It’s unofficially officially draft season for the New York Jets as they were eliminated from the playoffs Sunday after an embarrassing 30-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins along with wins by the Cleveland Browns (20-17 over Chicago) and Houston Texans (19-16 in overtime over Tennessee).
Jets fans will now spend the next three weeks on Tankathon, tracking where the Jets will select in the first round of the NFL Draft. The Jets entered the week at No. 7. After Sunday’s games, the Jets have moved up one spot to No. 6.
The Jets fell to 5-9 after Sunday’s loss. They sit two games out of a top-three pick and are right in the mix for a top-five pick. One of the current top-five teams, the Washington Commanders, visit MetLife Stadium Sunday. The Commanders (4-10) were also eliminated from the playoffs after their 28-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
If the Jets lose to the Commanders Sunday, they could move ahead of Washington and into the top five in the draft order. The Jets then finish with the Browns and New England Patriots.
New York is tied with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans at 5-9. They have a stronger schedule than the Bears and are actually tied with the Giants in strength of schedule.
There will be some shuffling around in the top ten of the draft over the next three weeks, but the Jets are in good shape for somewhere in the top seven and have a decent chance at getting into the top five.