Jets Drop Another Spot in Sports Illustrated's NFL Power Rankings

Slumping New York sits behind Giants, Bucs, Raiders, Chargers as playoff hopes fade

Tim Boyle wasn't able to halt the New York Jets' descent, at least not on his first try.

With a new starting quarterback at the controls, the Jets' offense never lifted off the ground in a lopsided Week 12 loss to the division-leading Miami Dolphins. The team's fourth straight setback resulted in a one-spot drop to a season low in Sports Illustrated's NFL Power Rankings.

Leap-frogged by Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants, the Jets (4-7) slid to No. 26 overall on the weekly 32-team list. They are sandwiched in between the No. 25 Giants (4-8) and the No. 27 Tennessee Titans (4-7). The Jets' previous season low was last week's No. 25 ranking that came in the wake of the 32-6 road loss to Buffalo.

The Jets' offense has scored only 10 touchdowns through 11 games. After netting only 40 yards and two first downs in the first three quarters against the Dolphins, Boyle and Co. finally mustered up a fourth-quarter touchdown with 4:37 left on the clock.

The Jets, who rank last amongst NFL teams in third down conversion rate (24.14%) and red zone touchdown percentage (28.00%), watched their scoring average drop to 14.8 points per game after the 34-13 loss on Black Friday.

With Gang Green sliding into a tie for 13th place in the 16-team AFC, head coach Robert Saleh has offered a challenge to the team.

"He [Saleh] challenged us," said left guard Laken Tomlinson on Monday. "[He] said, 'we can all be better as players and coaches, but we really need to get back to is just controlling the stuff that we can control.'"

The Jets will look to snap their four-game slide on December 3 at 1:00 pm ET when the NFC South division-leading Atlanta Falcons (5-6) visit MetLife Stadium. The Falcons occupy the No. 19 slot in this week's power rankings. 

The No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (10-1), whose lone loss came at the hand of the Jets, and the No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (8-3) top the league-wide rankings. The No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) are the top-ranked AFC club. The No. 7 Dolphins pace the AFC East.

From NFL Power Rankings: Eagles, 49ers Headed for Top-Two Showdown:

26. New York Jets (4–7)

Last week: loss vs. Miami, 34–13 

Next week: vs. Atlanta

As we head into the potential opening of Aaron Rodgers’s practice window, I have shifted my opinion on the matter. I feel like it does make sense for Rodgers to try and play this year, even if the season is lost. The Jets need some kind of momentum, not blind faith, going into next year. And if Rodgers looks every bit of 40, the Jets need to know that, too. 

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