Playing well in the second half, the New York Jets defeated the Houston Texans on Thursday night 21-13, snapping a five-game losing streak and improving to 3-6.
The first half seemed like the same old Jets, but in the second half, QB Aaron Rodgers played his best stretch with New York and the offense clicked. “It was kind of season on the line there in the second half,” he said, per Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein.
After the game, a major question lingered: Could this be the start of the turnaround the team has desperately sought?
During the broadcast on Prime Video, Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit mentioned the positive outlook Rodgers had for the rest of the season if New York beat Houston, citing the Jets' remaining schedule, which is not difficult. He's not wrong.
In their final eight games, the Jets only play one team currently above .500, the Bills in Week 17.
In Week 6, New York lost to Buffalo 23-20 in a game in which Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two field goals. Second-place New York already trails Buffalo (6-2) by 3.5 games in the AFC East.
Despite their poor record, the Jets have only been outscored by 12 points (183-171). Besides New York and the Bengals (3-5), every other team with three or fewer wins has a point differential of at least -20.
Although the Jets face a relatively easy second-half schedule, the numbers are not in New York's favor. According to beat writer Rich Cimini, ESPN's Analytics gives the Jets — who have not made the postseason since the 2010 season — only an 18% chance of making the playoffs.
Two other teams that started 2-6 recently — the 2020 Commanders and 2022 Jaguars — made the playoffs, so the Jets' task is not impossible. Washington finished 7-9 but still finished first in the terrible NFC East. Jacksonville, meanwhile, finished 9-8 and won the AFC South.
Barring a massive collapse by the Bills, New York's only hope for the postseason is a wild-card berth. But to claim one of the three wild-card spots, the Jets probably must win six or seven of their remaining eight games.
So was the win over Houston the start of a miracle run or fool's gold? The Jets could find out in Week 10, when New York will play at the rejuvenated Arizona Cardinals (4-4).
