AFC Playoff Picture Includes 13 Teams with Three Weeks Left, But Not Jets
It certainly not where they expected to be.
With three weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, the New York Jets (5-9) found themselves officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 30-0 shutout road loss to the first-place Miami Dolphins (10-4). It is the 13th consecutive season that New York has failed to qualify for the postseason tournament, representing the longest active streak across the four major North American team sports leagues.
"It’s disappointing. Starting from the first series of the year all the way to now, it’s just been a constant battle," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh following the Week 15 loss.
Furthermore, the Jets, who lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers four plays into the season opener, are guaranteed to finish the regular season with a losing record for the eighth year in a row. The 2015 Jets, under the direction of Todd Bowles, accounted for the franchise's most-recent winning season. The team finished 10-6, but its Week 17 loss to Buffalo kept the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led squad out of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, in 2023, thirteen teams remain in the running for seven AFC playoff spots. The Jets, the Tennessee Titans (5-9) and the New England Patriots (3-10) are the lone three teams who will be playing for only pride next week. Click here for NFL Standings
"We still got three games left to finish strong. As bad as we feel now, we got to remember we felt pretty good last week, too," said Saleh. "We got a good Washington team coming in that’s going to be licking their chops."
The Jets will return to MetLife Stadium for their final home game on December 24, hosting the Washington Commanders (4-10). They ended a five-game losing streak at home in Week 14, toppling the Houston Texans, 30-6, and creating a glimmer of hope heading to Miami. With three games to go in a season that began with Super Bowl expectations, the Jets are already in "wait 'til next year" mode.
"We still got three games left, so I'll focus on Washington. I'm not dwelling on that at the moment," said linebacker C.J. Mosley on Monday.
