Getty A group of New York Jets defenders that appear ready for a turnaround in 2021.
Some would argue the New York Jets appear destined for an 11th consecutive playoff-less season in 2021.
The team is mired in mediocrity at 1-5 and things don’t get any easier on Sunday vs the top-seeded Cincinnati Bengals coming off of a very impressive dub over the Baltimore Ravens.
Although there’s one NFL coach that believes the green and white are going to turn things around sooner rather than later.
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A Lot of Confidence or Coach Speak There
During the leadup to the Week 8 matchup between the Bengals and the Jets, Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor was asked about this matchup:
“Coach Robert Saleh is going to have his guys responding the right way. I know this staff can draw from a lot of their experience in San Francisco. In their first year, they had a ton of injuries very similar to what they’re dealing with now. We played them at the end of that year and they started winning a bunch of games, they had a six-game run at the end there. Saleh has been a part of that before and he has gotten it out of his guys. I see a team that is on the verge of that and we don’t want it to start with us.”
Taylor was referencing the 2017 season for the 49ers where they started out 0-9 and looked dead in the water. Then all of the sudden out of nowhere they won six of their final seven games, including five in a row to close out the year.
Is this an honest outside narrative on the team? Is Taylor simply talking respectfully based on all of the connective tissue between them (Sean McVay)? Or perhaps is this a freshly served meal of coach speak?
It’s impossible to know for sure, but it does get the cogs moving and grooving, is a turnaround within the realm of possibilities?
How Viable Is a Turnaround?
According to the Team Rankings strength of schedule, the Jets have the seventh easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.
There are 11 games remaining on the 2021 schedule for the green and white. Six of those opponents are currently .500 or worse which presents a unique opportunity for a turnaround.
The other bit of optimistic news features future reinforcements coming back at just the right time for Gang Green.
This week the Jets should get back a pair of super important linebackers in CJ Mosley (hamstring) and Jarrad Davis (ankle).
The loss of their defensive captain last week can’t be understated from a leadership and run defense perspective. While Davis hasn’t played a regular-season snap for the Jets since signing a one-year deal back in the offseason. He got hurt in the preseason and has been MIA ever since.
Looking beyond this game vs the Bengals, over the next batch of weeks, there should be several more reinforcements coming to help their efforts: Mekhi Becton, Zach Wilson, and some more help at linebacker.
All of that could be the perfect recipe for a historic and somewhat unexpected turnaround this season for the Jets.
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