Jets, Despite Problems, Are Right In Middle Of AFC Playoff Picture

By The Lantern

If you took nothing else from the Jets' ugly 17-6 win over woeful Carolina on Sunday, know this: Despite their myriad of injuries and problems, they are very much alive in the pursuit of a spot in the NFL's meaningful January football tournament.

The Jets got handed several early Christmas presents on Sunday, in the form of neat stocking stuffers. Miami, Houston, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh all lost and now the Jets are just one game out of the final AFC playoff spot with five to play.

Is it a case of here we go again? Or this time things will be different?

Unfortunately for the Jets, several missteps earlier in the season could ultimately destroy their chances regardless of how well they play.

The Jets have yet to prove to anyone they are truly playoff worthy. But, the last decade in the NFL has been all about parity. One week you look dead and buried and the next you're right there, seemingly controlling your own destiny.

The Jets will almost certainly get into the playoffs if they win out. Obviously, they won't or shouldn't, but stranger things have happened. Well, not really. If the Jets were to close the regular season on a six-game winning streak I think the whole professional sports world would demand some kind of investigation, probably question the Secret Service and picket outside Roger Goodell's office.

Because, these are the Jets after all, the kings of the slow tease, the masters of the free fall, the gurus of bait and switch -- with only the fans left with enough common sense to clean the carcass off the side of the road.

But assuming the world is indeed spinning on its proper axis, let's break this thing down a little further:

Right now, New England, Cincinnati, San Diego and Indianapolis are in the driver's seat in their respective divisions. Only the Colts at 11-0 are a lock to wrap things up soon. The Patriots look like a lock because the Jets, Dolphins and Bills are all below .500 and scare absolutely no one. The Chargers are notorious for starting slowly and then pulling away late. The Bengals? Who really knows? They appear legit, but why do I think the Steelers or Ravens will end up taking the Central race down to the final day?

After the division leaders, you have Denver at 7-4, and Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Jacksonville at 6-5.

* The Broncos have the easiest path to the playoffs, with two games against awful Kansas City, one against equally bad Oakland, one against enigmatic Philadelphia and a matchup with Indy. Give the Broncos three wins and at 10-6, they will be in.

* The Steelers have dropped three straight, with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger battling through some ailments. The good news is they can be 8-5 really quickly because their next two are against the Raiders and Browns, who have a combined four wins this season. Pitt closes the season with Green Bay and Baltimore at home and Miami on the road. I see 9-7, though with a healthy Roethlisberger they could run the table.

* The Ravens, who beat Pittsburgh in OT on Sunday night, have alternated losses and wins over their last six and finish at Green Bay, home for Detroit and Chicago and then at Pittsburgh and Oakland. The worst they'll do is 9-7, but 10-6 is more likely.

* The Jaguars are coming off a brutal 20-3 loss in San Francisco, which ended their three-game winning streak. They have beaten absolutely no one this season, with their victories coming against teams currently a combined 23-43, and they close with Houston, Miami and Indianapolis at home, and New England and Cleveland on the road. The Jags will be lucky to finish at 8-8.

The Jets at 5-6 are in a group with Houston and Miami. Their Week 1 win over the Texans may come into play, but that team is a lot like the Jets in that they throw games away seemingly on a whim. Take Sunday's loss to Indy as the perfect example. Even up 20-7, you knew they weren't winning.

The good news for New York is it plays Buffalo in Toronto on Thursday and then at Tampa Bay. Those teams are a combined 5-17. The bad news is the Jets then come home for Atlanta, go to Indy and then close the season at home against Cincinnati, teams currently a collective 25-8.

What really kills the Jets here is the fact that they were swept by Miami, and lost to Buffalo and Jacksonville. They should be 9-2 and thinking about the second seed in the playoffs. Oh the Jets optimists and excuse makers will wax poetic about Mark Sanchez the rookie and accepting mistakes and the growth process and all that stuff, but the reality is if you really break down the first 11 games, the only teams that were truly in a different league than the Jets were the undefeated Saints and the Patriots the second time around.

Even with all of Sanchez's problems, the Jets still should be better than 5-6. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Yes, the season-ending injuries to Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington hurt, but, seriously folks, losing to the Dolphins twice? The Bills? The Jaguars? Sorry, but that just reeks of the old and shows no semblance of what's supposed to be the new.

But then again, the Jets do this seemingly every year, play down to the opposition and drop games that end up biting them in the rear come tiebreaker time, regardless of whose name is on the back of the quarterback's jersey.

That all said, I do expect the Jets to somehow win their next two and get to 7-6. Then we'll see if this season will be any different than the countless before it -- the Jets right there only to crash and burn when it really matters in late December. I could spend a week documenting all the collapses, but I don't need to. We know and have lived through all of them much the same way we get up each morning, kiss whomever goodbye and head to our jobs.

It's routine. It's the daily grind. It's often just a big waste of our time.

I'd like to believe that the Jets can also win two of the last three and finish at 9-7, but we've been teased so many times in the past the best thing to do is just turn our attention to Buffalo and deal with the others when the time comes.

Of their remaining opponents, only the matchup with the Colts in Indy should be a loss. Even with Sanchez now suddenly managing games and the defense bending but not breaking, the Jets should handle both the Bills and Bucs. The Falcons are nothing special and the Bengals, though good, are not world beaters. Also, those two games are at home, which for any other team driving toward the playoffs can be a huge advantage.

It's just a matter of the Jets finally showing everyone they can be more than mediocre and can shed that choker reputation they have fostered with gusto over the better part of the last four decades.

I'm under no illusions. Put a gun to my head and I say the Jets finish 7-9, but considering their personnel and the new approach on offense with Rex Ryan being the man behind the curtain pulling the strings, they should, should, find a way to get to 9-7.

If so, we all just have to pray that the Miamis and Jacksonvilles of the world aren't around to spoil the fun.

Bottom line, be a realist. Take the oldest sports cliche to heart and do your best not to drive yourself insane. It's just not worth it.

One game at a time.

Follow me on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet.