Category: Jets News and Notes

Here’s how the 4-7 Jets can make the playoffs

The Jets need to win their remaining five games to have a chance at the playoffs, and even then they’d need a lot of other teams to lose.

Here’s a sentence no one expected to read a month ago: The Jets have a shot at the NFL postseason.

It’s a slim shot – FiveThirtyEight.com says they have less than a 1 percent chance as of Week 12 – but its better than being mathematically eliminated. 

With five games left, the Jets could theoretically finish the season 9-7– an idea that seemed ludicrous when the Jets dropped to 1-7 after a devasting loss to the Dolphins on Nov. 3. But it will take a lot of work for the Jets to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Not only must New York win all five of its remaining games – including games against the Ravens, Steelers and Bills to end the season – but the Jets will need the six teams ahead of them in the playoff hunt to lose in strategic ways to catapult Gang Green into the final wild card spot (assuming the Bills don’t implode down the stretch and fail to grab the first spot).

Though the Jets are technically only two games out of the postseason after Week 12, the Steelers, Colts, Titans and Raiders are all tied at 6-5 for the eighth-seed in the AFC ahead of the Jets. The Browns (5-6) and Jaguars (4-7) are also ahead of the Jets in the standings because of the head-to-head tiebreaker, and the Chargers (4-7) are also in the hunt.

Basically, even if the Jets win out and finish 9-7, they aren’t a lock for the playoffs.

First, the Jets will need all the wild card hunting teams to finish with a 9-7 or worse record. If any team finishes with at least 10 wins, the Jets are out. 

Next, the Jets would need the Browns and Jaguars to both finish worse than 9-7 since they both beat the Jets this season and would win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Things only get more complicated from there.

If the Jets somehow finish ahead of the Jaguars and Browns, they’ll also need all the teams in the hunt to lose as many AFC games as possible if they finish with the same record as the Jets, since conference wins are the second tiebreaker for teams who haven’t played each other. By season’s end, that’ll only apply to the Colts and Titans since the Jets play the Steelers in Week 16. Obviously, the Jets need to win that match against the Steelers to even make the playoffs, and therefore would win the tiebreaker if both teams finish with the same record.

The most conference wins the Jets can finish with is six, while the Colts already have five and the Titans have four. If the Jets and Colts finish with identical records and conference records, the Jets would actually win the common games tiebreaker. The Titans, then, can’t finish with more than five conference wins.

There are too many games left on the schedule to break down every possible scenario, but the Jets will be hoping the teams that they lost to earlier in the season – the Browns and Jaguars  – lose as many games as possible, and every other team in the hunt loses either common games with the Jets or conference games.

Some of these teams actually play each other, which is where things get even weirder. 

For example, it would be advantageous for the Browns to lose to the Steelers, another team tying for a playoff spot, so long as both teams continue to lose down the stretch and the Jets beat the Steelers in Week 16. It’s the opposite situation for a team like the Raiders, who the Jets need to beat another playoff-hunting team like the Titans, so long as the Raiders don’t finish with a record better than 9-7.

This all boils down to one thing: There are almost too many scenarios where the Jets would or wouldn’t make the playoffs to count. The only thing the team can and should focus on is the one thing they can control – winning games.

New York needs to win out, and it will have a great shot the next two weeks against the winless Bengals in Week 13 and the lowly Dolphins in Week 14. It gets much harder after that, though, as the Jets face the mighty Ravens in Week 16 on Thursday Night Football followed by the Steelers and Bills to close out the year.

The Ravens game will determine the Jets’ true ability to both make and compete in the postseason. Right now, the idea of the Jets making the playoffs is a joke. Everyone laughed when Sam Darnold mentioned the Jets playoff hopes following their win over the Giants, and it’s still a longshot two wins later. But if they beat one of the best teams in the league on the road in primetime, the Jets can finally stake their claim to true competency.

Can the Jets make the playoffs? The math certainly allows it. But will the Jets make the playoffs? That’s only something the team and the football gods can answer with a little over a month to play in the 2019 season.

Brian Poole finds football that was taken from him after pick-6

Jets cornerback Brian Poole found his football that was taken from him after he scored a pick-6 in the Jets’ win over the Raiders.

The search for Brian Poole’s pick-six ball is over.

Poole posted on Twitter Tuesday night that his ball that was taken from him after he intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown has been found. The play halfway through the third quarter when Derek Carr threw a pass that was tipped and landed in Poole’s hands, who took it to the house to give the Jets a 34-3 lead.

On Monday, Poole posted to Twitter that he was searching for the person who had the ball and would exchange it for a signed jersey. A New York City strip club also offered VIP access to every Jets home game for life in exchange for the ball. There’s no telling what motivated the ball thief, but the pigskin is back in Poole’s possession.

The 27-year-old Poole is having the best year of any Jets cornerback. In 11 games, Poole has 50 combined tackles, one safety, five pass defenses and the pick-six.

It was a special moment for Poole, as he had never had a pick-six in his NFL career until Sunday. That one will surely go in his trophy case.

Jets waive Jamey Mosley, sign Wyatt Ray to practice squad

Just several weeks after rediscovering a home on New York’s practice squad, linebacker Jamey Mosley is a free agent once again.

Several weeks after rediscovering a home on New York’s practice squad, linebacker Jamey Mosley has found himself in a familiar spot as a free agent.

Mosley has spent most of his collegiate and professional career chasing the success of his older brother, C.J., who signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Jets this past offseason. The Alabama product entered the league as an undrafted rookie before attempting to land a roster spot with New York in camp.

Though failing to withstand the team’s final rounds of cuts, narrowing the roster from 90 to 53, Mosley was quickly extended an offer to join the Jets’ practice squad. With only 10 spots available to each NFL franchise, New York elected to release their star linebacker’s younger brother to make room for Bronson Kaufusi on Oct. 7.

A few weeks of regular season play would pass before the Jets were faced with another complication at the linebacker position. After suffering a season-ending injury, New York placed Blake Cashman on injured reserve, bringing up Frankie Luvu and voiding his place on the practice squad. With a new hole to fill, the team brought Mosley back on Nov. 1.

Fast forward another several weeks and, yet again, Mosley has found himself on the chopping block. The Jets announced that they released the Alabama product to make room for another linebacker, Wyatt Ray, on Nov. 25.

Coming out of Boston College, Ray went undrafted before finding a home with the Cleveland Browns. That stay, however, would be short-lived, as the linebacker has been struggling to land on his feet ever since.

Ray has been cut by the Browns, Texans and Bills in his short time in the NFL. While experience is lacking in the 23-year-old, Ray will have to impress with potential if he hopes to find a permanent position with the Jets.

Bengals will return to Andy Dalton vs. Jets

To avoid going 0-16, the Bengals will start Andy Dalton at quarterback again and sit rookie QB Ryan Finley against the Jets.

The Bengals made their second quarterback change of the season on Monday.

Cincinnati will go back to veteran Andy Dalton after benching him in favor of rookie Ryan Finley earlier this season. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor decided that three games were all he needed to see from Finley to know that his team needs to take a quarterback in next year’s draft.

Finely started the previous three games after Dalton was benched following Week 8. Now Week 13, the veteran quarterback’s first game back will be on Sunday against the New York Jets.

In three starts, Finley completed 47.1 percent of his passes for 474 yards, two touchdowns and five total turnovers.

Up until he was benched this year, Dalton had been Cincinnati’s starting quarterback since the Bengals drafted him in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.

In eight starts this year, Dalton completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,252 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

In his career against New York, Dalton is 2-0. In those two games, Dalton has completed 70 percent of his passes for 691 yards while throwing six touchdowns and two interceptions.

Le’Veon Bell among 5 unsung heroes in Jets’ Week 12 win over Raiders

Le’Veon Bell didn’t fill the stat-sheet but his pass-catching skills were on full display against the Raiders.

The Jets made a statement on Sunday.

They didn’t just beat their first tough opponent in a month, a team with a legitimate shot at the postseason. No, they wallopped the Raiders, 34-3. It was another complete game where every facet of the Jets executed at the highest level. The offense scored on almost half of its drives and the defense held the Raiders to only 68 rushing yards and 209 total yards.

Sam Darnold, Jamal Adams and the usual suspects excelled, but players on the fringes of relevance performed admirably in the win. How did Darnold score three touchdowns? The blocking of the offensive line. How did the defense hold Josh Jacobs to a career-low rushing yard total? Penetration from the defensive line. The Jets hit on all cylinders against the Raiders and the result was magnificent.

Here are five unsung heroes from the game.

(Seth Wenig-AP)

CB Bless Austin

The sixth-round rookie once again stepped up to help hold Derek Carr and the Raiders passing offense to only 15 competitions for 127 scoreless yards. Austin finished with five combined tackles and a stellar pass break up on third and 2 that forced the Raiders to kick – and miss – a short field goal midway through the second quarter.

Austin only allowed three receptions for 24 yards on six targets against the Raiders, and his 81.7 Pro Football Focus grade was the highest on the Jets defense in Week 12. It took some time, but Austin is coming into his own as a viable starter for the Jets. There are bigger tests ahead, but Austin’s coverage and tackling skills are hard to ignore.

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Brian Poole, NYC strip club offering rewards for cornerback’s stolen pick-6 ball

New York Jets CB Brian Poole is launching an all-out search to retrieve the ball from his first career touchdown with some assistance.

Jets cornerback Brian Poole has launched an all-out search to retrieve the ball from his first career touchdown, and he has the help of a New York City strip club.

Poole just wants his pick-six ball back after it was snatched from him by a Jets fan wearing a Darrelle Revis jersey during Sunday’s game. The fan plucked the football out of Poole’s hands as he was celebrating his first career touchdown, having returned an interception for a score in the Jets’ 34-3 victory over the Raiders.

Poole opened up his own search on Twitter, pleading the fan to give the football back in exchange for a signed jersey.

 

From there, it wasn’t long before teammates, Twitter sleuths and a mattress company joined the search party. A New York City strip club is even offering the person who stole ball free VIP access for every Jets home game for life, according to The Daily News’ Manish Mehta.

Whoever was wearing the Jets No. 24 jersey ought to come forward, because the offers from Poole and others are too good to pass up. The man just wants his touchdown back.

Report: Jets RT Chuma Edoga out multiple weeks with MCL sprain

Jets rookie right tackle Chuma Edoga will be out for mutiple weeks after suffering a Grade 2 MCL Sprain in the Jets 34-3 win over Oakland.

Rookie right tackle Chuma Edoga left the Jets’ 34-3 win over the Raiders with a knee injury. Now, he’ll miss significant time.

Following the win, Edoga came into the locker room with a brace on his left leg, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic. Edoga went for an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury

Now, the Jets will be without Edoga for an extended period of time due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Edoga was the Jets’ third-round pick out of USC in the 2019 NFL draft. He took over as a starter in Week 5 and has played eight games at both tackle positions due to the Jets’ constant reshuffling on the offensive line.

The Jets have had to play musical chairs on the offensive line due to injuries. Ryan Kalil and Brian Winters are both out for the season, while Kelechi Osemele is no longer on the team.

With Edoga sidelined, Brandon Shell will slide back in at right tackle, while the banged-up Kelvin Beachum (ankle) will continue to man the left side. If he cannot go against Cincinnati in Week 13, Conor McDermott is the next man up on the Jets depth chart.

Gregg Williams working wonders with Jets’ makeshift defense

Gregg Williams has the best defense looking like one of the best in the league after holding the Raiders to three points in Week 12.

What defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been able to do with this Jets defense recently is nothing short of spectacular. On a team riddled by injury, underperformance, and inexperience, Williams has created a run-stopping machine that’s stymied opponents the past three weeks. 

Yes, those opponents have included two rookie quarterbacks on inept offenses, but Williams is also working with a makeshift defense that includes several rookies and journeymen after losing two starting inside linebackers and two starting cornerbacks.

First, Williams lost Avery Williamson to an ACL tear. Then it was C.J. Mosley to a groin injury. Both were expected to solidify the middle of the defense. Next, promising rookie linebacker Blake Cashman hit injured reserve, followed by cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Various other players have missed time with injury, and before now the Jets are starting players no one had heard of before this season.

That defense, led by Jamal Adams and a bunch of backups, held the Raiders to only three points and 208 total yards on Sunday. In one word, the Jets’ 34-3 win over the Raiders was Williams’ masterpiece.

That performance was the culmination of weeks of momentum for Williams’ defense and the unit finally put together a complete game after giving up big, late scores the past two weeks. The 68 rushing yards the Jets allowed made for the fourth consecutive sub-100-yard game and eighth on the year. The Jets defense looked unbeatable against a Raiders team coming off three consecutive wins.

“We’ve been preparing well week in, week out. I just kind of think things are starting to go our way,” cornerback Brian Poole told SNY. “We’re a young defense going in the right direction.”

Poole himself is playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the league after the Jets signed him to a cheap one-year deal this offseason. His 15-yard pick-six sealed the blowout win, and he’s consistency graded as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. His ascension is just one of the many examples of how Williams is getting the most out of his players.

Players like rookie cornerbacks Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet have also played well above expectations over the past few games and they held Derek Carr to just 127 scoreless passing yards and a 52.6 passer rating in Week 12. Defensive linemen Foley Fatukasi and Kyle Phillips have been revelations after starting the season buried on the depth chart, and journeymen linebackers James Burgess, Neville Hewitt, Brandon Copeland and Tarrell Basham have put in solid performances.

None of these players were supposed to start except Poole. Yet, they’ve all played exceptionally well and helped turn the Jets into the best run-stopping team in the league. The Jets have allowed only 78.1 rushing yards per game after Week 12 – the fewest in the league – and less than three yards per rush attempt. Those are incredible numbers for a team that doesn’t have any discernable defensive stars except Adams, who Williams has weaponized into a terrifying pass rusher for the Jets.

The ability to turn role players into competent starters is great, but Williams’ ability to unlock another side of the Jets’ star safety is a testament to his skills as a coach. Adams now has a team-high 6.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits and has evolved into a multi-dimensional safety that could command a record-setting contract this offseason. 

After this week’s performance, outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins was asked if the win validated the defense’s ability – a defense many left for dead as injuries and blowouts piled up.

“For us, not really,” Jordan Jenkins said. “For the public and some of the fans and some of the naysayers, I would agree with that. But we knew what we had.”

The Jets gave up an average of 27.7 points between Weeks 2 and 9. But during this three-game winning streak, they’ve allowed just 15.7. It took some time, but Williams finally has the Jets defense looking the way he intended when Adam Gase hired him to be the head coach of the defense.

Jets felt ‘disrespected’ by Raiders fans booing them

Jets safety Jamal Adams took notice of Raiders fans ahead of Sunday’s 34-3 win.

Jets safety Jamal Adams took notice of Raiders fans ahead of Sunday’s 34-3 win.

Adams told the media after the game that the Jets felt “disrespected” by Raiders fans booing them in their own building. They decided to go into the locker room to talk about it and it clearly lit a fire under them.

“They came in a little too happy, they thought this was just gonna be an easy game,” Adams told reporters.

You can understand where Raider fans were coming from thinking this game was going to be easy for them. The Raiders came into the game riding a three-game winning streak, while the Jets had a couple of soft wins over two of the NFL’s worst teams.

But you have to give the Jets credit for responding and putting a stomping on the Raiders. The Jets outplayed them in all three phases of the game and proved that those two wins against the Giants and Redskins weren’t a fluke. The Raiders have their flaws, but at the end of the day they are a team that is in the playoff hunt, so this one meant a little more.

If you’re the Jets now, you have keep this wave going. You can’t follow up a solid win over the Raiders with a bad loss to the Bengals next week. It would be typical Jets to play down to the competition and lose. The Jets can’t look over the Bengals like the Raiders did the Jets.

Instant Analysis: Jets beat up Raiders for third win in a row

The Raiders were no match for Gang Green on Sunday.

Wins against Big Blue and Washington were nothing special. Beating a flawed but competitive Oakland team, though? Well, that’s a bit more impressive.

The Jets manhandled the playoff-hopeful Raiders on Sunday, 34-3, at MetLife Stadium. New York, once 1-7, cruised to its third straight win.

Odds are this winning streak is too little, too late for Gang Green, but the organization’s decision-makers and fans should be encouraged by the way the team is clicking. Sam Darnold has looked every bit the part of franchise quarterback lately after a disastrous midseason slump, young players are seizing opportunities created by injuries and the coaching staff — the one everyone wanted to fire a few weeks ago — has made massive strides.

Now, New York will prepare for the lowly Bengals and try to make it four in a row next week.

Game Balls:

  • RB Le’Veon Bell: The Jets running back lived up to his dual-threat reputation, totaling 108 yards on 12 carries and five receptions. The Jets once again used other rushers to spell him in the backfield. They also lined Bell up as a receiver a few times, creating confusion for Oakland’s defense.
  • QB Sam Darnold: All is well with Sam Darnold again. The Jets gunslinger made a handful of highlight-reel plays while going 20-29 with 315 yards and two touchdowns through the air, as well as a score on the ground. He’s 58-89 with 838 yards, seven passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and one interception over his last three games.

Quick Thoughts:

  • Despite a bevy of injuries leading up to and during the game, the Jets offensive line delivered another strong performance against Oakland. Darnold was only sacked once and had plenty of time to throw despite some scampering, while Bell found success on the ground for the second week in a row. The makeshift line’s biggest mistake was a holding penalty by Alex Lewis, which negated a big gain from Ty Montgomery.
  • The Jets should line Bell up as a wide receiver more often. Good things tend to happen when he’s thrown the ball, as seen on New York’s first play of the game.

  • The Jets’ first touchdown of the game, Darnold’s second rushing score of the season, was set up nicely by a pretty awful roughing the passer call. Nothing egregious here, but the Jets were given a gift by the refs nonetheless.
  • Bless Austin can ball. The bar was low, be he’s been the Jets‘ best outside corner this season. He hits hard whenever he comes in for a tackle; he had five and a pass breakup on Sunday. Mike Maccagnan may have actually gotten a late-round pick right.
  • One day after signing an extension, Ryan Griffin caught another touchdown pass from Darnold. He now has five on the season. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to be a fill-in for Chris Herndon. With Griffin and Herndon, as well as Trevon Wesco, the Jets look to have their tight end depth chart set for next year.
  • Week 12 was another impressive one for the Jets defense. The Raiders are not worldbeaters, but they’re better than Washington, and Gang Green held it’s own against improved competition despite a decimated lineup. The Jets even forced Derek Carr to the bench. Give props to Gregg Williams for that. The defensive coordinator has done an excellent job developing previous no-names like Austin, Arthur Maulet, Tarrell Basham, Kyle Phillips and more. It would be understandable if this injured Jets defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, but the unit is holding its own under Williams.
  • Also deserving of credit is Adam Gase. The Jets head coach has drawn plenty of criticism in his first year on the job, but Gase’s offense has soared in recent weeks. A lot of that has to do with his improved game-planning and play-calling, which was on full display in Week 12.
  • Record Watch: Jamal Adams added a half-sack on Sunday. He now has 6.5 this season. The most ever by a defensive back in a single season is eight.