Jets keeping the band together

Jets coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas will continue to lead the team next season, as expected.

On Sunday, team owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post he will stand pat with the team’s football leadership, even after a dismal season that resulted in a 13th straight year for the franchise without a playoff appearance — the longest active drought in major North American professional sports.

“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson told the newspaper before the Jets’ beat the Commanders, 3028, in East Rutherford, N.J. on Greg Zuerlein’s 54-yard field goal with five seconds left. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”

Johnson acknowledged the return next season of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a factor in his decision. The 40-year-old Rodgers tore his left Achilles’ tendon four snaps into his debut with the 6-9 Jets, who were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15.

Earlier last week, Rodgers gave his full support to Saleh, Douglas, and offensive coordinator

Nathaniel Hackett.

“Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we’ve got,” Johnson said, explaining his decision. “Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then, we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier.”

The Jets’ offense was ranked last in the NFL entering Sunday without Rodgers leading the way.

Howell benched again

Sam Howell had a chance to clear some of the doubts as to whether he can be the Commanders’ quarterback of the future.

A second straight benching has only intensified them.

Howell was replaced in the third quarter by former Patriot Jacoby Brissett, who led the Commanders on three straight touchdown drives to help Washington erase a 20-point deficit and take a late lead before losing to fall to 4-11.

“It was tough,” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said. “We didn’t help [Howell] early. We dropped a couple of balls that we probably should have caught. Your confidence sometimes can get shaken. That’s what I started to feel in the second half and I was really concerned. That’s why I made the decision that I did.”

Howell certainly didn’t help himself a week after being benched in Washington’s 28-20 loss to the Rams.

Howell came in leading the NFL in interceptions and added his 16th and 17 th against the Jets. He was replaced by Brissett after being picked off the second time, finishing 6 of 22 for 56 yards.

Rudolph awaits orders

Mason Rudolph didn’t get ahead of himself. Nor should he.

Call it the residue of six years spent mostly as an afterthought for an organization that said once upon a time it regarded him as a firstround pick.

So while the Steelers’ longtime backup quarterback soaked in a dominant 34-11 win over Cincinnati on Saturday in which he threw for 290 yards and two long touchdowns, he made it a point not to peek into the future next week about what might await in Seattle.

“I love to play,” Rudolph said. “But that’s out of my hands. I’ll find out the marching orders as we go.”

Rudolph is well aware of how those marching orders and his interests have rarely overlapped.

Kenny Pickett’s surgically repaired right ankle is healing. The Steelers (8-7) have treated Pickett like a franchise quarterback since he moved into the starting role early in the 2022 season. Despite a largely underwhelming season, Pickett remains under contract for at least two more years.

MVP honors on the line

If a December matchup between the top two teams in the NFL didn’t provide high enough stakes, the NFL MVP could be decided Monday night when the 49ers host the Ravens

in Santa Clara, Calif.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy comes into the game as the favorite to win the award in what would be a remarkable rise from the final pick of the 2022 draft to MVP in 2023. Lurking close behind is Ravens counterpart Lamar Jackson, who already has one MVP award for his 2019 efforts.

And if the quarterbacks slip up, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is right there in the MVP mix.

“Are you trying to get me in trouble with those two guys?” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said when asked to pick a candidate from his team. “That’s the only reason I wouldn’t overly comment on either one of them because I don’t want them to cancel each other out. But, if any non-quarterback’s going to get a MVP, I don’t get how Christian McCaffrey can’t.”

While plenty of people will view the game as a referendum on the award, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has different priorities.

“I don’t really care,” Harbaugh said. “I couldn’t care less about any of that, and the beautiful thing is Lamar couldn’t care less either. ”

Vikings dealt blows

The Vikings lost two important offensive players during their 30-24 loss to Detroit as tight end T.J. Hockenson and receiver Jordan Addison left with injuries and didn’t return.

Addison, a rookie, injured his ankle during an interception return by Lions safety Kerby Joseph in the second quarter. Hockenson sustained a knee injury on a thirdquarter catch when Joseph dove toward his legs. Hockenson went to the medical tent before quickly being ruled out.

Hockenson leads the team with 91 catches and Addison is second with 62 receptions.

Folk-lore

Former Patriots kicker Nick Folk extended his NFL record to 78 consecutive made field goals of 40 yards or closer with a 33-yarder in the second quarter of the Titans’ 2017 loss to the Seahawks in Nashville.