By winning six of nine games before their bye week, the New York Jets have put themselves in position to secure a berth in the NFL playoffs. This is a heady position for the Jets, who last reached the playoffs in the 2010 season.
In fact, the Jets control their own destiny. If the season ended today, they’d be an AFC wild card entrant into the playoffs. Should they win four of their remaining eight games, the Jets would be 10-7 and likely earn a postseason berth.
Once they return from their bye next week, the Jets face a difficult schedule of games the rest of the season. Five of their final eight opponents have winning records and are in the playoff mix. Four of those teams have the same 6-3 record as the Jets or better.
That said, let’s break down the New York Jets' keys to making the 2022 NFL playoffs.
5. Special teams and kicking game
The kicking game and special teams for the Jets have not just been solid, each component has been integral to winning games in the first half. The Jets have executed several fake punts that resulted in first downs and recovered a successful onside kick that set up the winning drive in their thrilling Week 2 win at the Cleveland Browns.
Justin Hardee leads a hard-hitting coverage unit that has not been burned on a return this season. Hardee could very well be on his way to making the Pro Bowl.
After a revolving door of kickers the past several seasons, Greg Zuerlein has solidified the position for the Jets. The veteran has nailed 84.2% of his field goals (16 of 19), including 4-of-5 from 50+ yards. He’s 20-of-21 on PATs. His consistency has been a safety blanket of sorts for the Jets offense. No longer are there concerns about a kick being missed in a big spot.
Punter Braden Mann has been solid. Mann is averaging a career-high 47.7 yards per punt, including a career-long of 72 yards. He’s pinned 13 punts inside the 20. And don’t forget he had that key onside kick against the Browns.
Simply put, the special teams need to remain special.
4. Injuries and depth
This important key has two parts. The first is the Jets need to remain as healthy as possible and hopefully avoid any more major injuries the rest of the season. Of course, this is the NFL so injuries are bound to happen, and there’s not much the Jets can do to avoid them. But they need to hope that luck is on their side and that no position group gets decimated nor do they lose one of their irreplaceable stars, like Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, Garrett Wilson or C.J. Mosley.
The second part is that they need to continue to successfully find ways to push forward without key players who are already injured. Season-ending injuries to running back Breece Hall and offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker are testing the Jets depth. The O-line has also been without the injured George Fant and Max Mitchell for much of the season, and left tackle Duane Brown reportedly is playing with a torn rotator cuff. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is now out 4-6 weeks.
The Jets have filled in admirably — and creatively — on the offensive line since Week 1. Their depth allowed them to thrive even when linebacker Quincy Williams and wide receiver Corey Davis missed some games.
3. Identity
The Jets have created a specific identity. They’re 6-3 because their defense is elite, they consistently win the turnover battle and they wear down the opposition with a punishing running game. They also don’t “flinch,” using coach Robert Saleh’s term, in the clutch or when the game is on the line. In fact, to the contrary, the Jets have thrived in those situations and have won numerous games by owning the fourth quarter.
They’re young and have swagger to them. But they don’t have a track record of success down the stretch trying to secure a playoff spot—at least not yet. Here’s their chance. Led by their defense, if they play to the identity built in the season’s first half, the rest should fall into place.
2. Road warriors
The Jets are 4-0 on the road. They rallied to defeat the Browns and Steelers and then shut down the Packers and Broncos. They allowed 19 points in their past two road wins.
That’s impressive. But it doesn’t make what lies ahead any easier.
Sauce Gardner really went full cheesehead 🧀😂
via @TomPelissero pic.twitter.com/h1nMovDnTj
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 16, 2022
There are five more road games on the schedule, each against a team with a winning record. First there’s Bill Belichick and the 5-4 New England Patriots in Foxborough. Then in Weeks 13 and 14, the Jets visit the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota and 6-2 Buffalo Bills. They close out the regular season with two straight on the road — against the Seattle Seahawks (6-3) and Miami Dolphins (6-3).
Somehow the Jets need to find a way to win at least two of their remaining road games. And they need to take care of business at home. The Jets host the Chicago Bears (3-6), Detroit Lions (2-6) and Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) in the second half. They’re 2-3 at home so far. They need to sweep these three games.
1. Zach Wilson
Let’s start with this: the Jets are 5-1 since Zach Wilson returned from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Pretty, pretty good.
Wilson engineered a fourth-quarter comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 and largely has been a game manager in a run-heavy offense in four other wins, but that’s okay. The Jets will obviously need him to step up and make big plays down the stretch. Most importantly, though, he just needs to take care of the ball.
Wilson did not do that in a 22-17 Week 8 loss to the New England Patriots. He was careless, erratic and stubborn. But — and this is a big thing — he rebounded in the Jets' next game, a 20-17 upset win against the Buffalo Bills. He was smart and decisive, on target and on time, posting career-highs in completion percentage (72 percent) and QB rating (101.1).
Was this the "aha moment" for Zach Wilson? pic.twitter.com/5vog2IGNX5
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) November 7, 2022
Wilson does not need to be a hero for the Jets to reach the playoffs. But he does need to play a major role as a team leader and QB1. No other player is as important as Wilson in this playoff push; let’s see what he delivers in the final eight games.
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