Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Hours ahead of the New York Jets’ big Week 15 matchup against the AFC East-leading Miami Dolphins, reports emerged of Aaron Rodgers’s expected Week 16 return from his torn Achilles injury. With Jets doctors ‘likely’ to medically clear Rodgers, optimism returned to the Big Apple, yet the Jets still had work to do on Sunday, taking on their division rivals.
The plan for Rodgers has always been to return late in the season to help the Jets complete their playoff run, all the way to a trip to the Super Bowl. Yet, the rest of the Jets haven’t held up their end of the bargain.
Beginning the day at 5-8, the Jets faced long odds (less than 1%) to get back in the playoff hunt, but obviously, a win would go a long way toward improving their odds. Yet, the Dolphins had other ideas.
Instead of putting on an inspiring performance, one that might have done enough to help pull Rodgers off the sidelines and into action for their Week 16 matchup against Washington, the Jets laid an egg, losing 30-0.
Not only did the Jets’ playoff hopes disappear entirely by falling to 5-9, but their offensive line once again showed why they’re one of the worst units in football, allowing six sacks, including one that may have forced Zach Wilson out of action.
Before Sunday’s Week 15 NFL action began, the Jets had a less than 1% chance of reaching the playoffs. Now that they have fallen to second-to-last place in the AFC, what’s less than 1%? It equals both the Jets’ playoff chances and the odds Rodgers returns to the field in Week 16 or any other point during the 2023-24 NFL season.
In other words, the Jets are eliminated from playoff contention for the 13th year in a row, the longest drought in North American professional sports.
Related: See where Zach Wilson lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings