Jets Takeoff

Rex Ryan

What’s worse from Sunday’s loss:

Three missed field goal attempts because of bad snaps, holds, or kicks?

Three Mark Sanchez interceptions?

Only 99 rushing yards, including just 52 on 19 carries from Thomas Jones?

The Jets’ defense coming up big all day except when it mattered most, as the Falcons scored with 1:38 to play to take the lead for good?

Or, the reality that the Jets are not making the playoffs?

You make the call. And I’ll be back tomorrow to address these topics, and more.

Alright, we’ve got snow, cold temperatures, wind, and a huge game for the Jets. Hey, it’s December football at the Meadowlands. This is the way it should be.

This is not the way Atlanta envisioned its season going. At 6-7, the Falcons have no shot at the playoffs. And they may be without quarterback Matt Ryan (toe) and running back Michael Turner (ankle) again today. The Falcons are 1-5 on the road.

Meanwhile, the Jets are 7-6 and need this one to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mark Sanchez is back, Thomas Jones is running the ball as well as he ever has, the defense has been great, New York has home-field advantage, and the Jets are hungry.

The fact that the Jets are five and a half point favorites is amazing. It says a lot about Gang Green at this point in the season, but it also shows you how beat up the Falcons are.

Prediction: New York keeps its playoff hopes alive. Jets 23, Falcons 20.

“They” say we’re going to get a ton of snow here in the New York area later today and into tomorrow. Outside of the region, Baltimore and Philadelphia have moved their games tomorrow to a later start time because of all the snow that’s expected to fall.

No word on whether or not the Jets have discussed the possibility of moving tomorrow’s game to later in the day, but I wouldn’t expect that to happen. New Yorkers tend to have a particular fondness for this type of football weather. And we like to think of ourselves as being tougher than those other cities and towns.

One player who does not like the cold is Mark Sanchez. The Southern Cal product will have to deal with snow, wind, and cold temperatures tomorrow. Welcome to New York, Mark.

Jacksonville losing the other night to Indianapolis was obviously a good thing for the Jets. The Jags are now 7-7 and if the Jets win tomorrow, New York will be 8-6. But you still have to look out for Baltimore, assuming Denver is going to make it into the playoffs. The Ravens are 7-6 and should win their final three games. 

Nonetheless, the fact that we’re here talking about the playoffs is good enough. Before the season started, most NFL observers thought the Jets were good for somewhere around an 8-8 season. A 3-0 start had people talking Super Bowl if you can believe that. At 4-6, the ship was sinking. Now, after three straight wins, the Jets are alive, though even if they win their final three games they’re no lock for the playoffs.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez is back tomorrow and Matt Ryan may not start for the struggling Falcons (6-7). A home game in the snow with the playoffs on the line. That’s what December football is all about here in New York.

A look at the playoff picture heading into Week 15:

The Patriots, Colts, Bengals, and Chargers are in. That leaves the Dolphins (7-6), Jaguars (7-6), Ravens (7-6), and Broncos (8-5) in competition with the Jets for the final two playoff spots.

Each team’s remaining schedule and projected finish:

Dolphins: at Tennessee, vs Houston, vs Pittsburgh (Projection: 2-1, 9-7 overall)

Jaguars: vs Indianapolis, at New England, at Cleveland (Projection: 1-2, 8-8 overall)

Ravens: vs Chicago, at Pittsburgh, at Oakland (Projection: 3-0, 10-6 overall)

Broncos: vs Oakland, at Philadelphia, vs Kansas City (Projection: 2-1, 10-6 overall)

Jets: vs Atlanta, at Indianapolis, vs Cincinnati (Projection: 2-1, 9-7 overall)

Conclusion: The Ravens and Broncos win the Wild Card spots in the AFC.

Good piece by AP writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in today’s Connecticut Post about the Jets being in “do-or-die” mode with three games remaining. Here are some thoughts based on what was mentioned in that article:

We’ll know more about Mark Sanchez’s status for Sunday’s game following Wednesday’s practice. Interesting because I think most assumed Sanchez could have started last week, now he appears to be questionable for the Atlanta game. I would think that when all is said and done he’ll get the nod.

The Jets won their first three games, then lost six of seven, and have now won their last three. The keys: a dominating defense and one of the league’s best rushing attacks.

At 7-6, even if the Jets win their final three games, they still might not make the playoffs. You can blame the following: losses to Buffalo and Jacksonville, and two losses to Miami. The Jets are not doing well from a tie-breaker standpoint and they still have to beat the Falcons, Colts, and Bengals.

Here’s Rex Ryan on the Jets playoff chances: 

“They know how I feel. Our official stance is it’s improbable right now…. All I’ve got to say is it’s improbable. That’s the way everybody will approach it right now. Our stance is we believe we’re going to win every game. That’s the way it’s been since Day 1.”

Yes, I ruled the Jets out of the playoffs weaks ago but for a head coach to say it’s “improbable” doesn’t sit right with me. Maybe I’m reading too much into this? Remember, Ryan’s gotten into trouble before because of what he’s said, so the head coach doesn’t have the best track record at saying the correct things. By the way, he happens to be right. I guess I’m all over the place with this one.

Thomas Jones

This one was very close to being a shutout for the Jets, playing against one of the worst teams in the NFL. New York’s 26-3 win was impressive, just what the team needed as they improve to 7-6 and stay in the playoff hunt.

Here’s what you need to know about yesterday’s game:

Kellen Clemens was good enough playing in place of Mark Sanchez. One hundred eleven yards passing and no interceptions. Sanchez will be back Sunday, but Clemens proved capable in the backup role.

Thomas Jones carried 24 times for 99 yards. I expected more yards, but we all knew he would get the ball a lot. Jones had two touchdowns, including a 33-yard run in the second quarter. Another strong performance from the Jets’ No. 1 back.

With Clemens at quarterback you didn’t expect big games from the Jets’ wide receivers. Braylon Edwards led the way with three catches for 37 yards. Jerricho Cotchery had just one catch.

Tampa Bay gained just 124 total yards, only 43 on the ground. That is due in large part to the Jets’ defense, but you have to be fair and say that the Bucs’ offense stinks. Darrelle Revis, Kerry Rhodes, and David Harris each had an interception. Calvin Pace and Bart Scott had seven tackles apiece.

Okay, so the Jets say they have confidence in Kellen Clemens. Today, I believe that to be true. After all, I could stand under center and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So earlier this week when New York ruled Mark Sanchez out, there wasn’t as much panic as you would get if the Jets were playing, let’s say, the New England Patriots.

The Bucs are 1-11. You’ve heard me say before that some of the Jets’ opponents this year have not been good football teams. Well, it’s fair to say that Tampa Bay stinks. At 6-6 the Jets need a win to stay in the playoff race. They don’t have to play great today to improve to 7-6.

The keys to the game are simple: Run the football and dominate on defense. Thomas Jones should get the ball 25 times and should approach 200 yards. Clemens will not throw much, but when he does he’ll be asked to avoid the big mistake. The Jets defense has been good of late and Tampa Bay couldn’t score if I was playing on defense and hand-picked 10 others to join me. I would expect the Jets defense to get at least one score today.

Prediction: Jets 18, Buccaneers 3