Jets' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 15
The New York Jets open their final home stand of the 2022 NFL season in a less-than-ideal spot.
The Jets are on the outside of the AFC wild-card race in ninth place, and they have to go back to Zach Wilson at quarterback on Sunday.
The upcoming home games against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars are winnable, but they may more difficult to win with the embattled quarterback leading the offense.
New York needs to beat Detroit to feel confident about its playoff chances leaving Week 15. The Lions will make that difficult because they are suddenly chasing a playoff spot of their own in the NFC.
The Jets could still be in a good position to land a playoff spot if the three teams directly above them lose in Week 15. That is possible given the matchups in play.
Bills over Dolphins
The AFC East title is practically out of reach for the Jets.
That means it is the perfect time to root for the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo hosts the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night with Miami one game ahead of the Jets in the wild-card race.
The Jets own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dolphins, but the two sides play again in Week 18.
The Jets need the Dolphins to stay within one game of them before Week 18. A loss in Buffalo does the trick even if the Jets fall to the Lions.
A Buffalo win would also officially take the Jets out of contention to win the AFC East.
Raiders over Patriots
The Jets need the New England Patriots to lose as many games as possible down the stretch.
Rooting against the Patriots is a favorite pastime of Jets fans, so they should have no problem supporting the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
New England is at the end of a two-game road swing out west, and it is playing on a short week after beating the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.
The short week could catch up to the Patriots, or the Raiders' stars could dominate them for four quarters.
Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams have had fantastic seasons, and they have four extra days of rest after their Thursday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Jets need the Patriots to lose because New England holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York.
Robert Saleh's team must finish one game ahead of the Patriots to feel safe about its playoff chances.
Titans over Chargers
The Jets need to hope that the Tennessee Titans take all their recent frustration out on the Los Angeles Chargers
Tennessee is coming off a crushing loss to Jacksonville, and it could use a reset win with the playoffs on the horizon.
The Chargers hold the same record as the Jets, but they are in front on conference record.
Los Angeles is 5-4 against the AFC, and New York is 5-5. A Titans win at Sofi Stadium would level that tiebreaker.
A Jets win combined with a Chargers loss would at least clear one hurdle in the wild-card race.
Los Angeles ends the season with the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos. All three of those games could be wins.
New York needs a Tennessee win more so that the Chargers feel the pressure coming down the stretch and potentially slip up because of that.