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The Jets lost on Sunday, but they seem to have respect when it comes to power rankings.
10. Jets, 4-2 (7): Gang Green has given up just four sacks in six games this season, fewest of any team.
7. Jets: The loss at New England didn't harm the Jets too badly. But it absolutely made Sunday's game against the Raiders much more important. Last Week: 5
7. Jets No drop for the Jets, based on their valiant effort on the road (kinda like last season's blocked-kick debacle). Yet, the loss in Foxborough still represents a key L in the division standings. Some might feel the Jets are playing for the wild card, but don't tell Todd Bowles' guys that. Unfortunately, covering Gronk is a necessary part of the equation when it comes to unseating the Pats in the AFC East these days.
8. New York Jets (4-2)
The Jets gave a good account of themselves during their 30-23 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, giving New England probably the closest game it’s had all season until a blown coverage on Rob Gronkowski gave the Pats some breathing room in the fourth quarter. The Patriots responded to the absent Dion Lewis and a dominant Jets run defense by breaking out their pass-heavy attack, with Tom Brady throwing the ball 54 times. He finished 34-of-54 for 355 yards with two scores and three sacks, although those numbers were depressed in part by a Patriots teammate. The returning Brandon LaFell had one of the worst games you’ll ever see from a receiver, mishandling no fewer than six passes (including three official drops) during a two-catch, eight-target day.
The disappointing thing for the Jets is that they weren’t able to run the ball better. Their recipe for beating the Patriots has to be heavy pressure on Brady and long possessions to chew up clock, and they didn’t get the latter on Sunday. The combination of Chris Ivory and Zac Stacy carried the ball 24 times for just 60 yards, with Ivory suffering from a tweaked hamstring for most of the day. It didn’t help that they lost stalwart center Nick Mangold to a neck injury during the fourth quarter. The good news is that competitive wild-card chasers like the Steelers, Chargers, and Bills all lost on Sunday, so the Jets are still well positioned to claim a playoff berth. FPI leaves them with an 84.2 percent chance of making the postseason, even if their odds of winning the East have fallen to 10.1 percent.
NJ Advance Media