Jets Takeoff

Here’s what they’re saying:

In The Star Ledger, Dave Hutchinson offers his keys to the game.

The Boston Herald’s Ian Rapoport identifies the five determining factors for today’s game.

At The New York Times “Fifth Down” blog, Greg Bishop tells us what to watch.

Daily News Jets’ beat reporter Rich Cimini analyzes the importance of the game for Rex Ryan.

And from the New York Post, George Willis thinks this game can redefine the season for Rex.

It’s amazing how quickly things change in the NFL. Following their Week 2 win over New England, the Jets were 2-0 and you already heard people talking about the playoffs, and how far New York could go once January rolled around. After Week 3, when the Jets beat the Titans, if you listened to Jets’ fans, you would have thought that they were a lock for the Super Bowl.

Now, as the Jets get ready to take on the Patriots Sunday in Foxborough, they’ve lost five of six, and at 4-5, though mathematically they’re still alive, they have no shot at the playoffs. No Kris Jenkins. No Leon Washington. A rookie quarterback who has a lot to prove, and a first-year head coach who’s experiencing his first crisis. And now the Patriots. New England is 6-3 and coming off one of its worst losses in recent memory last Sunday at Indianapolis.

With the injuries to Jenkins and Washington, the Jets’ slide, the addition of Wes Welker, who did not play when the teams met earlier this year, and a hungry Patriots’ team looking to seek revenge, and angry over last week’s loss, this one could get ugly.

Since I can’t wait until Sunday, I’ll make my prediction now: Patriots 38, Jets 16

Eli Manning

What’s more embarrassing:

1) The Jets losing to the Jaguars, 24-22, effectively ending all chances they had of making a playoff run. At home, with a fourth-quarter lead, New York loses for the fifth time in six games, to a team that’s not one of the better ones in the league.

2) Mark Sanchez reading from a prepared statement during the post-game press conference. Hey Sanchez, read Ralph Vacchiano’s “Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback.” You could learn something from the Giants QB.

3) Rex Ryan saying that the Jets are better off having lost, given the fact that New England lost, than they would have been if they won, and the Patriots would have won. Come on Rex, we’re a little smarter than that.

Take your pick.

The Jets need a win today. There’s really not much else that needs to be said. As I showed earlier this week, I don’t think the Jets are making the playoffs. But mathematically, they still have a shot. That is, as long as they beat the Jaguars later on today. If they lose, not only would they not even deserve to even be in consideration for a playoff spot, but the season could get ugly pretty quickly. Just look ahead to next week when the Jets go into Foxborough.

Some thoughts on today’s game:

New York is coming of a bye week. They had plenty of time to rest, and now must sense the urgency of this game. Though they’ve lost four of their last five games, it’s easy to forget that, at 3-0, we were talking about this being a playoff team. For all the talking they’ve done, it’s fair to say that the players and coaches still believe they’re a playoff team. They have to show that today.

The Jets will not give up two touchdowns on special teams like they did two weeks ago to Ted Ginn Jr. and the Miami Dolphins. Mike Westhoff is one of the best in the business. You can be sure that he’s not letting that happen again today. Plus, the Jaguars don’t have return men like Ginn,

Maurice Jones-Drew is the one guy on the Jags who scares you. He’s run for 407 yards and six touchdowns in his past three games. He has 737 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Expect Jacksonville to get him going again today. After all, are you more confident in Jones-Drew or David Garrard?

Jacksonville is not very good. Their wins have come against Houston, Tennessee, St. Louis, and Kansas City. The combined records of those teams: 9-24.

Prediction: Jets 23, Jaguars 19

Here are my predictions for how the Jets will fare in their remaining games. Of course, this is subject to change week by week, taking into account how the Jets, and their opponents, progress.

Nov. 15 vs Jacksonville (4-4): Win (5-4) – Name one impact player on the Jaguars.

Nov. 22 at New England (6-2): Loss (5-5) – Both teams have changed dramatically since Week 2.

Nov. 29 vs Carolina (3-5): Win (6-5) – The Panthers have been disappointing this year.

Dec. 3 at Buffalo (3-5): Loss (6-6) – The Jets couldn’t beat the Bills at home, now they head to Canada.

Dec. 13 at Tampa Bay (1-7): Win (7-6) – The Buccaneers stink.

Dec. 20 vs Atlanta (5-3): Loss (7-7) – First home loss of the second half.

Dec. 27 at Indianapolis (8-0): Loss (7-8) – Come on, please.

Jan. 3 vs Cincinnati (6-2): Win (8-8) – The Jets win when it doesn’t count.

Final Result: 8-8, and no playoffs for the third straight year.

Opponents’ current record in parenthesis.

The three best (and most important) Jets, and why New York’s in trouble:

Darrelle Revis: The team’s best player, and the best cornerback in the NFL. Watching what he’s done this year against Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Marques Colston, and others has been amazing. Thank God he’s still in lineup.

Kris Jenkins: The man in the middle, and the anchor of one of the league’s most improved defenses. Jenkins was lost for the year three weeks ago and his absence leaves a huge hole. Backs couldn’t run up the middle against No. 77, he put pressure on the quarterback, and the big guy made everyone else around him better.

Leon Washington: The Jets’ most important offensive player, lost for the season two weeks ago. Kickoff return man, running back, and quarterback of the “Seminole” offense, he did it all. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene can run, but Leon won games. Huge loss.

There's no reason to celebrate Sanchez. The uniform you're being forced to wear is awful.

What should annoy Jets’ fans at the midway point of the season. (Even more than the fact that New York has lost four of its last five games.)

First and foremost, the Jets are not making the playoffs. As I said on Sunday morning, look at all the teams ahead of New York in the standings: now New England (5-2), Indianapolis (7-0), Houston (5-3), Cincinnati (5-2), Pittsburgh (5-2), and Denver (6-1); the teams tied with the Jets at 4-3: now Baltimore and San Diego; and the teams one win behind: now Miami (3-4), Buffalo (3-5), Jacksonville (3-4). The playoffs aren’t happening.

Next, get rid of the Titans’ uniforms. You’re the New York Jets, not the Titans. Furthermore, the uniforms look hideous, and lack any sort of Jet identity. Wear your green and white and get a win.

Finally, two kickoffs returned for touchdowns by Ted Ginn Jr. on Sunday, one for 100 yards and the other for 101 yards. That’s all that needs to be said.

Look at the standings. Today’s game is a must-win for the Jets. The Patriots (5-2), Colts (6-0), Bengals (5-2), and Broncos (6-0) are all in first place in their respective divisions, and all have better records than the Jets (4-3). The Steelers (5-2) also have a better record than New York, and Houston has the same record. By that count, five teams are ahead of the Jets for playoff spots, and only six teams make the playoffs. You would expect Baltimore (3-3) to make a run as well, and maybe even the Chargers (3-3). The difference between being 5-3 and 4-4 is huge. You may need 11 wins to get into the playoffs. At the very least, you need 10.

That means the Jets must win today’s game against the Dolphins (2-4) at the Meadowlands. Miami has had two crushing losses this year. One to Indianapolis earlier in the season, then last week to the Saints at home, in a game where they led 24-3 in the first half, and 34-24 in the fourth quarter. How this young Dolphins’ team responds today will be interesting to see. Miami has already beaten the Jets this year, 31-27, three weeks ago on Monday Night Football. With Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, they can run the football. They also do a great job defending against the run. Chad Henne has been surprisingly solid at quarterback.

Meanwhile, the Jets return to the field after losing Leon Washington for the season last Sunday. Two weeks ago, they lost Kris Jenkins. So the Dolphins’ two-headed rushing attack, and Wildcat offense, will go up against a defense that’s missing it’s stud nose tackle. And Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene will try to run the ball against a Miami team that is ranked fourth in the league in run defense.

But this is a must-win and it is at home, the last time these two teams will meet at Giants Stadium, unless they somehow match up here in the playoffs. The Jets will have to run the ball and they’ll have to stop Miami’s run. Easier said than done. But I’m going with New York here, keeping their playoffs hope alive with a win over their division rival. Jets 27, Dolphins 23.