New York Jets Continue Long-Shot Playoff Bid Against Arizona Cardinals

The New York Jets are back on the field on Sunday to continue their attempt to do the improbable after their awful start.

New York Jets punter Thomas Morstead (6) reacts as Gang Green have a two-score lead in the fourth quarter, Thursday, October 31, 2024, in East Rutherford. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another week, and the New York Jets still have an outside chance at reaching the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.

The next stop is a trip to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. eastern on CBS.

Last week, New York (3-6) snapped its five-game losing streak by beating the Houston Texans. In doing so the Jets started a long climb back that only three other teams in the Super Bowl era have accomplished — reaching the playoffs after a 2-6 start.

Logically, the bare minimum the Jets need to reach the postseason is a 9-8. So New York needs to win six of their final eight games. If you look back at the three teams that accomplished this feat, all three won at least six games down the stretch.

Meanwhile, Arizona (5-4) has clawed its way into the NFC playoff race. The season has been marked by the return of quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals also traded for some pass rushing help for the stretch run.

This is the last non-1 p.m. eastern start the rest of the way for New York, unless one of their remaining games gets moved. That consistency could help the Jets in terms of preparation.

Here is a preview of the Jets and Cardinals.

New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

Time, Day: 4:25 p.m., ET, Sunday

TV: CBS

Radio: 104.3 FM (flagship)

Records: Jets: 3-6; Cardinals: 5-4.

Last week: New York Jets def. Houston, 21-13; Arizona def. Chicago, 29-9.

Coaches: Jets — Jeff Ulbrich (interim, 1-3 with Jets and for career); Cardinals — Jonathan Gannon (second year, 9-17 with Cardinals, overall).

Fun fact: Both Ulbrich and Gannon came up on the defensive side of the ball as coordinators.  

All-Times Series: Jets leads series, 6-4

Last meeting: Cardinals def. Jets, 30-10 (Oct. 11, 2020).

Series notes: The two teams first met in 1971 and the Cardinals won the first two meetings. The Jets won the next six from 1978-2012 before the Cardinals snapped that streak with a win in 2016.  

About the Jets: the last time the New York Jets won a Thursday night game and got 10 days off they lost their next five games. What are the odds of that happening again?

New York hopes those odds are low because the Jets can't afford another losing streak like that.

While the vibes are good after the win over the Texans the odds are still long. The history of the three teams that pulled off this turnaround shows that the Jets will need a big winning streak at some point. Winning as many AFC games as possible will be key too because those games are a higher priority when it comes to tiebreakers.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was happy with his second half against Houston, as he threw three touchdown passes, including the circus catch by wide receiver Garrett Wilson that may be the catch of the year in the NFL.

But Rodgers acknowledged that it was just one half of football and that he needs to string a full game together at that level, something he has not been able to do all season.

He's not the only Jet that can say that, either.

About the Cardinals: Arizona knew it was going to take some time to get moving under Gannon, a long-time defensive coordinator who finally got his chance to be a head coach last season.

It didn't help that Murray was out much of last season with an injury. The Cardinals won just four games in Gannon’s debut season. But there was a clear difference with and without Murray last season, and it’s carried over.

Without Murray last season, the Cardinals were ranked No. 26 in total offense and went 1-8. With Murray the offense was ranked No. 9 and won three games.

The Cardinals have already won more games this year than they won last year. Plus, Arizona has won three straight games and seems to be moving in the right direction. The defense, Gannon’s specialty, is starting to get there. The unit has allowed 51 points during this three-game winning streak.

Next Up: The Jets host Indianapolis on Nov. 17. The Cardinals are idle next week.