The Jets still hold two spots in the top five entering Monday’s action
In a rare instance of green gridiron bliss, New York Jets fans enjoyed the best of both worlds on Sunday afternoon.
Not only did Gang Green (3-8) earn a 21-14 victory over the Houston Texans to end a three-game losing streak, but their positioning in the 2022 NFL draft didn’t take too large of a beating despite besting one of their doomed brethren.
Following Week 12’s Sunday action, the Jets’ regularly scheduled pick sits in the fourth overall slot on the current Las Vegas draft board. It’s a two-spot fall from last week’s positioning, but the Jets remain comfortably in the top five.
Their Houston-based victims (2-9) moved into the No. 2 choice they previously occupied. The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) maintained their positioning in the third post after their 21-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons while there’s no change at the top thanks to the Detroit Lions’ traditional Thanksgiving Day loss on Thursday, one that dropped them to 0-10-1.
Further easing draft-day tensions is the fact that the Jets’ own pick isn’t the only top-five selection they currently own. Their first-round selection from Seattle (courtesy of the Jamal Adams trade) is currently situated at No. 5 overall – and it has a chance to climb even higher if things break the Jets’ way during Monday night action.
Seattle (3-7) will pay a visit to the Washington Football Team (4-7) for a prime time contest. If the Seahawks lose, their 3-8 record would tie the Jets for the fourth overall slot. Since Seattle currently has a weaker strength of schedule than New York, the Seahawks would climb into the fourth spot and bump the Jets down into the fifth slot.
If the Seahawks win, they will tie the Giants and Bears in the draft’s five-through-seven slots with a 4-7 record. Seattle currently has a weaker strength of schedule than both teams and would remain in the fifth slot as of today. The Jets would stay put at number four.
Caesars Sportsbook has given the Seattle-Washington game a “pick ’em” designation.
The Jets also got a favor from their division rival Dolphins this week, who handed the Carolina Panthers a second consecutive loss. With the Panthers now at 5-7, their second-round pick owed to the Jets through the Sam Darnold trade sits at No. 42 overall, the 10th slot in the round.
New York returns to East Rutherford next Sunday afternoon, as they’ll battle the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
