Whenever the Jets and Patriots meet toward the end of the regular season, New York usually has one eye on the offseason, while New England is preparing for a Super Bowl run.
When the two meet this Sunday, however, both will be focused on the same goal: building for the future.
For the first time in 11 years, the Patriots’ season will end in Week 17. There will be no push for a Lombardi Trophy in 2020, as New England is 6-9 and eliminated from postseason contention. The Jets have been in that same position for a while following their dismal start to the year.
New York and New England’s season finale won’t have any bearing on the AFC playoff picture, but it could carry weight for both teams as they work toward reversing their fortunes in 2021.
Both the Jets and the Patriots are not short on young players. Some of those players are franchise cornerstones, while others fill out the bottom of the roster. The ones who find themselves in the middle? Those are the ones that need further evaluation to determine if they are potential key pieces for the team’s future or expendable.
What better time to make some last-second evaluations than the final week of the season?
Ty Johnson is a shining example of why New York’s trip to Foxborough
this weekend could have a lasting impact on the future of Joe Douglas’ roster. With Frank Gore (lung contusion) and La’Mical Perine (COVID-19) out, Johnson will get another chance to be the Jets’ feature back, a role he thrived in against the Raiders three weeks ago.
“It’s definitely an opportunity,” Johnson said Wednesday, per SNY. “But, you know, it’s an opportunity for the 2020 season because anything could happen going into 2021. It’s definitely an opportunity and it’s a blessing to still have the opportunity to finish out the season and possibly have a bigger workload.”
Johnson might not have the makings of a future bell-cow back, but he could be a valuable rotational piece for the Jets in 2021 and beyond. New York already has plenty of film to evaluate, but one game could make or break his — or any other player’s — future with the team. That makes an otherwise meaningless bout with the Patriots nearly as important as when the two teams met on Monday Night Football earlier this season.
Not many people will remember the outcome of Sunday’s action. Both teams will go about their separate ways once the clock hits zero in the fourth quarter and get to work on righting the ship next season. For the players that need more film to stick on an NFL roster, though, this is their Super Bowl.
This is their final chance of the 2020 season to prove that they belong.