The next four weeks will determine the Jets’ postseason fate
On December 20, 2009, Jets head coach Rex Ryan took the podium following a crushing last-second defeat to the Atlanta Falcons, 10-7.
“We’re obviously out of the playoffs, and that’s unfortunate,” he said about the Jets’ fall to a 7-7 record with two games remaining.
On December 12, 2022, Jets head coach Robert Saleh took the podium following a tough defeat to the Buffalo Bills, 20-12.
“We’ll see them again,” he proclaimed about the Jets’ fall to 7-6 against a divisional foe.
It’s ironic that the king of bold statements waved the white flag in his first year with the Jets. Yes, that’s the same Rex Ryan who made blustery Super Bowl predictions each season.
Meanwhile, the coach who said he wishes his receipts statement would just go away made a far more emphatic declaration of what he feels about his team.
The 2009 Jets had only two games remaining and the slimmest of chances to make the playoffs. They got a bit of a gift from the Indianapolis Colts, who benched Peyton Manning in favor of Curtis Painter to avoid injuries with their playoff spot already locked up. The Jets capitalized and won the game, 29-15. The following week, a 37-0 romp of the Cincinnati Bengals sent Giants Stadium into a frenzy, as the Jets clinched a wild card spot and set up a rematch the following week in Cincinnati.
The 2022 Jets, on the other hand, will have no such benefit. They are going to face four teams that still have playoff hopes. The red-hot Lions have won five of their last six games to pull into wild-card contention in the NFC. The Jaguars still have slim hopes with Tennessee’s recent malaise. The Seahawks are clinging to their playoff hopes after a brutal loss to the Panthers left them at 7-6 and on the outside looking in. And, of course, the season finale in Miami will pit two divisional foes who may have only one playoff spot to fight for.
Still, the Jets seem far more alive at 7-6 than their 2009 counterparts. For one thing, that one-game difference is a game that this year’s Jets can capitalize upon with a victory. For another, the 17th game and 7th wild card spot give much more hope to teams on the fringe than there was in years past.
The Jets’ locker room was surprisingly upbeat following their loss to the Bills. The team knows that they gave a top team a strong fight and that they’re still very much alive in the AFC playoff race. They have a quarterback who showed incredible guts and resilience, a dominant defensive tackle who took this season personally, and a rookie receiver who has emerged as a potential superstar.
Though there are no guarantees, Robert Saleh knows that his team is good enough to make it. He didn’t want to make it an actual guarantee, but that’s essentially what he did with his words: he believes his team will get into the dance. And once in the dance, as the 2009-10 Jets proved, anything can happen.
Well, Rex wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed. That said, I like that Saleh has supreme confidence in this team and publicly said as much. I only hope they can justify it.
We received no help from anyone over the weekend and last night, so it’s in our hands.
Now, let’s go get a gd snack!
Rex was quite arrogant in his predictions, though, which is why it was surprising to hear him make that kind of mistake.
Yeah, it was a pretty brutal weekend for the Jets. 2 games in 5 days can change a lot, though.
I agree, There is no quit in this team. I’m Sure Saleh has said that to them guys on numerous occasions. White has proved that he can make the throws. The O-line needs to block better. Someone said in a comment before that the Jets Playoff chances are in the hands of the O-line and how they perform. That statement is very true. Get it together O-line and lets make the playoffs this year !!!
I don’t think Saleh even has to say it to them, although I’m sure he has, as you said. His statement in the media was for his team: he’s publicly showing his level of confidence in them.
I would agree about the O-line. They’re so unpredictable. One week ago, they did a good job overall against a dominant Vikings edge rush. This week, with Von Miller out, they laid an egg against the Bills. I’d say the run-blocking has been inconsistent at best, though.
I would zero on the run blocking too. We are going nowhere if we can’t get back to having at least an above-average run game. Our OLine personnel seem to be a passive group, w/ the possible exception of Herbig. We really need to have someone w/ “attitude” in the group.
Herbig is very overrated. He had a bad game against the Bills from what I can tell. He’s a good backup but not a good starter. The Jets’ running game lost more with AVT’s injury than Breece’s, in my opinion. You just don’t have that McGovern-AVT mauling duo to open the lanes. It doesn’t help that Tomlinson has been so bad.
Michael Carter has been disappointing in his inability to create on his own, but neither he nor Bam has much to work with. Bam is just doing a far better job of running through tackles.