Yes, it’s still very early in the season. Let’s get that out of the way immediately. That being said, how many folks out there had the Jets sitting in a playoff position through five weeks of the season? Well, that’s exactly the case after New York’s 40-17 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday. The Jets sit in second place in the AFC East and currently hold the first wild card spot. Let’s take a quick look at both races as we reach the end of the first third of the season.
AFC East Standings through Week 5
- Buffalo Bills 4-1
- New York Jets 3-2
- Miami Dolphins 3-2
- New England Patriots 2-3
The Jets win over the Dolphins in Week 5 obviously gives them the tiebreaker at the moment over Miami for second place in the division. The Jets are now 1-0 against the AFC East, while the Dolphins are now 1-1. The Jets have their two remaining home divisional games against New England and Buffalo after their two-game road trip to Green Bay and Denver.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but if the Jets can knock off the Packers Sunday and the Bills lose to the Chiefs, the Jets would be in first place in the AFC East by virtue of a better division record (1-0 vs. 0-1).
AFC Wild Card Standings through Week 5
5. New York Jets 3-2
6. Miami Dolphins 3-2
7. Los Angeles Chargers 3-2
8. Indianapolis Colts 2-2-1
9. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-3
10. Denver Broncos 2-3
11. New England Patriots 2-3
12. Cleveland Browns 2-3
13. Cincinnati Bengals 2-3
14. Houston Texans 1-3-1
15. Las Vegas Raiders 1-4
16. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-4
The Jets get the edge right now for the No. 5 seed first thanks to their divisional tiebreak over the Dolphins, then by strength of victory over the Chargers, as both teams are 3-2 against the AFC and both only have one common opponent so far (Browns) and being 1-0 in those games.
The Jets certainly have a chance to gain some ground on some of the teams chasing them over the next few weeks, as they play the Broncos and Patriots following Sunday’s game in Green Bay. Win in those two games will certainly help the Jets’ cause, especially with what’s now becoming a winnable set of games down the stretch, including the Bears, Lions, Jaguars and Seahawks between Weeks 12 and 17 before finishing the season in Miami in Week 18.
Again, it’s still very early. But as Kevin Garnett famously said, anything’s possible. A 3-2 start is a lot better than some folks thought the Jets would be before the season, especially given all the circumstances that happened.
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