" Wild Card " dept. ~ ~ ~

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The scenario is clear. If the Jets defeat or tie the Bills Sunday in Buffalo, they will earn a postseason berth for the first time since 2010.“That’s all you can ask for,” said first-year head coach Todd Bowles. “We have to get in and get to work and get ready to go to Buffalo and play a tough game.”Keeping their collective head down, New York’s AFC representative has run off five consecutive wins. And they got the assist they needed before Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Eric Decker for the OT game-winner Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens upset the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“It’s great, but we have to get the job done. We have to work hard this week and go to Buffalo with a million different story lines there,” Fitzpatrick said following the Green & White’s dramatic 26-20 victory over the Patriots. “We have to win the game. (I’m) excited that that’s kind of figured out at this point that we do control our own destiny, but we have to take care of business.”If the Jets win, they’ll either enter the postseason as the AFC’s No. 5 or No. 6 seed. (The 10-5 Chiefs currently are the AFC’s No. 5 seed based on their 8-2 conference mark.) It appears the Houston Texans, who currently are the conference’s No. 4 seed, are locked in there barring something slightly miraculous.  With the AFC North leading Bengals (11-3) and the AFC West leading Broncos (10-4) set for a huge conference showdown Monday night, things could become even more well-defined Tuesday.

The Green & White certainly has no plans on losing in B-Lo, but there are 2 scenarios where they would earn a wild card entry despite a loss. If the 10-4 Broncos lose both of their remaining games (vs. CIN, vs. SD) OR the 9-6 Steelers lose to the Browns in Cleveland, Todd Bowles’ club will play on Wild Card Weekend. At 10-6, the Jets would get the nod over the Broncos due to better conference record.

On Tuesday, we’ll examine how the Bengals-Chiefs outcome changed the conference landscape. But it’s very easy for the Jets – keep it simple and win in Western New York.“That’s what football is all about. We control our own destiny now,” said Decker. “(If) you take care of business, you allow yourself to keep playing in January. We know that we have a lot of work to do. Buffalo beat us last time here at home. We have to get a good week of prep and get ready to go on Sunday.”

>     http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-9/Jets-Have-Clear-Path-to-the-Playoffs/f5831a2e-a56e-4c78-86bc-6fbd61956890

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Jets' Final Playoff Scenarios

Summary : Green & White See Only One Road to the Postseason

The Todd Bowles mantra has not changed. While there are two possible scenarios where the Jets could earn a playoff berth on Sunday, Bowles only sees one. Beat the Buffalo Bills.

“There is no pressure on us. We know we have to win,” he told reporters during a Monday conference call. “We’ve been having to win the past four weeks, five weeks, so it’s no different going into Sunday.”

If New York’s AFC representative runs its win streak to six, the Jets will indeed gain playoff entry as an AFC wild card. But the Jets also will be eligible for postseason play if they fall in Buffalo and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose/tie to the Browns Sunday in Cleveland. But Bowles has never been concerned about any team other than his own club, a group that has dramatically turned things around after a pre-Thanksgiving 24-17 loss to the Texans left the Jets with a 5-5 mark.

“I just remember we weren’t playing well. There was a point where we were going back and forth. You can’t be a .500 team,” he recalled telling the players. “You either have to tread water and get worse or you can be get better as a team. We started playing better after that. I don’t know if (the speech) was the reason, but we started playing better after that.”

Behind an offense that has averaged 27.2 points and 423 yards during this five-game win streak, the Jets have become a well-balanced football team hitting its stride as December closes.“Well, it’s still a work in progress. I think we’re playing better and they’re coming together themselves,” Bowles told reporters. “As a coach, all you try to do is make them see what the vision is and then work towards getting there. A lot of that has to do with them trusting each other. Obviously they have to know what you’re talking about from a coaching standpoint as a player, but them trusting each other and them believing each other and getting that type of comradery and chemistry takes a while. I do see some of that coming together.”

Heading into Week 17, the Jets are the AFC’s No. 6 seed. With a win/tie they would face one of the following four teams on Wild Card Weekend: Cincinnati, the AFC West Winner (Denver/Kansas City) or Houston. Just to give you an idea of how tight things are right now, the Broncos could earn the No. 1 seed or the No. 6 seed.  While fans can tinker with various playoff machines, the Jets are well into their preparations for the Bills.

“We understand what we are going up against and we understand what happens this week, so we know that fully well,” Bowles said. “We have to continue to do the things that we have been doing. If we try to do anything else, then we won’t have a chance to win.”

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Jets-Final-Playoff-Scenarios/895b3705-4792-404e-ac92-359f7e5e8218