Can the Jets Turn it Around in the AFC East This Season?

The New York Jets have not had an overly successful season. They have gone just 3-7 after 10 weeks of play and find themselves seated in third in the AFC East. Can the team turn things around and make it to the top? The current losing streak has left players unmotivated and upset. In week 10, the Jets suffered a loss of 31-6 against the Arizona Cardinals and everyone’s eyes were on the quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has struggled to get his offense going for most of the season.

As a team that first started the season with hopes of appearing in the Super Bowl, that is now very unlikely. The reason for so many losses can be chalked up to player struggles and ineffective game plans from the coaching staff. With the regular season coming to an end, the Jets have to act fast and make some major changes if they plan to stay alive. What are some of the things that have caused this team to hit a losing streak? We take a look at some of the main factors that have affected how the Jets have performed this season.

Coaching Changes

It only took a few weeks into the season for major coaching changes to occur. In October, the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh. When hired in 2021, Saleh promised the team would enjoy multiple championships. However, his coaching career with the team ended with a lousy 20-26 record and not a single playoff appearance. As things stand, the Jets have the longest playoff drought of all NFL teams and haven’t seen playoff action in 13 years.

Woody Johnston stated that the reason for firing Saleh was because of his history with the team and the poor performances that have been put up in the past three years. Looking at team coaching history, Saleh had the worst winning percentage of all coaches who have worked with the Jets. His winning percentage was .357 with less than 40 games.

Saleh was replaced by Jeff Ulbrich, the team’s defensive coordinator. Ulbrich will serve as the head coach for the remainder of the season. The Jets management believed that firing Saleh was a way to improve positivity and energy on the field, leading to more wins. As the stats show, this clearly has not happened.

Aaron Rodgers Failure

When the Jets signed Aaron Rodgers in 2023, they thought they were getting an all-star quarterback. Known to be one of the most talented players in the NFL, Rodgers has proven to be a constant letdown for the Jets and fans. During his first season, Rodgers sat out with an injury. At the start of 2024, he returned to the field. Unfortunately, he has not repeated history. After successful seasons with Green Bay, the 40-year-old quarterback seems to have lost his flair. He is now playing as a mediocre player at best, constantly coming up short against opponents.

AFC East Win Out of Range

At the beginning of the season, the Jets were the betting favorites at Stake to be leaders in the AFC East Conference. Since the first game player, their odds have plummeted as the team has struggled to put up points, let alone wins. When the NFL season began, fans and sports analysts had high hopes that Aaron Rodgers would carry the team to victory. With the latest loss to Arizona, the Jets now have just a 7% chance of making it to the playoffs. Gone are those amazing odds that were listed at sportsbooks when the season first started.

Since Sahel has been fired, it has been downhill on all accounts. The team lacks the energy needed to succeed and for the past few games, the team has been unprepared. Entering the 2024 season with high hopes the Jets are now not even contenders for the AFC East win. The team worked in the offseason to build a stronger offense and defense by acquiring Tyron Smith and Morgan Moss. The Jets hoped to make it to the Super Bowl this year, but they have instead dropped six of the last 7 games played.

The Jets were expected to do something big this year and they have disappointed thousands of fans every week. Even sports bettors were placing their money on the Jets in the preseason. Everyone believed that a healthy Rodgers could lead the team to victory. That has not yet happened, and it probably won’t this season. With sloppy plays, miscommunication, multiple mistakes per game, and a coaching staff that can’t coach, the team will most likely see one of its worst performances in franchise history.

So, can the Jets win the AFC East? The odds of doing so are pretty much nonexistent. The team is 4.5 games behind the Bills and while the Jets will face Buffalo in Week 17, it is unlikely that a win will alter the chances of the Jets seeing the top of the AFC East list. At Stake.com, the Jets are listed at +8000 to be the AFC East Division Winner, ahead of Miami at +15,000 and the NE Patriots at +15,000. Based on how the team is performing now and how the stats are looking, there is just a 0.7% chance the team will win the AFC East title this year. It would be the first time since 2002.

Wrapping It Up

That may be exactly what the Jets will be doing. Their season has been far from successful and a long shot from what was expected. The team now has some of the longest odds for being the AFC East winner and even longer for being Super Bowl winners. While the run for the AFC East title may not be in reach this year, Jets fans are holding tight to a dream that the team can make fast and effective changes to start putting some wins on the board.

Steve Johnson

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