kelly Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 The wild card races are wide open now that the Falcons and Jets are on losing streaks. The wild card races are exciting all of a sudden with six games left to play. Just two weeks ago there were exactly two teams in each conference with a winning record but not a division lead. The wild card races were far from finished, but slip-ups from the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons or one of the teams at the top of the NFC North were the only way teams hovering around .500 were going to have a chance. Thanks to losses in Weeks 10 and 11 for both the Jets and Falcons, that door was left wide open. The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams both are on three-game losing streaks and failed to take advantage of that opportunity, creating tight wild card races in both conferences.In the NFC, 13 of the conference's 16 teams are no more than two games out of the playoff race and even the three 3-7 NFC teams are only three games back. If the Buffalo Bills lose to the New England Patriots on Monday, it will be the exact same margin for the three 2-8 AFC teams, and 12 teams will be no more than a game back. AFC Wild Card race Team Record GB Streak Steelers 6-4 -- W2 Bills 5-4 -- W2 Texans* 5-5 0.5 W3 Jets 5-5 0.5 L2 Chiefs 5-5 0.5 W4 Jaguars 4-6 1.5 W2 Dolphins 4-6 1.5 L1 Raiders 4-6 1.5 L3 *Tied with Colts for division lead It's premature to work out tiebreakers with so many teams in the hunt, but several head-to-head matchups have already happened between the eight teams within two games of the wild card. The Bills and Texans have beaten the Jets, the Chiefs have beaten the Steelers and Texans, and important games like one between the Bills and Chiefs in Week 12 are still on the horizon. The Jets are in danger of dipping under .500 for the first time this season after four losses in the last five weeks, including three against teams in the wild card race. None of the next four opponents for New York have a winning record, but the Bills and Texans didn't either when they each dealt the Jets a loss to knock them from the AFC Wild Card lead.At the top are the Steelers, who have survived injuries to Ben Roethlisberger, but the next four weeks are brutal. After a road trip to play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, the Steelers play the Colts, Bengals and Broncos, three of the four division leaders in the AFC.That leaves the door open for absolutely anyone in the AFC to string together wins. Proving most capable of doing that so far have been the Chiefs, Texans and Jaguars. Kansas City has won four straight after a rough start to the year and are feeling especially confident after a 33-3 dismantling of the Chargers on Sunday."When we play like this, it doesn't matter who we play against — we're unstoppable," Chiefs defensive end Mike DeVito told The Kansas City Star. "With the way our schedule has been ... we've been in playoff mode for the last three or four weeks."Next up for the Chiefs is a chance to take the AFC Wild Card lead for themselves in a Week 12 game against the Bills, followed by five consecutive games against teams with losing records, including two games against the Raiders. NFC Wild Card race Team Record GB Streak Vikings 7-3 -- L1 Falcons 6-4 -- L3 Buccaneers 5-5 1 W2 Seahawks 5-5 1 W1 Rams 4-6 2 L3 Washington 4-6 2 L1 Bears 4-6 2 L1 Saints 4-6 2 L2 Eagles 4-6 2 L2 While the AFC features a few hot teams closing the gap, the story in the NFC has been the inability of anybody to take advantage of Atlanta's slide. The Buccaneers are the only team in the NFC Wild Card hunt that has managed to win in each of the last two weeks.But as long as the Falcons keep losing, the entire NFC is in the hunt. The Atlanta offense had four turnovers in a loss to the Buccaneers, looked entirely ineffective against the 49ers and came out of a bye with another four turnovers against the Colts on Sunday. At least one or two of those games should have been easy wins for the Falcons, but now they're in trouble with games against the Vikings, Buccaneers and Panthers in the next three weeks. "We were 5-0, we were on our high horses, and everyone was praising us and whatever, but now, you see everyone's true colors," Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones said. "People will talk poorly about you, but we have to stay tight here. We have to continue to keep working because we are still in it. We need to get on a roll."The Buccaneers, who already have a win against the Falcons and can make it a season sweep in Week 13, have forced a turnover in every week and created four against the Eagles on Sunday. The question is whether Jameis Winston can replicate the type of performances he had against Washington and Philadelphia, and avoid the showings he had against Carolina and Dallas.The Seahawks, who have led in the fourth quarter of every game this season, are also right behind the Falcons. Seattle's five losses are against teams with a combined 37-13 record and the Seahawks are statistically in the top 10 in both total offense and defense. The Seahawks still have games against tough teams like the Steelers, Vikings and Cardinals on the schedule. * * * With six weeks left, no team has clinched a spot in the postseason and no team has been eliminated. Only the New England Patriots have the chance to clinch in Week 12, and no team has a chance at being eliminated. Not even the 2-8 Chargers, Browns or Titans.Since the second wild card was added to the NFL playoffs in 1978, six teams have won the Super Bowl despite not winning their divisions. The most recent examples were the 2010 Green Bay Packers and 2007 New York Giants who each won three of their last five regular season games to enter the postseason on a high note. The door is open for any team to get hot and put together a winning streak to claim wild card spots that are suddenly up for grabs. > http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/11/23/9782596/2015-nfl-playoff-picture-standings-week-11-wild-card Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Tiebreakers could hurt Dolphins in push for wild-card spot At 4-6, the Miami Dolphins have a lot of work to do to make a push for a wild-card spot in the AFC. A major issue that is hurting the team is its lack of tiebreakers.The good news is the Dolphins are among seven AFC teams with either four or five victories. However, they are 0-4 within their division and hold a 2-5 record against conference foes. Those are significant tiebreakers that could prove costly down the stretch. Here are the standings for the final wild-card spot in the AFC : No. 6 (wild card): Kansas City Chiefs (5-5 overall, 4-2 in conference) No. 7: Houston Texans (5-5, 4-3) No. 8: Buffalo Bills (5-5, 5-4) No. 9: New York Jets (5-5, 4-4) No. 10: Oakland Raiders (4-6, 4-3) No. 11: Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6, 4-4) No. 12: Miami Dolphins (4-6, 2-5) In head-to-head tiebreakers, Miami was swept by the Bills in Week 3 and Week 9, and lost to the Jaguars in Week 2. The team does have a 44-26 victory against the Houston Texans in Week 7.Without much in their favor, the Dolphins’ best path is to get hot down the stretch and win at least five of their last six games. That seems to be the mentality of the team and interim head coach Dan Campbell. "After all of this and everything that’s been said and done, we still have a chance," Campbell said Monday. "I mean, we still have an opportunity. It’s still out there for us. We know what we’re capable of. When we do it right we can play good football, and we can compete with anybody in this league when we do it right." > http://espn.go.com/blog/miami-dolphins/post/_/id/18461/dolphins-lacking-major-tiebreakers-in-push-for-wild-card-spot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Jets' playoff hopes sinking lower What a difference a month can make. According to Football Outsiders, Gang Green's playoff odds have been cut by nearly 75 percent since the team's 4-1 start. Playoff projections (Insider) > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Remember when the Jets were 4-1 and headed to New England for an AFC East battle with the undefeated Patriots? If it feels like longer than a month, don't feel like you're losing track of time around the holidays.Despite the relatively short amount of season that has passed since the one-score defeat New York suffered to the Patriots in New England in late October, the AFC East race is all but over. In fact, it could end this weekend if one of these three scenarios plays out during the Week 12 slate : Patriots win + Jets loss or tie Patriots tie + Jets loss or tie + Bills loss or tie Jets loss + Bills loss On Sunday, the Jets will take on the Miami Dolphins. In the rest of the division games with implications in the scenarios, the Patriots will travel to Denver to play the Broncos and Buffalo will head to Kansas City for a date with the Chiefs. The idea of the Jets winning the division has been far-fetched since opening snap of the year, but few could have predicted AFC East elimination before December 1 when head coach Todd Bowles took his team into New England in October. > http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/jets_can_be_eliminated_from_afc_east_race_this_wee.html#incart_river_index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Jets dropping the ball in playoff run Gang Green's playoff odds have been cut down from 81.7 percent to 21.4 percent by the team's 1-4 stretch, per FPI. The Jets have yet to win a game this season without forcing multiple turnovers. Stock up, stock down > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Five weeks ago, the Jets were 4-1 and brimming with confidence as they prepared for a first-place showdown at perennial nemesis New England. Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it ? The Jets blew a fourth-quarter lead in that game and thus squandered a chance to tie for the top spot in the AFC East. Since then, as has been their habit over the years, the Patriots have zoomed away from the Jets and the rest of the division. In fact, if the undefeated Patriots win at Denver on Sunday and the Jets lose to visiting Miami, New England will clinch the AFC East before the calendar turns to December. With the Jets’ sights now squarely fixed on obtaining one of the two wild-card spots in the AFC playoffs, here’s a look at what must happen for them to shake off their recent doldrums and reach the postseason for the first time since 2010.1. Recapture the FitzMagic. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has struggled in the last two games, throwing four interceptions — three in the fourth quarter. Worse yet, he and the offense have gotten off to slow starts and had to play catch-up unsuccessfully in losses to Buffalo and Houston. It’s not time for a switch to backup Geno Smith, but that should be a consideration if Fitzpatrick cannot find his early-season form in the next week or two. 2. Is Smith the long-term answer? Probably not, but a change could shake things up and provide a spark if the offense continues to sputter. 3. Get more creative on offense. Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s play-calling has become predictable, and maybe he needs to take a page from what Houston coordinator George Godsey did Sunday against the Jets. With journeyman T.J. Yates making his first start since January 2012, Houston used the Wildcat several times and also executed a trick play for a touchdown. The Jets don’t necessarily need to dust off the Wildcat, but they need to start giving opposing defenses something different to prepare for other than forcing the ball to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. 4. Take advantage of a weak schedule. The Jets should be thankful for parity, given the fact that only four teams in the AFC are over .500. Three of those teams — New England, Cincinnati and Denver — are division leaders, and likely won’t be in the wild-card mix anyway.Other than the undefeated Patriots, the rest of the teams remaining on the Jets’ schedule have a cumulative record of 19-31. If the Jets win four of those games, they would finish at 9-7, which could be good enough to make the playoffs in the mediocre AFC. Then again, the Jets also are mediocre at this point, one reason why they’ve lost to the likes of Oakland, Buffalo and Houston in the past four weeks. 5. Get defensive. The Jets’ highly touted defense hasn’t lived up to preseason predictions, even though it ranks fifth in the NFL in total yardage allowed. Still, the Jets permitted four long scoring drives against Yates and the Texans. Worse yet, they haven’t been making many big plays on that side of the ball. The Jets had 15 takeaways in their first five games, a large reason for their 4-1 start. Since then, they’ve forced only five turnovers and are 1-4 during that span.The front seven must get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and the expensive secondary must live up to its high price tag. 6. Coach them up. Bowles’ calm demeanor and firm hand helped the Jets avoid some potential distractions during the 4-1 start, but the first-year coach has made some questionable decisions in recent weeks in terms of game and clock management, including some ill-advised fourth-down tries. That’s not surprising, because navigating all the intricacies of game day often is a problem for rookie head coaches. Still, Bowles needs to learn rapidly on the fly. The Jets figure to be in more tight games down the stretch, and a right or wrong decision can make all the difference in such contests. > http://www.northjersey.com/sports/jets-need-to-focus-on-wild-card-situation-1.1462019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 -- By now, you've heard about Todd Bowles' postgame rant in Houston. Turns out it carried into Monday's team meeting at the New York Jets' facility. "He was pretty fired up," safety Calvin Pryor said Sunday. "He told us straight up: 'Do you want to make something out of the season and make the playoffs or do you want to pack your bags early?'"The Jets provided an emphatic answer, snapping a two-game losing streak with a 38-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium -- their highest point total since the 2012 opener. One good afternoon can change a team's psyche, and you got the feeling the Jets had a sudden case of selective amnesia after beating up on the AFC East's schoolyard nerd. Five weeks of poor-to-mediocre football? It was all forgotten in the locker room. "I think we are a playoff team," wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. That's a stretch at this point. This is what we know about the Jets: They're a lot better than the Dolphins. In two games, the Jets outscored them, 65-34. Everybody in the division is better than the Dolphins. They're 0-5 in the AFC East, having lost every game by at least two touchdowns.At 6-5, the Jets remain in the playoff conversation, mostly because everybody is. That's the NFL landscape. Don't let yourself get sucked in just yet. We're talking about a wildly inconsistent team, and you have to be skeptical until they win at least two in a row.All they did Sunday was prove they still have a pulse, and that Bowles' fiery speech (both speeches, actually) resonated in the locker room. That's a positive. That's how a veteran team should respond to a first-year coach. But no matter what the players say, it's hard to dismiss their recent stretch of bad football -- a 1-4 funk that left them on the brink of falling out of the race. "We played hard, we just didn't play smart the last couple of weeks," Bowles said. "[On Sunday] we came out and we went back to basics a little bit. We just did the things we know how to do."And they did them well, as there were several encouraging developments. Ryan Fitzpatrick emerged from his two-game slump, throwing a season-high four touchdowns -- and he did it without a strong running game. They struggled on the ground for three quarters, yet Fitzpatrick was able to carry the offense with his right arm. That hasn't happened too often, so let's stop the Geno Smith chatter. It's Fitzpatrick-or-bust for the Jets. As he said last week, he's the right man for the job.Fitzpatrick got everyone involved and, yes, even rookie Devin Smith held on to the ball, scoring his first touchdown. More importantly, Fitzpatrick rekindled his early-season mojo with Marshall, who dominated the Dolphins with nine catches for a season-high 131 yards and a touchdown. They played pitch and catch all day, even hitting a long pass for 47 yards. Previously, Fitzpatrick was only 1-for-11 when targeting Marshall on throws of at least 25 yards in the air. For some crazy reason, the Dolphins decided to play Marshall in single coverage. Other teams won't be as generous."That's what we need if we want to win," Marshall said of his chemistry with his quarterback. "The last couple of weeks have been tough for all of us, but this is what we need. We hit the shots when we were supposed to, I was where I was supposed to be and Ryan threw it exactly where he was supposed to throw it. If we want to crawl back into this thing, we have to continue that." Give them credit for a convincing win; a squeaker over the hapless Dolphins would've been alarming. But keep it in perspective. The Jets responded to Bowles, showing they didn't want to pack their bags early. But they still have to shed some unwanted baggage before they can be anointed as legitimate contenders. > http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/56566/brandon-marshall-says-jets-are-playoff-worthy-but-lets-not-go-that-far-yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 After a turnover-free 38-10 victory over the Dolphins, Jets are 6-5 and in the running for a playoff spot .--Nothing notable happened at MetLife MET 0.26 % Stadium on Sunday afternoon. That was good for the hosts. After a month-long hiatus, the Jets resumed their early season routine of bossing around an obviously inferior opponent. They downed the hopeless Miami Dolphins, 38-20, as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdown passes, including two to Brandon Marshall. “The game certainly didn’t go as we had planned,” Dolphins head coach Dan Campbell said. On the other hand, Jets head coach Todd Bowles said his team “got back to kind of football we played the first five weeks.” They had started the season 4-1 before losing four of their next five games, including an embarrassing defeat to Houston’s backup quarterback last week.Now after a turnover-free win over the Dolphins, the Jets are 6-5 and in the running for a playoff spot. Besides the division-leading Patriots, their remaining foes — the Giants, Titans, Cowboys and Bills — have losing records. The Jets traded late draft picks for Fitzpatrick and Marshall this past offseason, and on Sunday the tandem had their best performance for New York. Fitzpatrick completed 22 of 37 pass attempts for 277 yards and had his second full game this year without a turnover, while Marshall caught nine passes for 131 yards. The receiver even doled out a crucial block on Chris Ivory’s 31-yard, game-icing touchdown run in the fourth quarter.The Jets defense started the game shorthanded because All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis was out with a concussion, and the disadvantage worsened when his replacement, Marcus Williams, left the game with knee he sprained while getting tackled during a 21-yard interception return in the first quarter. But backup cornerbacks Darrin Walls and Dexter McDougle held their own, while safety Calvin Pryor had the best game of his two-year career, leading the team with seven often-ferocious tackles, including one for a loss. The Dolphins, who are now 4-7, looked discombobulated until the game was well out of reach in the fourth quarter. Miami had gained only 81 yards by halftime. Yet the Jets had trouble pulling away from the Dolphins during an unbearable first half that saw the two teams combine for five three-and-outs. After Williams prevented a Dolphins field-goal try by intercepting Ryan Tannehill’s third-down pass at the New York 7-yard line, Fitzpatrick led the Jets on a 72-yard drive that ended with him floating a pass to Marshall in the middle of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown.Neither team scored again until there were eight seconds left in the half, when Fitzpatrick zinged a pass to rookie Devin Smith, who had dropped what would’ve been 46-yard touchdown against Houston a week earlier, for a 16-yard score. Smith’s first NFL touchdown let the Jets take a 14-0 lead into halftime. The Jets started the third quarter by forcing the Dolphins to punt. Jeremy Kerley, who under Bowles has been demoted from starting at receiver to being primarily a special-teams player, then shimmied up the left sideline for a 58-yard return to the Miami 25. Fitzpatrick then used a mix of passes and a scramble to get the Jets to the two-yard line before hitting Eric Decker for his third touchdown pass.Miami ended the shutout near the end of the third quarter when Tannehill and Jarvis Landry connected for a five-yard touchdown, but the Jets immediately hit back with a 10-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in another Fitzpatrick-to-Marshall touchdown, this time from three yards out. Fans started heading for the exits with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter, when Ivory shook off five would-be tacklers for a 31-yard score to make the score 35-7.The Dolphins would score their remaining two touchdowns with less than five minutes left in the game. They managed 333 yards against a revitalized Jets defense, with only 12 yards coming on the ground.“This season hasn’t been perfect,” Fitzpatrick said. “There have been a lot of bumps so far, but we’re playing meaningful games right now.” Up next is the battle of MetLife Stadium co-tenants, as the Jets play a 5-6 Giants team tied for first place in the NFC East. > http://www.wsj.com/articles/ryan-fitzpatrick-brandon-marshall-have-best-game-as-jets-in-win-over-dolphins-1448842788 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 NFL playoff picture: Who needs what to reach the postseason ~ ~ Here's the updated playoff picture after the Broncos defeated the Patriots. ~ ~ 7. New York Jets (6-5)• Lead the Steelers for the No. 7 position because of conference record (5-4 to 3-4). rest of above article : > http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-playoff-picture--who-needs-what-to-reach-the-postseason-074412089.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 The top three teams in the AFC are clear; the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos each have at least a 98 percent chance to make the playoffs and an 86 percent chance to finish the year as one of the top three seeds in the conference, according to NFL FPI.After those teams, however, the AFC is wide open. Currently, there are seven teams with a 6-5 or 5-6 record vying for the AFC’s final three playoff spots. If the playoffs started today, the Indianapolis Colts (6-5), Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) and Houston Texans (6-5) would make the postseason, but with five weeks remaining in the season, a lot can change. Which teams will be there in the end? Let’s break it down with the help of ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Chiefs have the best chance (85 percent) among those contenders to make the playoffs. They rank fifth in NFL FPI and have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL. Given its team strength and future schedule, FPI projects that Kansas City has a 20 percent chance to win out and end the season 11-5.The Colts have the next-best chance (72 percent) to make the playoffs because of their high likelihood (70 percent) to win their division. Indianapolis currently holds the tiebreaker over Houston and has a 66 percent chance to beat Houston at home in Week 15. A few weeks ago there was about a one-in-four chance that the AFC South winner would end the year with fewer than eight wins, but after recent surges by the Colts and Texans, there is now an 11 percent chance that both Houston and Indianapolis make the playoffs.The last wild-card spot appears to be wide open. The Pittsburgh Steelers (40 percent), Texans (38 percent), New York Jets (33 percent) and Buffalo Bills (22 percent) are all still very much alive for the playoffs.The Texans have the most to gain with a win this weekend; if they beat the Bills, their chances of making the playoffs will rise to approximately 60 percent, according to FPI, but if they lose, those chances will fall to about 26 percent. Similarly, the Jets (at Giants), Steelers (versus Colts) and Bills (versus Texans) would all see their playoff chances increase by about 10 or 11 percentage points with a win. For a full explanation on how the FPI is put together, please read this explainer. For more background, you can also read this Q&A with the developers of the FPI. The offensive, defensive and special teams breakdown can also be found here. Matchups to watch in Week 13 Top Game: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings - Vikings: 50.2 percent chance to win/tie (0.1 predicted point differential) - Highest pregame matchup quality of the week (71.6 on 0-100 scale) - Predicted to be closest remaining game of the year - Seahawks: approximately 83 percent chance to make playoffs if they win, about 43 percent chance if they lose (currently 63 percent chance, fifth in NFC) Monday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - Redskins: 53 percent chance to win (0.9 predicted point differential) - Redskins: 39 percent chance to win NFC East (best in division). - Redskins: approximately 54 percent chance to win NFC East if they win, about a 22 percent chance if they lose - Cowboys: Chance for top 5 pick will rise to approximately 67 percent with a loss (currently 49 percent, fifth in NFL) Game with greatest playoff impact: New York Jets at New York Giants - Jets: 56 percent chance to win (2.0 predicted point differential) - Jets: approximately 44 percent chance to make playoffs if they win, about a 22 percent chance if they lose (currently 33 percent chance, eighth in AFC) - Giants: approximately 46 percent chance to make playoffs if they win, about a 21 percent chance if they lose (currently 33 percent chance, seventh in NFC) > http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/112094/fpi-breaks-down-the-afc-wild-card-race Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIJetsFan Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 So this is really a playoff game for both teams, sweet. Can't wait, go Jets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 So this is really a playoff game for both teams, sweet. Can't wait, go Jets! ..jets by 10 cheers ~ ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 Best-case, worst-case scenarios for all 32 teams > http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/32for32x151202/best-case-worst-case-scenarios-all-32-teams-nfl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 — Their 23-20 overtime win "at" the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium did more than earn the Jets local bragging rights. It also put the Jets back in control of their playoff destiny. If the season were to end Monday—which, it must be emphasized, it doesn't—the Jets (7-5) would be the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.And just to drive home how quickly the playoff scenarios can change in the parity-ridden NFL, the Jets' opponent in the wild-card round would be the Patriots (10-2). Seven days ago, the Patriots looked like they had a chance to go undefeated. Now, they've fallen behind the Bengals (10-2) and Broncos (10-2) to become the No. 3 seed.There are four games remaining, so much can change. But at the moment, the Jets are tied with the Chiefs (7-5) and Steelers (7-5) for the AFC's two wild-card spots. The Chiefs would win the three-way tiebreaker (and the No. 5 seed) by virtue of their 6-2 record within the conference. The Jets would then win the tiebreaker for the No. 6 seed because they are 5-4 against the AFC to the Steelers' 4-4.Right behind the Chiefs, Jets, and Steelers are the Bills (6-6) and Texans (6-6), both of whom have beaten the Jets this season.The Texans and Colts are tied for first in the AFC South, but the Colts would win out because they have a win in hand against the Texans. A look at the remaining schedules for the top contenders in the AFC wild-card hunt: Colts (6-6)* Sunday: at Jaguars (4-8)Dec. 20: Texans (6-6)Dec. 27: at Dolphins (5-7)Jan. 3: Titans (3-9) Chiefs (7-5) Sunday: Chargers (3-9)Dec. 20: at Ravens (4-8)Dec. 27: Browns (2-10)Jan. 3: Raiders (5-7) Jets (7-5) Sunday: Titans (3-9)Dec. 19: at Cowboys (3-8)Dec. 27: Patriots (10-2)Jan. 3: at Bills (6-6) Steelers (7-5) Sunday: at Bengals (10-2)Dec. 20: Broncos (10-2)Dec. 27: at Ravens (4-8)Jan. 3: at Browns (2-10) Bills (6-6) Sunday: at Eagles (5-7)Dec. 20: at Washington (5-6)Dec. 27: Cowboys (3-8)Jan. 3: Jets (7-5) Texans (6-6) Sunday: Patriots (10-2)Dec. 20: at Colts (6-6)Dec. 27: at Titans (3-9)Jan. 3: at Jaguars (4-8) Raiders (5-7) Dec. 13: at Broncos (9-2)Dec. 20: Packers (7-4)Dec. 24: Chargers (3-9)Jan. 3: at Chiefs (7-5) Dolphins (5-7) Dec. 14: Giants (5-7)Dec. 20: at Chargers (3-9)Dec. 27: Colts (6-6)Jan. 3: Patriots (10-2) * Division leader based on tiebreakers > http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/12/where_are_jets_in_afc_playoff_race_after_beating_g.html#incart_river_index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Down the stretch they come. The Jets’ overtime win over the Giants on Sunday sets up a fun December with Gang Green in the thick of the AFC wild-card race. At 7-5, the Jets are tied with the Chiefs and Steelers and one game ahead of the Texans and Bills in the chase for the two wild-card spots. Just don’t tell the Jets about the playoffs. They were in prime “one game at a time” mode on Monday. “We have four weeks left,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “We have to take them one game at a time. We can’t look ahead or look around or look behind us. We’ve just got to stay on course and do the things to get better and win.”The best scenario for the Jets is obviously to win out and finish 11-5, but even then they could miss out on the postseason. If the Steelers and Chiefs also win out and the three teams finished tied, the Chiefs (conference record) and Steelers (record vs. common opponents) would hold the tiebreakers.That scenario seems highly unlikely with the Steelers facing the Bengals and Broncos in the next two weeks, but both Pittsburgh and Kansas City finishing 10-6 is a realistic possibility and the tiebreaker would cost the Jets. The AFC South race could be a huge factor for the Jets, too. The Colts and Texans are both 6-6. They play each other in two weeks in what could be a de facto division title game. The Jets should be rooting for the Texans to win the division, because they lose a tiebreaker with them (head-to-head loss) but hold it over the Colts (head-to-head win).Rex Ryan’s Bills also loom as a huge hurdle for the Jets to clear with their Week 17 meeting in Buffalo. The Bills hold the tiebreaker at the moment with their win last month over the Jets, but if the Jets beat them in Week 17 and both finish with the same record, the Jets likely would get the edge because of conference record (assuming the Jets can’t lose two AFC games and remain in contention). All of this won’t mean much if the Jets don’t take care of the dismal Titans at home on Sunday, something that was clearly the message around the team Monday.“We can’t look ahead without taking care of what’s in front of you first,” nose tackle Damon Harrison said. “This week it’s on to the next opponent. I don’t look at the playoff position. I don’t know where we stand. I just know we’re right in the mix with some teams. If we don’t handle the next game, it doesn’t mean anything.”The Jets are feeling good after their comeback win over the crosstown-rival Giants and they now set themselves up for the stretch run. For quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, this is his first taste of a playoff push. He had never won more than six games before as a starting quarterback. “This whole year has been awesome and a lot of it is just the team that we have,” Fitzpatrick said. “Coming to work every day is great because we have guys that love the game of football and love playing together. It’s great to be in this situation. To be able to play meaningful games in December, that’s always the goal. It will be a lot more fun if we continue to win.”Fitzpatrick admitted he did some scoreboard watching Sunday to see what the other teams around the Jets in the standings were doing. Bowles said he’s not focused on anyone other than the Jets. “You know where you’re at, but if you don’t win your games you’re not going to be there long,” Bowles said. “We control our own destiny. We understand that. We have to win out and try to get in there.” > http://nypost.com/2015/12/07/jets-wild-stretch-run-will-be-a-mix-of-tiebreakers-and-must-wins/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The wild card races are wide open now that the Falcons and Jets are on losing streaks. The wild card races are exciting all of a sudden with six games left to play. Just two weeks ago there were exactly two teams in each conference with a winning record but not a division lead. The wild card races were far from finished, but slip-ups from the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons or one of the teams at the top of the NFC North were the only way teams hovering around .500 were going to have a chance. Thanks to losses in Weeks 10 and 11 for both the Jets and Falcons, that door was left wide open. The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams both are on three-game losing streaks and failed to take advantage of that opportunity, creating tight wild card races in both conferences.In the NFC, 13 of the conference's 16 teams are no more than two games out of the playoff race and even the three 3-7 NFC teams are only three games back. If the Buffalo Bills lose to the New England Patriots on Monday, it will be the exact same margin for the three 2-8 AFC teams, and 12 teams will be no more than a game back. AFC Wild Card race Team Record GB Streak Steelers 6-4 -- W2 Bills 5-4 -- W2 Texans* 5-5 0.5 W3 Jets 5-5 0.5 L2 Chiefs 5-5 0.5 W4 Jaguars 4-6 1.5 W2 Dolphins 4-6 1.5 L1 Raiders 4-6 1.5 L3 *Tied with Colts for division lead It's premature to work out tiebreakers with so many teams in the hunt, but several head-to-head matchups have already happened between the eight teams within two games of the wild card. The Bills and Texans have beaten the Jets, the Chiefs have beaten the Steelers and Texans, and important games like one between the Bills and Chiefs in Week 12 are still on the horizon. The Jets are in danger of dipping under .500 for the first time this season after four losses in the last five weeks, including three against teams in the wild card race. None of the next four opponents for New York have a winning record, but the Bills and Texans didn't either when they each dealt the Jets a loss to knock them from the AFC Wild Card lead.At the top are the Steelers, who have survived injuries to Ben Roethlisberger, but the next four weeks are brutal. After a road trip to play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, the Steelers play the Colts, Bengals and Broncos, three of the four division leaders in the AFC.That leaves the door open for absolutely anyone in the AFC to string together wins. Proving most capable of doing that so far have been the Chiefs, Texans and Jaguars. Kansas City has won four straight after a rough start to the year and are feeling especially confident after a 33-3 dismantling of the Chargers on Sunday."When we play like this, it doesn't matter who we play against — we're unstoppable," Chiefs defensive end Mike DeVito told The Kansas City Star. "With the way our schedule has been ... we've been in playoff mode for the last three or four weeks."Next up for the Chiefs is a chance to take the AFC Wild Card lead for themselves in a Week 12 game against the Bills, followed by five consecutive games against teams with losing records, including two games against the Raiders. NFC Wild Card race Team Record GB Streak Vikings 7-3 -- L1 Falcons 6-4 -- L3 Buccaneers 5-5 1 W2 Seahawks 5-5 1 W1 Rams 4-6 2 L3 Washington 4-6 2 L1 Bears 4-6 2 L1 Saints 4-6 2 L2 Eagles 4-6 2 L2 While the AFC features a few hot teams closing the gap, the story in the NFC has been the inability of anybody to take advantage of Atlanta's slide. The Buccaneers are the only team in the NFC Wild Card hunt that has managed to win in each of the last two weeks.But as long as the Falcons keep losing, the entire NFC is in the hunt. The Atlanta offense had four turnovers in a loss to the Buccaneers, looked entirely ineffective against the 49ers and came out of a bye with another four turnovers against the Colts on Sunday. At least one or two of those games should have been easy wins for the Falcons, but now they're in trouble with games against the Vikings, Buccaneers and Panthers in the next three weeks. "We were 5-0, we were on our high horses, and everyone was praising us and whatever, but now, you see everyone's true colors," Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones said. "People will talk poorly about you, but we have to stay tight here. We have to continue to keep working because we are still in it. We need to get on a roll."The Buccaneers, who already have a win against the Falcons and can make it a season sweep in Week 13, have forced a turnover in every week and created four against the Eagles on Sunday. The question is whether Jameis Winston can replicate the type of performances he had against Washington and Philadelphia, and avoid the showings he had against Carolina and Dallas.The Seahawks, who have led in the fourth quarter of every game this season, are also right behind the Falcons. Seattle's five losses are against teams with a combined 37-13 record and the Seahawks are statistically in the top 10 in both total offense and defense. The Seahawks still have games against tough teams like the Steelers, Vikings and Cardinals on the schedule. * * * With six weeks left, no team has clinched a spot in the postseason and no team has been eliminated. Only the New England Patriots have the chance to clinch in Week 12, and no team has a chance at being eliminated. Not even the 2-8 Chargers, Browns or Titans.Since the second wild card was added to the NFL playoffs in 1978, six teams have won the Super Bowl despite not winning their divisions. The most recent examples were the 2010 Green Bay Packers and 2007 New York Giants who each won three of their last five regular season games to enter the postseason on a high note. The door is open for any team to get hot and put together a winning streak to claim wild card spots that are suddenly up for grabs. > http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/11/23/9782596/2015-nfl-playoff-picture-standings-week-11-wild-card Nice Historical piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer Currently, the Jets hold the No. 6 in the AFC playoff race, but it doesn't mean they control their own destiny. If the Jets, Chiefs and Steelers win out to finish 11-5, the Chiefs and Steelers would get the Wild-card spots based on conference record and record vs. common opponents, respectively. > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 Clear as mud, the NFL playoff picture oozes into Week 14. Sure, Carolina punched its ticket Sunday with a division-clinching thriller in New Orleans, but last week raised more questions than it answered. Questions like … What the heck happened in New England ? Does anyone even want to win the NFC East ? How long is the list of teams that are going to regret letting Seattle back into this thing ? With four weeks to go, the playoff picture is as zany as ever. That’s why the Mora Scale -- named in memory of former Colts coach Jim Mora’s indelible, incredulous p-p-playoffs!!! news conference of yore -- is here to help direct your weekend viewing around the mid-December games that have the most to do with January. FOUR MORAS – Games with major playoff implications for both teams. Minnesota Vikings (8-4) at Arizona Cardinals (10-2): Second straight week in this spot for the Vikings, but they sure didn’t look ready to hang with the big boys Sunday. Still shaking off Seattle’s beatdown, the Vikes have to turn it around quickly. A Thursday night date in the desert with an Arizona team trying to lock down a bye is a chance to show whether they’re really for real or whether we need to dock them a few Moras next week. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (10-2): Tune in for the latest edition of “Andy Dalton: Referendum.” A win clinches the AFC North and a fifth consecutive postseason berth for the Bengals, who made the playoffs a total of five times in the 29 years before they drafted Dalton. A loss ensures weeks of tortured, told-you-so proclamations that Dalton can’t win the games that matter. The Steelers are in it, too, but are they legit? Only the Colts, Giants and Saints have allowed more passing yards. New England Patriots (10-2) at Houston Texans (6-6): I checked to find the last time the Patriots lost three in a row. It was 2002, and it was actually four in a row -- the fourth to the Broncos. What’s left of the game story on ESPN.com says this: “Clinton Portis ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, Ed McCaffrey caught eight passes for 115 yards, and Brian Griese completed 18 of 23 passes for 229 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Shannon Sharpe.” I know what you’re thinking. They really used the serial comma in game stories back then? Talk about the dark ages. THREE MORAS – Both teams are still in the fight, but at least one could use some smelling salts or something. Atlanta Falcons (6-6) at Carolina Panthers (12-0): These teams play twice in the next three weeks. There was a time in mid-October when everyone was wondering whether the Cubs could win the World Series and whether the Falcons and Panthers would both still be undefeated by the time they faced off. The answer was no. Sour old Mercury Morris is rooting for a team that’s lost five in a row and won’t get any Moras next week unless it swings the upset of the year. Dallas Cowboys (4-8) at Green Bay Packers (8-4): I know, right??? Wasn’t long ago you were slipping into a tryptophan coma thinking, “Welp. That does it for the Cowboys.” But no! Dallas is like an old garbage can you keep putting on the curb and no one will take it away because they don’t take the cans. Monday Night’s gift from Washington moved the Pokes within one game of the heinous three-way tie atop the NFC East, and if the Packers’ bus gets lost on the way to Lambeau Field, who knows? Buffalo Bills (6-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-7): “I mean, you all know who’s next,” LeSean McCoy said after Buffalo’s game Sunday. Shady might not be able to motor the Bills into the playoffs, but you know he’s going to do everything he can to make sure Chip Kelly doesn’t get there either. TWO MORAS – Some of these teams are still in it, but they don’t always look as if they want to be. New York Giants (5-7) at Miami Dolphins (5-7): By the time this week’s Monday Night Football matchup kicks off, the Giants will know whether they need to win to keep pace in the NFC East race or whether they can lose and still remain tied for first at 5-8. I can’t believe I just wrote that. That is just so, so sad. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about something else. Indianapolis Colts (6-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8): This division’s not much better. If the Colts lose and the Texans lose to the Patriots … yeah, the math holds up … the Jags would be a game out of first place in the AFC South with three to play. BREAKING: There are going to be some bad teams in this year’s playoffs. Tennessee Titans (3-9) at New York Jets (7-5): Did you know the Jets used to be called the Titans? And the Titans used to be called the Houston Oilers? Ryan Fitzpatrick used to play for the Houston Texans, who are one of the teams the Jets are fighting for a wild card spot. That’s like six degrees of Mora Scale. Or three, at least. Something. Seattle Seahawks (7-5) at Baltimore Ravens (4-8): Remember what we said above about the Cowboys being the old garbage can you can’t throw out? Well, the 2015 Seahawks are kind of like that. Except when you turn the can over, a rabid badger sneak-attacks you, scratches up your face and goes back to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row. San Diego Chargers (3-9) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-5): The Chiefs were 1-5 after six games. The combined record of their four remaining opponents is 14-34. If you have friends who are Chiefs fans, you can go ahead and get them playoff tickets for Christmas. Washington Redskins (5-7) at Chicago Bears (5-7): In which I have run out of NFC East jokes. New Orleans Saints (4-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6): A reach? Maybe. But the Bucs are only a game out of a spot, and this matchup portends the biggest passing game of Jameis Winston’s career so far. ONE MORA – Games that matter for seeding only Oakland Raiders (5-7) at Denver Broncos (10-2): That Week 15 game against the Bengals still looks like it’ll have first-round bye implications for the Broncos. This one is about Brock Osweiler not messing things up in the meantime. > http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/191098/using-the-jim-mora-scale-we-break-down-week-14s-nfl-p-p-p-playoff-implications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 The Jets on Sunday won their second straight game, 23-20 in overtime against the Giants, to improve to 7-5. With four regular season games remaining, the Jets are very much in contention for one of the AFC's two wild card spots. So will they make the playoffs? Here's what the folks at numberFire.com say: Projected win total: 9.21 (increase of 0.48 wins) Chance to make playoffs: 48.04 percent (increase of 6.06 percent) Chance to get wild card spot: 47.74 percent (increase of 5.76 percent) Chance to win AFC East: 0.3 percent (increase of 0.3 percent) Chance to reach Super Bowl: 4.02 percent (increase of 1.38 percent) Chance to win Super Bowl: 1.64 percent (increase of 0.52 percent) Power ranking: 9th (Jets were 8th last week) Agree with this? Disagree? Sound off down in the comments. > http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/12/despite_win_over_giants_jets_chances_of_making_pla.html#incart_river_index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Will the Jets miss the playoffs ... again ? NFL Nation reporter Rich Cimini projects that New York will split its remaining four regular season games to finish 9-7, just missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year. Late-season predictions > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 re the Jets playoff bound? The Jets coasted to an easy 30-8 victory over the Titans, improving their record to 8-5. If the season ended today, who would they face in the wild-card round? Playoff picture > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 15, 2015 Author Share Posted December 15, 2015 -- The New York Jets could finish 11-5 and still miss the playoffs. Such is the reality of the wild-card chase in the AFC. The Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers -- all 8-5 -- are the prime contenders for the two wild-card spots. If they all win out, the Jets will be the odd team out based on a three-way tiebreaker with the Chiefs and Steelers. It's a quirky situation because, as of this moment, the Jets hold the No. 6 seed. In theory, they could lose ground even if they continue to win. Why? Because they'd lose out to the Chiefs based on conference record and they'd lose out to the Steelers based on record against common opponents. The Jets are 6-4 in the conference, while the Chiefs are 7-2. The Steelers are 5-4. Only one 11-win team has failed to make the playoffs under the current format, which began in 2002 -- the 2008 New England Patriots. That year, an injured Tom Brady was replaced by understudy Matt Cassel, whom the Jets face Saturday night in Dallas.Could the Jets sneak in with a 10-6 record? It's possible, especially if they're tied with the Steelers, but they'd have to win their final two conference games. Their opponents: the Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Based on the remaining strength of schedule, the Chiefs have a clear advantage over the Jets and Steelers. The Chiefs' schedule: at the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders. Combined winning percentage: .333, the lowest in the NFL.The Jets' schedule: at the Dallas Cowboys, Patriots and at the Bills. Combined winning percentage: .538. The Steelers' schedule: Denver Broncos, at the Ravens and at the Browns. Combined winning percentage: .436. So, no, the Jets don't control their own destiny. "It's what we were dealt and the bed we made ourselves," coach Todd Bowles said. "We understand that, and we're just going to continue to get better as a team and just take it one game at a time. We're not going to worry about what happens at the end." > http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/57102/playoff-picture-jets-could-lose-out-even-if-they-keep-winning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 Will the Jets get left out in the cold? Football Outsiders thinks so. The Jets currently hold the last wild-card spot in the AFC, but their playoff odds are actually under 30 percent. Aaron Schatz explains. Playoff odds report (Insider) > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 his first season as a head coach, Todd Bowles isn't playing games with three games to play. His rookie coaching campaign with the New York Jets has been a wild one. Early on in training camp, Bowles saw his starting quarterback break his jaw via an in-house dispute and his two best defensive linemen hold out and get suspended. But the Jets veered at the fork and have put together a successful, if not wildly inconsistent season, led by backup-turned-starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's electric connection with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Going into Saturday's primetime clash with the Dallas Cowboys exclusively on NFL Network, the Jets sit at 8-5, temporarily claiming the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. Bowles can taste his first postseason, and he's not taking any chances with motivating his team. "We definitely have to win out," Bowles said of the Jets' playoff hopes. Maybe he's just using coach-speak to stir his team's confidence going into the home stretch, but it also appears that Bowles is scoreboard-watching. While the Jets sit in the sixth seed now, a perfect finish to the season wouldn't even guarantee them a seat in the postseason. New York is flanked by the 8-5 Chiefs and the 8-5 Steelers, both of whom just so happen to be the hottest teams in the AFC. Kansas City has won its last seven contests and its last three games come against teams with combined records of 13-26. The Steelers' toughest test comes this week in a home bout with the Broncos; they play the Ravens and Browns away in consecutive weeks to close out the season. The kicker for Bowles and the Jets is that if the Chiefs and, more importantly, the Steelers win out, New York will fall back out of the playoffs due to their record against common opponents. Even if they take care of Dallas and then finish with division wins over New England and Buffalo, their destiny is out of their control. If veteran Gang Green members know anything, it's that teams nearly written out of the picture can catch fire and turn the tables quickly. The '09 Jets were cast off following a Week 15 loss to the Falcons -- after which Rex Ryan famously declared, "We're obviously out of the playoffs" -- before a perfect finish and good fortune launched a AFC Championship game run. "You can win one any year," cornerback Darrelle Revis said. "Once you get in the Big Dance, anything can happen. We went to AFC Championship games by barely getting in. Anything can happen. We clicked at the right time later in the season when made those runs to the AFC Championship game, so anything can happen." There's still a lot of (Fitz)magic left in this 2015 season, but the Jets won't extend their run toward Santa Clara without a few favors from the football gods and/or Johnny Manziel and Jimmy Clausen. > http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000604062/article/todd-bowles-jets-definitely-have-to-win-out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer The Jets (9-5) lost ground by winning. They were dealt a blow with the Broncos squandering a 17-point lead and losing to the Steelers (9-5). As a result, the Jets no longer hold the No. 6 seed. The Steelers move into the 6 spot because of a common-opponents tiebreaker over the Jets. At this point, the Jets might be better off if the Chiefs (9-5) overtake the Broncos (10-4) in the West, putting the Broncos in the Wild-card mix. Right now, the Jets have the tiebreaker on the Broncos. > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simijet Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer The Jets (9-5) lost ground by winning. They were dealt a blow with the Broncos squandering a 17-point lead and losing to the Steelers (9-5). As a result, the Jets no longer hold the No. 6 seed. The Steelers move into the 6 spot because of a common-opponents tiebreaker over the Jets. At this point, the Jets might be better off if the Chiefs (9-5) overtake the Broncos (10-4) in the West, putting the Broncos in the Wild-card mix. Right now, the Jets have the tiebreaker on the Broncos. > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Looking at the schedules and how teams are playing, it seems as if the Jets best chance to make the playoffs is via the Broncos collapse. Next week the biggest game (besides the Jets-Pats) is the Bengals-Broncos . . . it could potentially put the Jets back in the driver's seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 Not so much drama in the AFC ? Despite the Chiefs, Steelers and Jets all vying for two wild-card spots at 9-5, FPI has Kansas City and Pittsburgh pegged as clear-cut favorites to make the postseason over New York. > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmaster2 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 looks like the jets are not going to get the wild card, the Jets should of won the first bills game ,can down to poor coaching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 Jets could go 11-5 and miss playoffs It's hard to believe, but the Jets actually moved OUT of a playoff spot with Sunday's win. And thanks to cupcake schedules for the Chiefs and Steelers (both face the Browns), N.Y. remains a postseason long shot. NFL Playoff Machine > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whodeawhodat Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Jets could go 11-5 and miss playoffs It's hard to believe, but the Jets actually moved OUT of a playoff spot with Sunday's win. And thanks to cupcake schedules for the Chiefs and Steelers (both face the Browns), N.Y. remains a postseason long shot. NFL Playoff Machine > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Hope Johhny Football has some of that bowl game magic left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 With two weeks to play, the New York Jets (9-5) do not control their own playoff destiny, meaning they could finish 11-5 and miss the tournament.Let's review the various scenarios, keeping in mind the tiebreaker situations. The Jets would lose tiebreakers with the 9-5 Kansas City Chiefs (conference record) and 9-5 Pittsburgh Steelers (common opponents), but they'd win a tiebreaker with the 10-4 Denver Broncos (conference record). A closer look : If the Jets beat the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills to finish 11-5, they need ...: One loss by the Chiefs or Steelers or Broncos. It's important to note the Chiefs hold a tiebreaker over the Broncos, so the Chiefs would win the AFC West if they both finish with the same record. If the Broncos end up 11-5 and lose the division, they'd be the odd-team out because they'd also lose a tiebreaker to the Jets. The Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals this week, which looks to be the Jets' best hope of seeing Denver -- or any of the other wild-card contenders -- take a loss. If the Jets split their remaining two games and wind up 10-6, they need ...: Two losses by the Chiefs or Steelers or Broncos. It's highly unlikely that one of these teams would lose twice, considering their weak schedules. The Chiefs face the Cleveland Browns (3-11) and Oakland Raiders (6-8) at home; the Steelers have the Baltimore Ravens (4-10) on the road and the Browns at home; and the Broncos play the Bengals (11-3) and San Diego Chargers (4-10) at home. Bottom line : The Jets really, really need to beat the Patriots on Sunday. > http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/57277/taking-a-closer-look-at-how-the-jets-can-make-the-playoffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Harper Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I'm happy the Jets are playing well and moving in the right direction. I believe that one of the Chiefs or Broncos or Steelers will lose a game. But I will not allow myself to get excited about any of this until the Jets beat the Pats on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Could this be the end of the Mora Scale? Depending on the results of this weekend's games, all 12 NFL p-p-playoffs!!! spots could be wrapped up with a week to go. While that possibility makes us melancholy about next week, it sure is an exciting thing to know about this week. And besides, the NFC East will take care of us, right? No way that just gets wrapped up neatly with a week to go. Anyway, in honor of former Colts coach Jim Mora's most famous news conference -- and possibly for the last time in 2015 -- we present this week's rundown of the games with playoff implications. FOUR MORAS: Games with significant playoff implications for both teams Washington Redskins (7-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-8): It starts out simple. With a win in Philly on Saturday night, Washington is the 2015 NFC East champion -- and as a bonus, guaranteed not to finish under .500 as we've all long assumed the NFC champion would! But if the Eagles win this one, all they have to do is beat the Giants next week to win the division. And if Washington loses this one and next week, and the Giants win this week and beat the Eagles next week, then the Giants win the division at 8-8. And if this game ends in a tie ... ah, forget it. Just remember it started out simple. Cincinnati Bengals (11-3) at Denver Broncos (10-4): No Andy Dalton again, but maybe Peyton Manning? This juicy Monday Night Football matchup drips with playoff implications. A Cincy win gives the Bengals a first-round bye and another week to get Dalton healthy. A Denver win opens up the AFC North for the Steelers to steal. A Denver loss puts the Broncos in jeopardy of losing the division to the Chiefs and missing the playoffs completely. And even if you forget all of that, think of the fantasy championships that are going to come down to this game. No, don't throw it to Emmanuel Sanders, throw it to Demaryius Thomas!!! Ahhhhhh!!! New England Patriots (12-2) at New York Jets (9-5): A win gives the Patriots home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, AGAIN, and yet a good chunk of the conference is rooting for them in this game. A Jets loss could conceivably help the Broncos, Steelers and Chiefs lock up playoff spots this week. Also, the Jets could win out and miss the playoffs with an 11-5 record, which is so Jets. Except for the 11-5 part. New York Giants (6-8) at Minnesota Vikings (9-5)*: The asterisk means this could drop to a three-Mora game or even a two-Mora game depending on Saturday's result. If Washington wins Saturday, the Giants are eliminated from playoff contention, though you could argue the same happens if Odell Beckham Jr. loses his appeal. The Vikings clinch a playoff spot with a win, but again, that could be irrelevant, because a win earlier in the day by either Carolina or Seattle would lock up Minnesota's spot by kickoff Sunday night. So we reserve the right to take away Moras. THREE MORAS: Both teams are still in contention, but at least one could use a rope or something to grab on to Carolina Panthers (14-0) at Atlanta Falcons (7-7): Technically not out yet, Atlanta needs a series of Christmas miracles in order to come back to playoff life. The toughest may be beating an undefeated division rival that just clobbered them 38-0 two weeks ago. Be careful of that Josh Norman guy. I hear he's an instigator. TWO MORAS: One of the these teams is in it, the other is booking cruise reservations Houston Texans (7-7) at Tennessee Titans (3-11): The biannual battle between two teams I always get mixed up when I'm typing. Kind of like "biannual" and "biennial," except with T's. No mixing up what's on the field, though, as Houston wins the division with a win and a Colts loss. Tennessee (which used to play in Houston) is homing in on the No. 1 pick. Cleveland Browns (3-11) at Kansas City Chiefs (9-5): The Chiefs haven't lost since the Falcons were 5-1, Kirk Cousins was a punchline and Johnny Manziel was still on the bench. Or was he in October? I forget. We were all so young. Anyway, K.C. still has a shot at the division if the Broncos muck it up. And they clinch their playoff spot if they win here and either the Jets or Steelers lose. Indianapolis Colts (6-8) at Miami Dolphins (5-9): Out of quarterbacks and almost out of time, Indy needs a win and a bunch of help, or next week's going to be all about what kind of general manager Peyton Manning would make. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) at Baltimore Ravens (4-10): Baltimore's injured reserve list would be a tougher game for the red-hot Steelers, who get in if they win and the Jets lose. ONE MORA: Games that matters for seeding purposes only St. Louis Rams (6-8) at Seattle Seahawks (9-5): Jeff Fisher didn't say anything this week about whether Russell Wilson is a top quarterback, right? Asking for a friend. Green Bay Packers (10-4) at Arizona Cardinals (12-2): Both teams are in already, but the Packers could still steal the No. 2 seed away from Arizona if they win here and things break right for them next week. Aaron Rodgers doesn't have a 300-yard game since Week 10 and only has three all year. Can he start a hot streak in the desert? > http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/192936/using-the-jim-mora-scale-we-break-down-week-16-nfl-p-p-p-playoff-implications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Jets have laundry list of ways to get in The Jets need some help, but they will clinch a playoff berth if any of these scenarios plays out : Win last 2 games + DEN loses 1 of last 2 games OR Win last 2 games + PIT loses 1 of last 2 games OR Win last 2 games + KC loses 1 of last 2 games OR Win 1 of last 2 games + DEN loses last 2 games OR Win 1 of last 2 games + PIT loses last 2 games OR Win 1 of last 2 games + KC loses last 2 games NFL playoff machine > http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 -- The Patriots gave the Jets the ball, and New York might carry it right into the playoffs. Eric Decker's 6-yard touchdown catch on the first drive of overtime -- after New England stunningly chose to kick off -- lifted the Jets to a 26-20 victory Sunday that put New York in position to make the playoffs. A win next week at Buffalo gives the Jets a wild-card berth. "It was thrilling," Decker said. "Those are the moments that you cherish." New England (12-3) won the overtime coin toss and elected to kick to the Jets (10-5). Patriots coach Bill Belichick (BeliKICK?) said there was "no confusion" on the call; he'd done it once before in 2013, but a hefty wind was involved against Denver. That decision worked, this one flopped.Special teams captain Matthew Slater called heads and won the toss. He told referee Clete Blakeman the Patriots wanted to kick in a specific direction. But once he said they wanted to kick, whatever followed didn't matter, according to NFL officiating chief Dean Blandino. "I just thought we would be able to choose the direction we kicked off from," Slater said.It was the third time since the 2012 rule change a team chose to kick off for OT. The other times, New England and Minnesota, were winners. New York used a career-long 48-yard reception by Quincy Enunwa and a 20-yard pass to Brandon Marshall to move into scoring position. And then, Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Decker on a fade behind Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler for New York's fifth straight victory."The last five weeks, they've all kind of been do-or-die games for us, so that's how we've approached each one," Fitzpatrick said. "We've got to get the next one to get in and that's how we'll view it. This is a fun run." Marshall had two touchdown catches and also became the first NFL player with 100 receptions in six seasons. Fitzpatrick tied a franchise record with 29 TD throws this season.Neither has been to the playoffs in a combined 21 pro seasons."It feels real good," Marshall said. "I'm so proud of my teammates. ... I've never been more proud to be on a ballclub like this." Tom Brady hit James White for a 9-yard score with 1:55 to go, forcing OT. That was the only drive on which Brady got comfortable against an aggressive defense that pressured and hit him all game.It was also the most impact Rob Gronkowski had for the undermanned Patriots, who were missing top wideouts Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. The tight end had an 8-yard reception on fourth-and-1, then a 26-yarder to set up the touchdown. "I think we have some mental toughness," Brady said. "A lot of guys have been in and out of the lineup. We have a lot of guys coming in off the street trying to play." New England was surprisingly conservative on offense in the first quarter, then went the other way in the second period. Brady threw deep for the first time, connecting with Gronkowski, early in the quarter. The next play was a flea flicker that failed, followed by a reverse to Brandon LaFell for 9 yards and a run out of the wildcat by running back Brandon Bolden -- with Brady spread wide right.Some normalcy returned on fourth down with Brady's pass to James White for 13 yards, but New York's defense held and Stephen Gostkowski made a 35-yard field goal. He also kicked a 44-yarder. The Jets weren't restrained on offense even after top back Chris Ivory left in the second quarter with a right knee problem. With strong contributions from Bilal Powell and former Patriot Stevan Ridley, the Jets marched 80 yards and went ahead 10-3 on Marshall's 2-yard reception, when he stretched his long right arm over the goal line before going out of bounds.The halftime margin was New York's biggest over the Patriots since a 2010 playoff game the Jets won in Foxborough. Their other points came on Randy Bullock's field goals of 30 and 49 yards.Ivory returned in the second half and Marshall's 33-yard TD reception on which he appeared to push off safety Duron Harmon made it 17-3. It was his career-best 13th TD catch of the season and his 99th reception overall. Jamie Collins' 14-yard fumble return on a third-quarter sack of Fitzpatrick by Jabaal Sheard made it 17-13. The nervousness among Jets fans in the crowd was palpable at that point. It was over the edge in the Patriots' 66-yard drive to tie it.But when Decker scored, Jets players stormed the field, leaping and hugging as if they'd made the playoffs. Could happen, thanks greatly to their archrival's overtime decision. Game notesNew England sustained more injuries. OT Sebastian Vollmer (leg) left in the first quarter and OT LaAdrian Waddle (shoulder) went out in the fourth period, as did DB Justin Coleman (head). ... Fitzpatrick tied the team touchdown passing record by Vinny Testaverde in 1998. ... Marshall had eight receptions for 115 yards, Fitzpatrick threw for 296 yards. ... Brady went 22 of 31 for 231 yards, one TD and an interception by Darrelle Revis. > http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=400791515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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