In the 40 years since the Jets lasted tasted Super Bowl gold, and since then Jets history has been marked by futility, inconsistency, and failure. So much so, their failure has taken on a name of its own: Same Ole Jets. 2010 appeared to possibly be the year that bucked the trend. The Jets raced out to a 9-2 record with victories over the hated Patriots and Dolphins, and were tied for the top record in football.
Then the past 2 weeks happened. The Jets were handed embarrassing back to back losses to the same rival teams they beat earlier in the year: a 45-3 thumping to the Pats in Foxboro, then a horribly boring 10-6 loss to the Fins at home. Now 9-4 with road games against the Steelers (where the Jets have never won) and the 9-4 Bears... 9-6 and a playoff berth on the line in Week 17 looks like distinct possibility.
The Jets offense has been off track: 9 points in the last 2 games combined. Sanchez, after starting the first 4 games with 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, has thrown 8 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in the last 9. The Jets have played 6 games against teams who currently hold winning records: they are 2-4 in those games. The defense has been inconsistent; great performances don't carry from quarter to quarter or week to week. The defense plays fantastic for most of the game against Houston, only to falter in the 4th quarter; great against the Bengals, terrible against the Pats, then great again against the Fins. Special teams has overall been solid, though unspectacular and Weatherford has been spotty.
As disappointing as the personnel has been, the coaching has been even more disappointing. Rex Ryan's clock management has come under fire in recent games, so much so that it has been described by WFAN host Mark Malusis as "Herman Edwards-esque". Cat calls for Brian Schottenheimer's job as offensive coordinator have intensified as his gameplans have been unimaginative. The low point came during a punt return, where strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi purposely tripped Miami cornerback/gunner Nolan Carroll. I mean, come on now! Some have coined the Jets locker room as a "frat house" and the Carroll trip was something deplorable that carries over from that type of locker room.
The postseason, which seemed to be a certainty 2 weeks ago, is now going to be a fight. The Pats (11-2) are in, and presumably the Steelers (10-3) will get in soon. Beyond those 2, the playoff picture is muddy with 3 games left. Since the Pats have the AFC East all but locked up, the Jets are going to have to test themselves against the Wildcard field. The Chiefs (8-5) have a one game lead over the 7-6 Chargers. The Chargers end with a very soft schedule (SF, @ CIN, and @ DEN), and barring an upset should finish 10-6. The Chiefs schedule is slightly rougher, though not by much (@ STL, TEN, OAK). Even if the Chiefs drop one of those games and the Chargers win out, whichever team does not win the division will have a competitive case for the Wildcard. Regardless, both are real threats to the Jets.
The Jags (8-5) currently lead the AFC South by a game over the 7-6 Colts. They will have a showdown next week, where a Jags win will clinch the division for them and presumably take the Colts out of the wildcard race. A Colts win, however, keeps them alive and could further complicate matters. The Jags end with WAS and @ HOU, while the Colts will finish @ OAK and against TEN. Again, those are games in which the Jags and Colts will be favored to win. A Jags win would be ideal for the Jets, as it wins them the division and eliminates the Colts as wildcard threats.
The Baltimore Ravens sit tied with the Jets at 9-4. The Ravens have a tough matchup against the Saints next week, however they end with the Browns in Cleveland and at home against the Bengals to finish the year. The Miami Dolphins, fresh off an important victory against the Jets, are still lurking at 7-6. They'll take Bills and the Lions at home the next 2 weeks before the season finale against the Patriots, who at that point may have nothing to play for and will rest their starters.
If the Jets can go out and take care of business, they can make it easy on themselves. Take games against the Steelers and Bears, and the playoffs are locked up. But if the Jets lose to a pair of very good teams on the road and take a 9-6 record into week 17, and the rest of the other contenders take care of business, things will really start to get interesting. And as a Jets fan, that's not good. In this case, boring and safe is the way to go. Jets control their destiny, they must go out and seize it. Otherwise... it's the same ole Jets.
No comments:
Post a Comment