If Healthy, Jets Should Be A Playoff Contender This Season

(Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images)

The New York Jets are coming off their 17-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday night. But we all know the preseason doesn’t mean anything for wins and losses. And since the starters only play for half the game at the most, it does make it difficult to get an idea of how good the team is.

Head coach Todd Bowles says it takes a while to figure out how good the team is. “You don’t get a sense of how good the team is probably until halfway or past the halfway point of the season,” he said.

Bowles would go on to say that there is no timetable for figuring out how good a team is. And it doesn’t sound like he is too concerned with that right now. “Wins take care of that. The biggest thing that we’re trying to do is come together and get the chemistry right and get everyone on the same page.”

In case you haven’t realized by now, Bowles is the polar opposite of Rex Ryan, which is not a bad thing. Bowles will be the last person to make any kind of prediction or boast about how good his team is. And since he doesn’t want to do it, I will.

In my eyes, the only thing stopping the Jets from making the playoffs this year is injuries. Their defense will be among the best in the NFL like it has been in recent years. The offense should be just as good as it was last year with Fitzpatrick, Marshall, and Decker all returning and the addition of Matt Forte in the backfield.

The only weaknesses on the team right now are the right side of the offensive line and the special teams outside of Nick Folk who has become one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL.

Despite their struggles, Bowles believes that the special teams unit will come together a little bit later on in the preseason. “There’s an issue because everybody’s trying to make the team and you have a lot of stars already, so everybody who’s trying to make the team has to play special teams and they play individual football and don’t know how to play together yet.”

Overall, this team has very few holes and can compete with just about any team in the NFL. The Jets absolutely have a tough schedule, but no games are definitive losses. Opponents will see the Jets on their schedule and realize that it is not an easy win.

I also believe that things will go smoother in the second year under Bowles since everyone will have a better feel for the system.

On paper, the Jets are easily a playoff team and anything can happen in the playoffs once you get in. I’m not predicting a Super Bowl victory or appearance. But this team is something to be excited about this year. Even if Bowles doesn’t show the emotion, he should feel confident.