THIS COULD GET WILD!
BELIEVE IT: JETS REAL CONTENDERS
WHY NOT? Why can’t the Jets make the playoffs? Why shouldn’t they have their eyes fixated on seizing a postseason berth nobody thought was possible for them?
Because, when you take New England (8-2), Pittsburgh (8-2) and maybe Jacksonville (7-3) out of the equation, the rest of the AFC is a muddle of mediocrity. In other words: The Jets fit right in at 4-6.
The difference between the Jets being mediocre and some of the other teams in the AFC being mediocre is that the Jets were supposed to stink this season.
On purpose.
But the Jets — with their head coach, Todd Bowles, fighting for his job and a roster of young, developing players who don’t know (or care) that they’re supposed to stink — never bought into a tank plan.
That’s what’s made the Jets a rather entertaining group to watch this season (save for their pre-bye week game in Tampa).
The Jets, as they return from their week off and prepare for Sunday’s home game against the 7-3 Panthers, stand a mere one game out of a playoff berth with six games to play — just as everyone predicted before the season.
“It energizes us to know that we’re still in the thick of things here with the last six weeks to play,’’ quarterback Josh McCown said Monday. “It’s exciting. Now, the challenge is up to us. Now we have to go do it.’’
The Jets won by not playing this past week, because most of their competition for a wild-card spot lost.
The Titans (6-4) lost to the Steelers. The Raiders (4-6) lost to the Patriots. The Bills (5-5) lost to the Chargers. The Dolphins (4-6) lost to the Buccaneers. The only team the Jets would have liked to see lose that didn’t was the Ravens (5-5), who beat the Packers.
The Ravens and Bills, who are in an utter free fall with a crisis at quarterback, are tied for the second AFC wild-card spot. The Jets are a game back, along with five other teams at 4-6.
While the Jets have only one remaining division game, the season finale in New England, the Bills and Dolphins each have four division games left — two against each other and both have to play the Patriots twice, games that could knock each of them from contention.
So, based on the struggles of some of their nearest competition and based on how few teams in the AFC have shown any consistency, why can’t the Jets mount a run?
“Heck, I know we can beat any team that we line up against,’’ linebacker Jordan Jenkins said Monday.
The Jets immediate task is dealing with the Panthers and their explosive quarterback, Cam Newton. Carolina is on a roll, riding a three-game winning streak. But it’s very possible, with an NFC South showdown with the Saints a week away, the Panthers could be distracted Sunday at MetLife Stadium by looking ahead.
Following the Panthers, the Jets’ next game comeses at home against the Chiefs,s, who have lost four of their last five. Then comes a road game against the Broncos, who have lost six in a row and fired their offensive coordinator Mon-day. The toughest game on their schedule might be Dec. 17 at New Orleanss against the Saints, who havee won eight in a row.
The last two include a home game a gai nst thehe Chargers (4-6) and the finalele against the Patriots, whoho might not need to win thehe game, having already lockeded up their playoff position. So why not? A 5-1 finish gets the Jets to 9-7 and would probably getet them into the playoffs.
“We are playing some good teams coming up, but the ball’s in our court and we can decide what we want to do with it,’’ guard Brian Winters said.
As tantalizingly close as the Jets find themselves to playoff pay dirt, you can’t help but wonder what could have been for them had they not blown those three consecutive second-half leads against the Patriots, Dolphins and Falcons and not shown up in Tampa for their most recent game, a lackluster 15-10 loss. “We can’t look back,’’ McCown said. There is, indeed, no need to look back. Only ahead.
And, as improbable as it may sound — even all the way across the Atlantic to England, where Woody Johnson is watching the team he set up to tank surprise the league — the playoffs are not out of the question.
So allow yourselves to dream, Jets fans, and ask yourselves, “Why not?’’