Things haven’t gone exactly according to plan so far for the New York Jets in 2021.
They’re 2-8 and while not officially eliminated from playoff contention, we all know it is simply a formality at this point, and it’s a matter of when, not if.
Just because that is the case, it doesn’t mean that the season is over. There is still much to accomplish in the final seven games of the season.
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Momentum Is a Hell of a Drug
In Adam Gase’s first season with the Jets, things didn’t go well, the team started 1-7 and all looked lost.
Despite that being the case, the green and white rallied at the midway point of their season to win six of their final eight games and finished with a 7-9 record. They were the second hottest team in football during that stretch only behind the 8-0 Baltimore Ravens.
General manager Joe Douglas believed in the strong finish and sold us a bill of goods that momentum would carry over into 2020.
To make a long story short, that didn’t happen as the Jets enjoyed one of their worst seasons in franchise history finishing 2-14 and Gase was fired after the campaign.
This season that momentum has a real chance to blossom in 2022.
They have a young quarterback they believe in that is returning to action after missing the last four games in Zach Wilson. Several young stars are popping including their rookie wideout Elijah Moore out of Ole Miss who is coming off of the best game of his young career.
The Jets haven’t won a game since Week 8 when they upset the Cincinnati Bengals, but they have their best shot at one on Sunday when they play the Houston Texans.
According to the ESPN FPI (football power index) analytics, the Jets are only a 41.9 percent underdog. While the latest Vegas line has them pegged as a 2.5 dog on the road.
The Road Warriors
As we just documented, the Jets have been awful this year, but they have been at their absolute worst on the road.
They are 0-5 on the road this season and it usually hasn’t been very close:
- 19-14 versus Carolina Panthers (Week 1)
- 26-0 versus Denver Broncos (Week 3)
- 27-20 versus Atlanta Falcons (international game in London, Week 5)
- 54-13 versus New England Patriots (Week 7)
- 45-30 versus Indianapolis Colts (Week 9)
Every swing of the bat has resulted in a strikeout and there are only three chances left to come away with that elusive dub.
Sunday is a chance to hit multiple birds with the same stone for the green and white. They can win a game and it can be on the road.
While the Texans are also 2-8 this season they’re coming off their best win of the season beating the Tennessee Titans 22-13.
Prior to that win, Houston had lost eight in a row. This is a perfect chance to get Wilson going, finally win on the road, and create some momentum to finish off the rest of this regular season.
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Jets Have a Chance to Conquer Their Demons on Sunday vs. Texans