Jets now sit 11th in playoff standings following Monday loss

The Jets took a hit in the playoff standings after letting a golden opportunity fall by the wayside Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The offense fell flat on their faces Monday in a 27-6 loss, despite the defense sacking Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert five times and holding him under 200 yards and giving him his worst performance of the season.

The offense couldn’t pull their weight as Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was sacked eight times, including on two plays in a row in the red zone early in the third quarter on a drive that could have made the score 17-10. Instead, it was 17-6 and the offense, as it was Monday, had no chance to make up the deficit.

The Jets would have been sitting in the No. 6 seed had they won Monday. Instead, they now sit 11th.

Four wild card contenders have five wins. The Steelers, Browns and Bengals would currently be in the playoffs at 5-3 with the Bills right behind at 5-4. There are now three teams in the AFC at 4-4 and the Jets are at the bottom of that group, behind the Texans and the Chargers.

On the plus side, the only teams in that group with a winning record in the conference are the Steelers and the Browns.

A key game now awaits in Sunday night in Las Vegas. The Raiders are right on the Jets’ tail at 4-5 after their win Sunday against the Giants. The Colts also sit at 4-5 heading into a meeting with the Patriots in Germany.

The Jets already had an important stretch in the month of November. It is now even more important following the Chargers loss. The Jets almost have to win these next three games (at Las Vegas, at Buffalo, vs. Miami) to feel good about their chances heading into December.

Jets drop to 11th in AFC playoff picture pic.twitter.com/vpzJ5WkJft

— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) November 7, 2023