Jets keep final AFC playoff spot with five weeks left with help from Raiders
The Jets had an opportunity to gain some breathing room in the AFC playoff picture, especially after the New England Patriots lost on Thursday to drop to 6-6. But like the Patriots on Thanksgiving, the Jets were not able to steal a win in Minnesota, as red-zone failures doomed them to a 27-22 loss to the Vikings to drop to 7-5.
While the Jets didn’t get the win, they did get help from the creators of “Just win, baby”. The Raiders scored their third straight win by beating the Chargers 27-20, dropping the Chargers to 6-6 and keeping the Jets as the last team in with five weeks left.
The Jets did fail to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills with the loss and now sit two games back in the AFC East race. However, a win over the Bills Sunday would give the Jets the season sweep and pull them back within one game.
The Bills now sit alone atop the division after the Dolphins lost 33-17 to the 49ers Sunday in a game in which Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered an ankle injury, but it doesn’t appear to be too serious. However, the Dolphins were also dealing with injuries along the offensive line. The Jets visit Miami to wrap up the regular season in Week 18 in what could be do-or-die for the Jets.
AFC East standings through Week 13
Buffalo Bills 9-3
Miami Dolphins 8-4
New York Jets 7-5
New England Patriots 6-6
As mentioned earlier, the Jets received a gift from the Raiders. Had the Chargers won, Los Angeles would have taken over the 7th spot from the Jets by virtue of conference record (LAC 5-3, NYJ 5-4).
With the loss, the Chargers fell to 6-6 and are also now behind the Jets in conference record (NYJ 5-4, LAC 4-4).
The Jets needed that break because they lost ground on just about everyone else, save for the Dolphins, in the wild card chase. The Bengals beating the Chiefs did no favors for the Jets. But the key is just staying above the Patriots and Chargers and getting into the dance.
And don’t look, but here come the Raiders, Browns and Steelers. All sit at 5-7 and, all of a sudden, are now just two games back of the Jets. The good news for the Jets is they currently have the tiebreaker over all three. Their 5-4 conference record beats Vegas’ 4-5 and they have head-to-head wins over the Browns and Steelers.
AFC Playoff standings through Week 13
Buffalo Bills 9-3
Kansas City Chiefs 9-3
Baltimore Ravens 8-4
Tennessee Titans 7-5
Cincinnati Bengals 8-4
Miami Dolphins 8-4
New York Jets 7-5
New England Patriots 6-6
Los Angeles Chargers 6-6
Las Vegas Raiders 5-7
Cleveland Browns 5-7
Pittsburgh Steelers 5-7
These are the remaining schedules for the Jets, Patriots and Chargers:
NYJ:
at Bills
vs. Lions
vs. Jaguars
at Seahawks
at Dolphins
NE:
at Cardinals
at Raiders
vs. Bengals
vs. Dolphins
at Bills
LAC:
vs. Dolphins
vs. Titans
at Colts
vs. Rams
at Broncos
Next week at Buffalo is huge for the Jets, almost a must-win. A loss drops them to 7-6 and they would almost have to sweep Detroit, Jacksonville and Seattle to have a shot in Week 18 at Miami.
As Al Davis always said, just win, baby.
