AFC Standings: Prognosis Negative
Posted on November 2nd, 2009 by Bassett
Here’s today’s standings for the Jets and the top ten teams in the AFC. Even if the Jets were to win six games on the back half, this team would probably not make the playoffs based on the way that the divisions are playing out with two teams in the South above them, two teams in the West, and three teams in the North.
A lot would have to reverse trends in at least two of the three divisions (most notable the North) as it stands for an AFC East team get into the playoffs. It would be a shock for the East to produce a wildcard team.
playoffs? that’ a good one
We need 10 wins to even have a shot at the playoffs. I have now turned my attention to NOT worrying about the playoffs and just getting Sanchez and the offesne rolling.
You lose games like the Bills game and yesterday. The playoffs should be the last thing on anyone’s mind.
For the record I dont buy the Bengals, Dolphins or the Texans…they are .500 teams and they will look like it at the end of the year
I think at this point the division is more of a reality than the wildcard. We beat the Texans and we still play the Bengals but I think 11 wins is needed for the WC while 10 can get us the division if somehow the Dolphins only win 9 (NE twice and Steelers = 7 losses) and somehow NE loses to us at home (not likely) and at Indy, at NO, and at Houston (6 losses).
The longest shot of all of this is the Jets winning more than 8 games. 9 would be nice for the rookie coach and QB who are both learning on the job.
Again, the only people who are disappointed with this team right now are the ones who had unrealistic expectations after the 3-0 start (unfortunately, a large portion of the fanbase).
AKA Drew,
You talk about .500 teams, what do we look like, we are 1-4 in our last 5, with the 1 win against the Raiders. I am a fan as well, but be objective, and by the way we have some tough games to play.
The breakdown on Special Teams demonstrates how Tannenbaum continues to trade draft picks and players for that ‘one last piece of the puzzle’ costs the Jets dearly.
Tannenaum acquires Braylon Edwards for draft picks and players. Among the players they sent to the Browns was Jason Trunsnik tied for second on the Jets with six special teams tackles up to the day he was traded. Trunsnik was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the Jets in the Tennessee game. He was part of the Braylon Edwards trade after the Tennessee game where he won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Braylon Edwards has caught two TD’s, both vs the Dolphins and both in losses to the Dolphins.
I’m sure Westhoff argued against trading Trunsnik but his loss may have cost the Jets dearly.
From NYP:
Kerry Rhodes, one of the players who before the game had been vocal about exacting revenge on the Dolphins, got into a brief shoving match with Miami’s chatty LB Joey Porter during pre-game warm-ups. [well actually - Rhodes went to the Dolphins end to try to intimidate]
Rhodes, in a disappointing showing for someone who fancies himself as a team leader, made such a hasty exit from the locker room he was long gone by the time reporters were let into the room. He must have been talked out.
Rhodes , how about staying on your end and showing UP?
Oh AKA DREW – the Bengals, Dolphins or the Texans don’t buy into the JETs.
ON PAPER WE ARE 6-2. BUT ON THE FIELD WE ARE 4-4.
The JETS’ have the talent to be a “very good” team, and in my opinion with the exception of one game, they’ve been great on defense.
Their Special Teams cost them the game yesterday, and their Offense has played a great “Jekyl and Hyde” routine this year, largely due to Sanchez and the passing game.
They should be 6-2, even with the rookie playing like a rookie at QB (you can’t credit them with every game they threw away, and they legitimately got beat by a better team in the first Miami game, whereas arguably the JETS were overall better but gave the game away this time around), but at the same time there are certain years (like Mangini’s first year) when everything works out the right way.
In addition, if you play a more complete game and don’t waste opportunities which they did a few times on offense yesterday, and you don’t give them 7 points on the Shonn Greene fumble, then you aren’t in the position where the 2 Special Teams screw-ups cost you a game that you “really won on the field but gave away.”
Since no one realistically expected them to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this year, I’ve been primarily focused on the development of Sanchez, Keller and Greene from an offensive standpoint, and hoping maybe to get Sanchez a taste of the playoffs, as their defense, in my opinion, is championship-caliber (again, aside from getting absolutely worked by the ‘Phins in the first game, I think they’ve been outstanding).
If you treat them as if they have a rookie QB who you want to see develop and accept that winning the SB is unrealistic (although you never entirely lose hope), then being 4-4 isn’t the end of the world. On the other hand, if this was Sanchez’s second year, I’d have already lit myself on fire.
I’m tired of people whining over trusnik. If he didn’t win special teams player of the week people wouldn’t care nearly as much. How often do special teams hurt us like that, and having trusnik on the field doesn’t guarantee that that doesn’t happen. Edwards is a young guy who’s shown that he can be great and has played pretty well for us so far. Get over it
2 KO return for TDs be it as it may…I still would MUCH rather have Braylon Edwards than Jason Trusnik.
Silver Lining from yesterday…Our defense obviously rebounded and schemed perfectly against the Dolphins. I’m happy to see adjustments made their. Played well enough to win the game for us.
The Wildcat had ONE first down…they got SHUT DOWN.
And for some reason, as bad as Ted Ginn is as a WR, the guy wins two games for the Dolphins on 3 plays…unbelievable (and the 2nd KR was more impressive than the first)
sorry but even with the special teams failure yesterday, i will take braylon edwards over trusnik/stuckey all day.
the fact that we acquire edwards and now have the #1 rushing offense is no coincidence
I have been a Jets fan for more than 40 years but in the words of a former Jet Head Coach, “You are what your record says you are”. The Jets are mediocre and do not deserve to be in the playoffs. Their coach only makes it worse by mouthing off and encouraging his players and coaches to think they are better than they are. As a long time business owner, I can tell you that leads to carelessness and recklessness that can be fatal for success.
I would also suggest that the coach rely less on the suggestions from the booth or from underlings and make critical decisions based on what he believes is right. This incluids squibing kicks and throwing the red flag when he thinks its appropriate. I find it a contradiction that the coach is confident enough to boast about his team yet does not have the confidence to make critical decisions during the game and defers to others. Both are recipes for failure.
Hopefully Coack Ryan will learn from his mistakes as it seems our rookie quarterback is doing. After all he is also a rookie.
“Pack it up, pack it in.. Let me begin, I came to win…”
ehhh, F*k it.. Watching that Dolphins Ted Ginn draft video isn’t so funny anymore…
Trusnik wasn’t the only guy on return coverage.. there’s 10 other people.. trading away 1 player doesn’t ruin an entire unit…
I know it’s human nature to try and find someone or something to point a finger at, but blaming the Edwards for Stuck/Trusnik trade is just rediculous.. starz31 hits it on the head..
Continue to jump off the bandwagon you stinkin’ fairweather fans.
If people would care to take a look at the Texans’ , Ravens’ and Bengals’ schedules, you will see that they MAY wind up 9-7 as well as us, and things may play out well for us yet.
BUT: if Rex Ryan doenst stop making rookie head coaching mistakes, there will be REGRESSION as there has been for the past five weeks. Beating the Raiders like a drum was nice, but it was a bow-tie on a pig.
Why would ryan hold onto time outs in the crucial redzone possession? Why would you not go for the first down and set yourself up for a fist and goal from the 2????? Again, bad playcalling at a crucial time. Schottenheimer called a decent game, not shying away from the run and we still lost.
If we are in a close game, for the rest of the season, the advantage will go to the more seasoned coach. That is the reason we will not make the playoffs. NOT a lack of talent.
when the first down marker is at the 2, it’s the pretty much the same as a 4th and goal.. let’s not nit-pick that.
i think we still have as good a shot as anyone to get in the playoffs. 10-6 may very well do it. look at the ravens and chargers remaining schedules. both are pretty tough.
also we play the colts week 16. they could potentially have nothing to play for by that point, and have proven that they will be playing backups if that is the case.
realistically it seems like our best shot is to win the division. it’s going to take an unlikely slump from the Pats, so our best shot is a distant one.
Kinda funny how back to back years, our Titans win has been the beginning of a 1-4 skid against inferior teams……
Don’t get me wrong I like Rex and all but if this teams does not make the playoffs with all the talent on this team then Rex should be demoted. At that point Woody should call “The Chin” Bill Cower and says lets make a deal!
I’m all for consistency at Head Coach, but at the same time I’m tired of all the failed seasons. I’m ready for a proven winner!!!
Im not nitpicking! we had time outs, throw an underneath route to Braylon and fall forward to the first down, call a timeout and we have fist and goal from the 2 or 1.5 line with one timeout and 55 seconds or so! TJ was running all over them on that drive!
Rex needs to be a better game manager. Take a lesson from other coaches like Belichik and Cowher. He faced both numerous times and needs to go into his memory and figure out how to emulate them.
Nonetheless i still like him as a coach and unless we go 2-6 or worse he should not be questioned too much until next year.
You pessimists crack me up, are you serious?
I have been a Jets fan since 5 and lived through all the disappointments, playoff losses, missed field goals and losing streaks at the end of the year. Each loss could be attributed to only 1 phase of the game whether it be offense, defense or special teams.
I don’t know how you cannot be more optimistic about this season, yes, their are games we should of won, however if it costed us 1 game, the coaching staff made adjustments the next game and solved these issues. What should worry any team is if the same problems continue to arise on consecutive weeks.
One week it’s Sanchez throwing picks, another we don’t register sacks, another it’s special teams, another stopping the wildcat…
I know this team could play and win and make the playoffs. If I have any reservations it’s Sanchez playing in the elements, and that will be answered shortly.
Keep your heads up!!
Cabras, NFL fan??
Where in my post do I say the jets are better than a .500 team right now?
How am I not being objective here? Did either of you read my words before I say i dont buy into the Bengals, Texans, Dolphins?
Right now we are not a playoff team…at 4-4 we are a run of the mill .500 team.
So once again. I am not worried about the playoffs but for the record I do not think the Doplins. Texans, or Bengals will end the year with better than a .500 record.
Confused why this was misunderstood the 1st time
I would be happy with a 9-7 record and competing for playoffs in december. Expecting much more is unrealistic and thats where most of us were in the beginning of the season anyway.
why is playoffs so crazy. our kickoff team lost that game for us. other then that we outplayed them everywhere. were one game out of the playoffs and we have a tiebreaker with hou. we should def beat jax,car,tb,buff and then we need to win 2 out of 4 against NE,atl,cinci and indy(who will clinch a bye before we play them) also if NE loses to indy in two weeks and we beat jax were playing for first in th div when we go to NE im sick to my stomach over yesterday to but lets be real 4-4 still gives us alot to play for
“Kinda funny how back to back years, our Titans win has been the beginning of a 1-4 skid against inferior teams……”
back-to-back wins against NE and Titans, actually…
agreed, i like Rex too..
Lots of “coulda, shoulda’s” from this one..
Like, Shonn Green.. .don’t fumble please..
Like, return unit.. can someone other than Jay Feely make a tackle..
Defense stepped up, and that’s a tribute to the good defensive coaching..
Offense even played decent with their backs against the wall..
3 plays really hurt our team.. and a few too many 2 point tries too..
Was dying to see a QB draw anytime on the last jet possesion near the goalline.
being 4-4 just sucks right now!!!!
I think most of us have come down form the fantasy 3-0 start and now we just have to grind out some wins inthe next few weeks.
If we get a chance at the playoffs thangreat but its time to sit back and just hope for some consistency with the offense
The loss yesterday was devastating. However, had the Jets not solved the Wildcat, given up another 413 yards, failed to make successful coaching adjustments, yet somehow managed to squeeze out a lucky win to stay in contention for a 2009 Wild Card, I’d be a lot more worried for the team’s overall future prospects.
I appreciate the attitude that we’re trying to win the SB, never expect to lose, but with a rookie HC and QB that’s a longshot. I want to see improvement this year and hope that a few breaks go our way, like maybe on 2nd and 7 from the 9 Starks doesn’t find Sanchez’ foot as he’s about make a clear sprint to the goal line. Or on 3rd and 6 from the 8 Faneca doesn’t miss a block for the sack. Or on 4th and 13, Keller pulls the high ball down on the endline.
Or maybe, just maybe, the best coached unit on the squad, Special Teams, doesn’t give up two scores. S*#t happens. It does seem like it happens to the Jets more than any other team, but that’s an illusion.
I’m deeply bummed about the loss, but encouraged by the way the defense -after losing the starting NT – dominated a team that killed them earlier in the season, and how the offense kept coming back with over a hundred for TJ, passes spread around the field by the young QB to Cotch, Edwards and Keller, including TDs to the latter two. There’s a lot to look forward to on this team. And, who knows, if the Pats stumble a little bit, anything’s possible.
I can’t get too critical of Rexy as a head coach at this point. Yes, he’s responsible for overseeing the team and being sure that all units and individual players are “coached up”, but the players on the field in recent losses have been put in a position to succeed.
NOLA game, but-for the offense giving up plays to the other team on things that weren’t Rex’s doing, they probably would have won the game (granted, the lack of scoring points on offense can be blamed on coaching in addition to the players not executing).
Bills Game: Sanchez was not accurate and you have to think if some of those INT’s, even just 3 out of the 6, were punts instead of INT’s, they probably would have won that game (again, some blame for lack of scheming, though I blame this game moreso on Sanchez).
First Dolphins Game: Legitimate loss where they were outplayed and outcoached.
Second Dolphins Game: This is a game I blame entirely on the PLAYERS on Special Teams, as I believe that the ‘Phins were outcoached, and that this is one of the few games where they say “you need to win 2 out of 3 of Offense, Defense and Special Teams, and you will win the game 99% of the time”. Simply stated, the JETS’ defense was better and their offense was better, but while you have to give the other team credit sometimes (see my analysis of the Dolphins legitimately steam-rolling the JETS in the 1st game), you can also attribute some games to ones you “gave away”. Ted Ginn is a threat as a returner for his speed, but he’s not a Leon Washington in terms of other skills (like reading blocks, setting blocks up, watching coverage develop and finding holes, etc.). This simply shouldn’t have happened.
Overall, to the extent coaching can be blamed for the majority of the JETS’ losses, I don’t put it on Ryan. It’d be Schotty, and only then IF you can blame him for Sanchez playing like an inaccurate rookie. For some weird reason, when Sanchez isn’t playing like a turd, Schotty’s schemes aren’t that bad (lol).
Westhoff is outstanding and for this reason I have to lay the blame on the special teamers not doing their jobs, including, notably, Larry Izzo (who I supported keeping on the roster for ST reasons), who appeared to be one of the culprits on the 1st Ted Ginn TD.
When a DC or OC takes over, you can lay blame on them for not picking the right coordinators, but otherwise you really can only get on them for not having the units they coached (for Rexy, obviously the defense) playing the way they should. In my opinion, the defense has been oustanding and their losses (except for 1st ‘Phins game) are the offense’s fault except for yesterday’s game when Special Teams did them in.
Could not agree with subwayfare’s post more…..
i hate the way we lost this and the Buffalo game but what are we going to do? I hate being 4-4 instead of 6-3 but WTF…
I raised expectations like eveyone else with our start…we have once again been slapped to reality and now lets see what happens….if that means 8-8 then so be it…if it means 10-6 with a chance at a playoff spot than great.
I dont see this team folding and having a miserable season…Our defesne is too good and we have seen flashes on offense so….. lets see
Exactly my sentiment, subwayfare.
Look this has to be a good experience for Sanchez too. He played a GREAT game for his EIGHTH start. He saw that even though he played well the game still could have been won if he played BETTER. That is motivation to get better if ive even seen it. Kudos to him for keeping his head straight during a wild game and bringing us up and down the field to catch up with miami that got 3 giveaway td’s.
One day soon i think this kid will have a great game winning drive. I hope it happens in NE.
At least i got a good laugh!!!!
“ON PAPER WE ARE 6-2″.
Good one – Jose the Jet, Good One.
AKA_Drew, what makes you think the JETS are better than .500? They are 1-4 in the last 5 right?
NFLFan,
I would say we’re a better than .500 team because we were 9-7 last year and are a better team this year. Growing pains with the two rooks will keep us about the same, I’d say we finish 9-7 again and miss the playoff.
NFL fan?
I am not sure where you going here. i said in week 1 we are a 7-10 win team. I still think we are but this and the buffale game hurt.
We are 4-4…What do you want to to say we are worse than that? The team will go 8-8 is they get no breaks and win more if they play up to potential.
Losses to the Bills and the recent Dolphins game are more on mistakes that can be corrected….not by being outplayed.
Jets4 life…We all want that here. And it is no question frustrating to watch games slip out of our hands that we could have won (Dolphins twice, Bills, )… but to be a proven winner…it takes time…it doesnt happen overnight. Everyone wants to win every game, and we should…but this year is a Huge step in our development. Losing the way we are only makes us stronger, and for proof, look at how defense responded compared to the first MIA game.
I hate losing the way we are losing, stupid mistakes…and its not just mistakes by the players. But our coach needs that. He needs to be humbled big time. And hopefully he’ll learn from his mistakes. Sanchez is proving he is.
But look at the writing on the wall, we have a lot of good things going for us, and its not by stop-gap players.
I hope the “dump Brad Smith” crowd spends the bye week watching a highlight reel of his Special Teams tackles.
I don’t know why people think the Jets chances of making the playoffs are so bleak. They are going 8-0 in the second half, which will make them 12-4. No team has ever missed the playoffs with a 12-4 record. The Jets have the best defense in the NFL. Look at how they shut down the Saints offense, and how they stuffed the Wildcat yesterday. The defense has only allowed 92 points in eight games. They had six sacks yesterday, and three the week before. They are only going to get better has the season progresses. All they have to do is stop giving up special teams and defensive touchdowns, and they will win every game with ease. No interceptions for Mark Sanchez for the second straight week. That is another plus. Now, they just have to shore up their special teams coverage during the bye week, and they will be good to go.
Well we beat the Texans and will have a say against the Bengals last game of the season. All hope is not lost….no team can afford to lose games that they shouldn’t lose but we won games people thought we had no business winning as well.
Here we are at the bye week…4-4. Can we still make the playoffs? Yes. Will it be hard? Yes. Wild card teams just play to win each game and hope that things fall into place.
We need to play each game hard on all ends of the ball to win. We’ve had games that Sanchez lost us, that the def lost us and now that special teams lost us. We need to be a complete football team and we’ve shown that we can be.
Is anyone concerned that the head coach is a moron. I cant beleive how much this team talks trash and then gets beat not once but twice by the dolphins .Hey rex shut up and work on your ability as a coach. SAME OL RESULTS!
There is no need to jump off the cliff. We played a very good game yesterday but lost on a couple flukie plays. We have a great young quarterback which should give us more reason for optimism than we have had in a long time. We are 4-4 at the bye with a rookie quarterback. Any expectations for us to be much better than that were unrealistic. Sanchez, Edwards and Keller can be tremendous for many years. It is fun watching Jets games and I think we will have a good second half of the season as the team grows more. All is not lost.
yeah i agree with reality99. Rex needs to tell his guys to swallow their tongue and give kudos to the team that beat them. Bart scott is starting to look very stupid talking all the trash hes talking. I didnt see HIM strip a ball away from a carrier and take it to the house. MAKE A PLAY BART! then talk!
I havent seen kerry rhodes do anything except avoid the media after a loss.
If you want to blame anyone on Special Teams on the first TD, blame Wallace Wright. Watch the wide end zone shot of that return. Watch how he veers toward the inside on the return and completely gives up outside containment on that return. He’s not even there to slow Ginn down.
Iin wild card tiebreaking scenarios, if we are tied at 10-6 with both the Bengals, as long we beat the Bengals, and the Texans and get out of the division ahead of the Fins and Bills, we would own the three way sweep over those two and thats the first tie breaker.
starz31/brian311:
Why is it that you guys always pick part of comments out of context the spew how that person is wrong !!
Case in point: RAJ said, “The breakdown on Special Teams demonstrates how Tannenbaum continues to trade draft picks and players for that ‘one last piece of the puzzle’ costs the Jets dearly.”
Why do you BOTH leave out the part about the TWO (2) DRAFT PICKS Tannenbaum gave away ADDITIONAL to YOUR MVP (special teams) and SLOT RECEIVER !!!
Don’t you both realize the Jets will be down to only 3-4 picks next draft? Oh, I know, you will tell me Tannenbaum will go shopping AGAIN in the offseason.
Well, I hope this time he’ll at least take his wife with him to Enjoy the PSL $$$$$.
We are a 4-4 team. Not relevant what we could have been. The team (coaches included) still having growing pains. In our 4 losses – offense (sanchez) cost us two vs Saint and Bills (lack of receivers) – defense cost us in Dolphins 1 and SP Teams cost us in Dolphins 2. These things are going to happen and I think the more interesting fact is that we are not consistently bad in one part of the game. With a bye week coming up we have two weeks to work with our new toys /replacements (edwards, greene, miller, loss of trusnik, loss of jenkins) and get set for a run. I think we have the pieces in place to be a very good team. If it all comes together and we can sneak into the playoffs we can make some noise. We’re not dead yet!!
Hank – sorry man but you are just being delusional. special teams went into the dolphins game as the #2 rated kickoff coverage unit in the league. Clearly, they have played at an elite level without trusnik. Bottom line is they did not get the job done yesterday. To say that trusnik would have made the difference is grasping for straws, at best
I would make the Edwards trade all day long. Yes, we gave up 2 draft picks. But they are 2nd day picks. Also FYI – the draft isn’t the only way to build a roster. Mr T will continue to explore all options for adding talented players to the team
This upcoming bye week is a big week in determining the Jets’ playoffs chances the remainder of the season. You got Mia @ NE, Bal @ Cin, Hou @ Indy and SD @ NYG.
Every team has 7 picks. If the Jets trade out of the first round next year, something that could well be advisable based on cap, (assuming the year is not uncapped) and the starting talent currently on the team. In that scenario the Jets could easily end up with 6 or more picks, plus all the talent they acquired in trades.
Geez, who do we root for in NE/MIA and Bal/Cin games?I’m guessing NE and Cincy, but I am worried that Cincy lacks staying power and Balt will make a run.
I think we have to root for Miami against NE in this one. Best hope for the Jets at this point is the division and we remain one up in the win column on the Fish and one down against the Pats. We’ll need more help to pass the Pats than to stay ahead of Miami.
Who the hell would mention playoffs with this head coach!
Actually, the wild card at 10-6 is not looking that unattainable The Chargers are 4-3 and still have games left with the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, Broncos and Bengals along with the Titans, who with Vince Young at QB could be dangerous toward the end of the year. The Bengals are 5-2 and have games left with the Ravens, Steelers, Vikings, Chargers and us. The Texans at 5-3 have two games left with Indy, NE, Miami and also Tenn. The Ravens at 5-3 have 2 left with the Steelers, Indy, Green Bay, Chicago and Cincy. We can only afford to lose two games, Indy and NE, the remainder of the season. Must beat Jax, TB, Buff, Car, Atl and Cin. Thank God the Atl and Cin games are at home. Better chance to win those.
HAVE TO LOVE AND LAUGH AT JET OPTIMISM!
The division? The pats have that. Thats done deal.
Balls…enough said
Feely making tackles?
Really? is that what you really wanted, your kicker making the tackle on special teams?
If the teams DEF,ST,Off was all on the same page we would not be 4-4. nor should we have put yesterdays game in the hands of a rookie who was playing shakie all day.
Its the job of the head coach to get the def off and st to all play well on the same day.
not impressed going into the bye
Bassett,
It’s totally baseless to say the Jets “would probably not make the playoffs” even if they were to win 6 of their last 8 games. In the last 17 seasons, 166 teams have won at least 10 games, and 162 of them made the playoffs. Thats 97.6%. In other words, if a team wins 10 games they are a virtual lock for a playoff spot. Just because a statistical anomaly occurred last year and the Pats missed the playoffs at 11-5, the odds are still extremely low of something like this happening again.
By contrast, over this same time period 42 teams have won LESS than 10 games and made the playoffs. This means that the odds of the Jets going 9-7 and making the playoffs are more than TEN TIMES GREATER than the odds of them going 10-6 and missing the playoffs.
Statistically speaking, the fact that they are trailing teams from all four divisions is irrelevant. Things will even out over the next nine weeks as they always do, and if the Jets end up with 10 wins (which is still going to be quite difficult), they will almost certainly be in the playoffs.