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Here are how some of the big media outlets rate the Jets relative to the rest of the league going into Week 5. I'm not sure Pat Kirwan realizes that they won.
SB Nation (Ryan Van Bibber): 18 (+1)
So much for the Jets being the NFL's biggest circus. Instead, the Jets have become one of the most entertaining teams to watch ... sort of like a circus. The preseason narrative on the Jets is in ruins, not unlike our understanding of what exactly a circus is. The defense gives them a chance to win every week. Geno Smith wasn't asked to do much against the Falcons, throwing only 20 passes, but three of those attempts resulted in touchdowns. Smith became the first rookie quarterback since Dan Marino in 1983 to throw three touchdown passes in a Monday night game.
Geno Smith has a league-high three game-winning drives in five career games. Smith was 4-for-4 for 37 yards with an 8-yard scramble on the final drive Monday.
FOX Sports (Brian Billick): 18 (+3)
Muhammad Wilkerson is quickly becoming as difficult an inside presence as there is in the NFL. He was unblockable last night and showed up on nearly every play.
Yahoo! (Shutdown Corner): 17 (+4)
This is the Geno Smith everyone saw in the first half of last season at West Virginia, when he looked like a surefire future franchise quarterback.
Don't look now, but the Jets are in second place, a game out of first place. That defensive front is nasty.
Geno Smith struggles to protect the ball, but looked better Monday night, and the club struggles to keep healthy receivers on the field. It's too bad because the defense lives up to its end of the bargain.
Geno Ice. That's the kind of huge win that makes seasons.
Where do you think the Jets should rank?