but a football game will be played tonight at MetLife Stadium, and it will be one with huge playoff implications. The New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars both know that a win could go a long way in helping either team reach the playoffs.
The Jaguars are suddenly in the playoff chase for the AFC South crown thanks in large part to the collapse of the Tennessee Titans. Trevor Lawrence (yes, the same Trevor Lawrence the Jets missed out on two years ago because they won one too many games in 2020) has been on fire! He has thrown for 3,520 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Lawrence has truly come into his own, tossing seven touchdowns in the last two weeks combined. He is bothered by a toe injury, but is expected to start tonight against the Jets. Look for Gang Green to focus the blitz on Lawrence in this game. The Jets hope to have Pro Bowler Quinnen Williams back in the lineup tonight. Williams was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, so that is an encouraging sign.
While things have been roses for Lawrence down in Northern Florida, things have not been so good for Zach Wilson, who was selected behind Lawrence in the 2021 draft. While Wilson had his moments on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, like rolling out and hitting C.J. Uzomah on a 40-yard touchdown, he missed a number of receivers on simple screens and crossing patterns, and tossed a costly interception.
Head Coach Robert Saleh tried to take pressure off his quarterback saying that he is an unfinished product and will be a good quarterback in this league … one day. For Jets fans, who are thin on patience, another subpar effort will only give this fanbase further evidence that Wilson is not the guy.
Mike White who is the people’s choice, is still out with a rib injury, and likely won’t see the field again this season if it’s a fractured rib.
The Jets need this game on Thursday just to keep pace with New England (7-7), the LA Chargers (8-6) and Miami Dolphins (8-6) for one of the final two slots in the AFC Playoffs.
Of the four wild card contenders, the Chargers have the easiest path to the playoffs with a strength of schedule of .472. The Bolts face the hapless Colts, Rams and Broncos in the next three weeks. So with all intents and purposes, the Chargers are very likely to win at least two of those games and clinch a spot.
The Patriots and Dolphins are more tricky. The two rivals meet one another in Week 17. The Patriots will face Cincinnati this week and Buffalo in Week 18. That is going to be rough for the Pats. The Dolphins face the Packers (always tricky), Patriots and Jets in the final three weeks.
Should the Jets win tonight vs. Jacksonville, there is a very good chance that Week 18’s game at Miami could decide the final playoff spot. That is unless the Jets either lose tonight, or next week against ex-Jet Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks.
PREDICTION: JETS 22 – JAGUARS 17. Got a feeling the weather is going to play a factor here and the Jets will likely tease us at least one more week. It would not shock anyone if Lawrence has a monster game tonight and the Jets lose, but it feels like Gang Green is just due after a three-game losing streak. And it would be soooo Jets to have the season come down to next week’s clash against Geno Smith and Seattle.
NOTE: For those wondering, yes, this is an Amazon streaming broadcast, but guess what? You can watch the game LIVE on Fox Channel 5 tonight at 8 p.m.
