Jets Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With Win Over Dallas

Randy Bullock (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The New York Jets picked up their fourth straight win on Saturday night as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-16. It was not the cleanest win in the world, but they got the job done on the road to keep their playoff hopes alive. But, before the Jets host the Patriots next Sunday, let’s take a look at some of the takeaways from Saturday’s victory.

1. Receiving Core – In recent weeks, it typically has been Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker putting up some big numbers. But this weekend’s game was completely different. Marshall and Decker combined for ten receptions and 129 yards. But the impressive stat is that eight different players made a reception for the Jets including Marshall and Decker. Bilal Powell led the team with seven receptions. Kenbrell Thompkins even had two receptions for 50 yards. Quincy Enunwa added four recptions for 49 yards himself. Kellen Davis, Chris Ivory, and Stevan Ridley each had one reception as well. A game like this shows that the Jets can rely on players offensively, not named Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.
2. Defense – They may have only given up 16 points and forced four interceptions, but there were times where the defense looked bad. I know the Cowboys have the best offensive line in the NFL, but the Jets defensive line is not made up of scrubs either. Going into the game, the Jets were the best team in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, as they were the only team that gives up less than 80 rushing yards per game on average. But on Saturday, they gave up 133 rushing yards, which still is not that bad, but it is a lot worse than what we are accustomed to seeing. And on top of that, there were times, when the Kellen Moore led offense drove down field and made the Jets seemed like rookies. They did hold Moore in check for the majority of the game, but there were a few drives where the Jets had no pass rush, and the Cowboys drove right down the field. If it weren’t for a few key interceptions, the Cowboys would have put up more than 16 points and potentially have won the game.

Unfortunately for the Jets, a 9-5 record is not good enough to control their own destiny for a playoff spot. For the Jets to land in the playoffs, they will need to leapfrog either the Steelers or the Chiefs, both teams have 9-5 records as well but own tie breakers over the Jets.

The Chiefs have the Browns and Raiders on their schedule remaining with both being home games. The Steelers have the Ravens and the Browns remaining, both being road games. However, with the Denver Broncos struggling and falling to a 10-4 record, their playoff hopes are in jeopardy. The Chiefs could potentially win that division which would be huge for the Jets because the Jets would have a tie breaker rule over the Broncos. Which means that the Chiefs would get the third seed, Steelers get the fifth seed, and the Jets get the sixth seed. So if the Jets and Broncos finish at 11-5 or 10-6, the Jets would get the final playoff spot. And on top of that, the Broncos have a tough game next weekend as they host the Cincinnati Bengals.

But all the Jets can control is winning their final two games to put pressure on everyone else. And that starts with beating the New England Patriots next weekend at home.