The New York Jets know they have to win both of their remaining games against the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins in order to have a chance to make the playoffs. But before they kickoff against the Seahawks, they’ll have a clearer idea of what their path to the playoffs will be and whether they’ll need to do some scoreboard watching in Week 18 if they remain alive.
Buy Jets TicketsThe Jets know they need one loss from the New England Patriots in order to have a chance to reach the playoffs. The Patriots play at 1:00 against the Dolphins, who will be starting Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa out with a concussion. If the Patriots lose to Miami, then the Jets know all they’ll need to do is win their last two and that’s it. A Patriots loss means the Jets control their own destiny.
A Patriots win, on the other hand, means the Jets will be keeping an eye on the Patriots-Bills game in Week 18 while they’re down in Miami. The good news there is that, while possible, it is unlikely that the Bills wrap up the No. 1 seed in the AFC this week. That requires a Kansas City loss against Denver, which would be a stunning upset. So in all likelihood, the Bills will be playing for home-field advantage in Week 18, which plays in the Jets’ favor.
All this becomes a moot point if the Jets cannot win in Seattle. If the Jets lose, or if they tie and the Dolphins win, the Jets are officially eliminated from the playoffs. The Jets will be rooting hard for Miami today, but objective No. 1 remains to beat their old buddy Geno Smith and play spoiler to Seattle’s playoff hopes as well — Seattle is eliminated with a loss and a Washington win.
In any event, it’s still a good sign for the Jets that they’re playing meaningful football on January 1. The question becomes will they be playing meaningful football on January 8 and perhaps beyond? We’ll find out by the end of the night.
