Wildcard/Division Title Watch: Week 12
Cheering for other teams’ misfortunes are the solace of losers? With postseason byes and division titles on the line … get real. Each week, it’s a given that we Jets fans want our boys in green to win, but which other teams are worthy of our good thoughts?
Contributor Kirk Cassels takes a look around the league and let’s us know. Give your opinions in the comments.
There’s been a plethora of questions this regarding the upcoming Jets (once the Titans) versus the Titans (once the Oilers) showdown. Should we force the game into Kerry Collins’ hands when on defense? Will Dustin Keller be a factor against a Titans defense that is weak in covering tight ends just one week removed from his spotlight game against the Pats? Should the Jets wear their throwback Titans jerseys as psychological warfare against the last remaining undefeated team?
These questions, focused on this second game in a row in which Gang Green can make a more than bold statement to the rest of the league, are of the utmost importance. But, ignore them or not, there are other games to play this week, and some will indeed play a factor in our role as the AFC East leader or potential wildcard contender.
Eagles (5-4-1) vs Ravens (6-4) Go Eagles!
One NFC East team destroyed Baltimore last week, and another can do it again this week. The Eagles have to be hungry for victory after a tie with Cincinnati, especially if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Let’s hope the green and white guys of the NFC take this one and kick the Ravens down a peg in their hunt for a wildcard spot.
Bills (5-5) vs Chiefs (1-9) Go Chiefs!
The Bills continue to slide down the pole, having lost their last four games and five of their last six. An extra loss, particularly to the lowly Chiefs, could significantly derail Buffalo’s hopes for the division or a wildcard spot once and for all. As much as Thigpen is on my opponent’s roster this week in a fantasy football game that will determine my chances at fantasy playoffs, I’d be fine with him lighting up the scoreboard against the Bills. The Jets come first.
Raiders (2-8) vs Broncos (6-4) Go Raiders!
Oakland almost did to the Dolphins last week what they did to us a few weeks prior, eke out a win that should not have been. Alas, it’s a new week against their division rival in Denver. From a scouting standpoint, the Raiders running game can add enlightenment as to how to rough up a questionable Broncos defense as much as Oakland’s secondary could reveal some tricks of the trade in shutting down Jay Cutler and his deep threats in Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. Even more importantly, a win by the Raiders will hinder the Broncos’ path to playoff contention.
Colts (6-4) vs Chargers (4-6) Go Chargers!
Okay, so last week I was discombobulated about whether to suggest rooting for the Chargers over the Steelers or not. This week is the other end of the spectrum. We definitely want San Diego to take down the rolling Colts this week, and they’ll be gunning for it in an attempt to keep their chances alive in the AFC West. Let’s hope Reggie Wayne’s ankle remains weak and that the Colts can revert to their once infamously horrible run defense against LT.
Patriots (6-4) vs Dolphins (6-4) Go… I just threw up in my mouth while trying to say it
Oh boy… how does one choose between the two teams we as Jets fans hate the most? This game, parallel to ours in the 1 p.m. time slot, will be one to switch over to during the commercials. No matter what, one of these teams will come out limping for the AFC East contention while the other exits with some wind at its back. The teams’ current division and conference records are what come into play here. The Phins are 2-1 in the division and 5-3 in the conference. Meanwhile, the Pats are 2-2 in the AFC East and 4-4 in the conference. As much as it pains me to say it, we need the Pats to win this one. It would drop Miami’s AFC division and conference record lower, and serve as a potentially effective part in our taking of the AFC East if we beat the Bills and Dolphins at home in December, leaving us with only one loss within the division. Plus, as Bassett noted earlier in the week, the Phins have the easiest schedule left of the AFC East teams. I’m not going to say “Go [insert dreaded team's name],” but a Patriots win is the better outcome for us. I could be wrong. What are your thoughts people?
Filed under: Main Page, Opinion
I know most people are assuming the Pats will lose more games than the Dolphins due to a tougher schedule and therefore we should root for the Phins. But with the unpredictability of NFL games, I don’t assume anything.
The way I see it, if it were to come down to a tie for the division lead with either team, I’d rather it be the Dolphins, who we have a chance to sweep on the last day of the season. We’ve split with NE and a division tie would leave our destiny to mathematics. If we tie with the Dolphins we have the opportunity to control our own destiny by beating them head to head in our own stadium to end the season.
Of course, I’m hoping that we continue to win and they both lose enough games so we win the division outright. But…just in case.
I can’t do it. I will never root for the Pats. Living in the heart of Pats country has made me hate the Pats way more than the Dolphins.
We might want to assume we lose this week in Tennesse to decide who we would need to lose the Fish Pats game. I believe we would rather have the Dolphins up ahead of us because we get to play them again and potentially knock them off their post. That game on December 28th is shaping up to be a real doozy.
Pats - Fins … can we root for a tie? Aliens to land on the field, abduct both teams and take them away to the Andromeda galaxy for the next 700 years?
How about the Patriots plane runs out of gas? Or they get a flat tire. Or they don’t have enough money for cab fare. Maybe Miami’s uniforms don’t come back from the cleaners. Old friends come in from out of town. Someone steals their bus. There’s an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. WHY CAN’T THEY BOTH JUST LOSE?!!!
A double forfeit after so many injuries have occurred that neither team can field enough players.
I am going to be in Boston on Sunday, so…………..
GO FINS!!!!
I am going to be in a bah, drinking beyah, in a Jets hat. I may get beat down.
I realize that we’d like Denver to lose to drop them down a notch in the wild card standings, but I think I am going to root for them to win. First of all I don’t want a fired up Broncos team coming in here next week looking to pick themselves up after a disappointing home loss to the lowly raiders, I’ll take the team riding high on a winning streak any day. Second, Denver is very likely to win that putrid division (San Diego is their only competition at 4-6) and if they do we have no worries in the wild card with them. Third, even if we do have a tie breaker showdown in the wild card standings with Denver, we control our destiny there by way of our head to head matchup next week.
Go Broncos!!
I would rather let the last game of the season come down to us beating the Phins to get the tie breaker on division vs the Pats instead of having that game come down to our former QB having a chance to win the division with our rival team that was 1-15 last season.
Let the Pats have their way this week…it will be the last time phins go in as underdogs until the last week vs the jets.
We’re a game up on the Fins and still play them, so…as horrible a choice as this is, I’m leaning towards hoping they win. That being said, this will be one of the best Sundays in my life if the Jets beat the Titans and the Pats/Fins tie! :)
If its not a tie then I dont mind the phins winning against NE. We play them in the end to decide who get the div. Also, with MIA its not sure they will win against those easier teams on their schedule.
If we win this weekend, then i dont even care who wins the other duel.
how cool would it be for them to tie???? we can only hope… i am really pumped about this week and feel like we can pull out a win…..im nervous but its a confident nervous feeling….. i really feel that this team is built like a championship team… im not trying to jinx them all im saying is they have a great oppurtunity… this team reminds me a lil of the giants last year… solid defense with a good pass rush - good o line - great 1-2 punch in the running game - and a qb who can win games in the 4th quarter…….. they dont always look pretty but we are winning… i have been a jets fans since i began watching football at 10 years old… im 21 right now i grew up in new jersey and moved to buffalo before college but i still go to one game at the meadowlands every year as well when they come to buffalo.. with that, this is the most excited i have been about the jets since penningtons first year starting!!!! does anyone feel the same????? go jets
Hey tjbfan, the phins are actually favored to Win. Amazing, I know.