Even without participating in the postseason, the New York Jets are still being ridiculed after the NFL’s divisional playoff weekend – this time through the words of a star player on a rival AFC team.
Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson took a jab at the Jets after Houston’s divisional loss in Kansas City. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Anderson said the Texans “are right there” and “have a fantastic team,” per ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. Building off that comment, Anderson added that Houston has to be more successful in the regular season to gain home-field advantage in the playoffs, saying, “We can’t lose to teams like the Titans and the Jets.”
Some Jets fans might take offense to Anderson’s comment, but it’s hard to argue with the perspective of the former Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Texans have won back-to-back division titles and recorded a playoff victory in back-to-back seasons. They should expect themselves to steamroll lesser opponents such as the Jets, who won five games in 2024 and have not eclipsed seven wins since 2015.
It’s hardly a slight for Anderson to claim he believes Houston should beat teams such as the 5-12 Jets and 3-14 Titans. Houston is an objectively better team. They were on the doorstep of legitimate Super Bowl contention in each of Anderson’s first two NFL seasons. He thinks they must improve at taking care of business against weak teams in the regular season to improve their chances of winning in the playoffs, and he’s correct.
As for the Jets, they need to start winning football games if they want to stop being the butt of jokes. That begins with hiring the correct head coach, which the Jets may finally be on the verge of doing.
