Time to Turn the Page
The debacle was last week. Thanksgiving is over and I am not a big fan of leftovers.
It is time to move on.
What is ahead for the Jets? Five games that could go either way. The 4-7 Jets aren't a good football team at the moment and they won't line up against a good football team before 2013. But you have to go back a full calendar year to find the last time the Jets won in consecutive weeks as they had a three-game victory streak from Week 12-Week 14, disposing of Buffalo, Washington and Kansas City.
It would be ridiculous to talk about postseason chances until we see some sort of streak out of this club. With that being said, the Jets have opportunities to win some December football games against four 4-7 teams and one 2-9 outfit. (Randy Lange, our editor-in-chief who provides the best Jets numbers in the business, tells me Rex Ryan's Jets are 17-8 vs. under.500 opposition. That mark is 8-3 at home and 9-5 on the road, but we caution that the Jets were 8-0 vs. under .500 opposition in 2010).
This is what remains:
Week 13: Arizona (4-7)
The Cardinals have lost seven straight. They are 1-4 on the road this year and they are in a world of hurt at QB. Ryan Lindley, a sixth-rounder from San Diego State, started against the Rams and had four passes intercepted — two returned for scores.
"Nobody feels worse about this than we do," Ken Whisenhunt said after losing at home against the Rams. "I'm disappointed for our fans because they have been so supportive. All I can tell you is, we're going to get it straight."
Strength:7th Ranked Defense (4th Pass Defense & 4th in Red Zone D), Larry Fitzgerald
Weakness:Nobody to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald! This team hasn't scored 20 points during the losing streak, averaging 12.7 points a contest.
Week 14: @Jacksonville (2-9)
The Jags have played better the past couple of weeks with former Dolphins QB Chad Henne at the controls. In a home win over the Titans on SUN, they had a season-high nine passes of at least 20 yards.
But J-Ville is scrapping for everything. They yielded 653 yards of offense to the Texans in Week 11 and Henne was sacked seven times against Tennessee. They can't rush the passer and were outscored by 109 points in a 0-5 home start. The Jags rank dead last in total offense and 31st in defense.
Strength: Chad Henne is hot and don't look now, but the Jags have some decent weapons at the skills with Justin Blackmon, Cecil Shorts, Marcedes Lewis and they are still holding out hope for a Maurice Jones-Drew return.
Weakness: The Titans blitzed the Jags and they didn't have a lot of answers. J-Ville doesn't rush the passer well either, having racked up 13 sacks in 11 games.
Week 15: @ Tennessee (4-7)
The Titans followed up their road thrashing of the Dolphins in Week 10 by inexplicably blowing a game to the Jaguars in Week 12. They have dropped three of four overall and are another team that is consistently inconsistent.
"That's mediocrity," said Titans head coach Mike Munchak said after his team loss to the Jags. "Unfortunately, you can't put a run together of games."
Strength: Chris Johnson is No. 6 in the NFL in rush yards with 942 and CJ averages 4.9 yards a clip. He has had his ups and downs, but Johnson doesn't need much room to make you pay.
Weakness: The Titans defense has a lot of holes, ranking 29th against the run and the pass. This is a team void of many playmakers.
Week 16: vs. San Diego (4-7)
While the Jets have 52 seconds that will live in infamy, the Chargers have fourth-and-29. The Bolts blew a 24-point halftime lead against Denver in Week 6 and then they couldn't hold on to* *a late lead on Sunday when Ray Rice got 30 on a check-down.
"We've shown we're a talented team, offensively and defensively," said LB Jarret Johnson. "And at the same time, we've turned around and proven time and again that we just don't know how to win."
Strength:The good ol' days of a prolific offensive attack in San Diego are history. The Chargers also have issues protecting Philip Rivers as he has been sacked 32 times.
Weakness: The Bolts can't finish and they've lost six of seven. They are good enough to be in every game, but winning has proved to be elusive. Week 17: @ Buffalo (4-7)
The Bills have lost four of five and they are also in a world of hurt. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the answer at QB and this team is a one trick pony that can't throw down the field.
Strength: C.J. Spiller is dynamic, Mario Williams is finally coming on and S Jarius Byrd is an excellent ballplayer.
Weakness: The Bills still can't stop the run and their LBs don't inspire confidence. Stephon Gilmore is a talented rookie, but the other B-Lo corners are guys. That playoff draught looks likely to increase to 13 seasons.
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