Jets’ Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 10

Jets’ Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 100 of 3

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The New York Jets 21-13 win over the Houston Texans in Week 9 could prove to be the turning point on a season that was circling the drain.

It could also be a blip on the radar as the campaign continues to descend into disaster.

A lot of that will be determined by how the team fares as it heads to the desert in Week 10 with a 50-50 game against the Arizona Cardinals on the docket. The win over the 6-3 Texans snapped a five-game losing streak in which the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh and didn’t look like a playoff team.

Despite all of that, the Jets aren’t completely out of it. The latest projections from The Athletic give Aaron Rodgers’ team a 19 percent chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Overcoming those odds and crashing the playoff field is going to require the Jets to put together a win streak and get a little help. Here, we’ll take a look at some results this week that would boost their odds.

Chiefs over Broncos1 of 3

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Let’s start with an easy one.

The Broncos are currently the seventh seed with a 5-4 record. That’s good enough to put them two games ahead of the Jets for the final wild card spot. There are two more teams (the Colts and Bengals) who are ahead of the Jets in the current pecking order.

The Bengals are scary because of Joe Burrow and the offense, but they already lost to the Ravens so the table is set for the Jets to at least be tied with them at 4-6 by the end of the week.

The Broncos playoff odds go from 73 percent to 50 percent with a loss to the Chiefs according to NFL.com’s projections.

This game should tell us a lot about where Denver really is as a franchise. They got off to a better-than-expected start on the strength of defense that was elite in most categories.

However, a lot of that could be chalked up to some iffy competition. Last week was a come-back-to-earth game in which they lost 41-10 to the Ravens. Another loss like that to an elite team and the Broncos momentum might be stymied.

That would open the door for the Jets to go on a run of their own and start working their way up the playoff picture.

Bills over Colts2 of 3

Von MillerBryan Bennett/Getty Images

More good news for the Jets here. It might not be fun to play the Bills twice a year and most Jets fans aren’t going to want to root for them, but it’s a stark reality that a Bills win will help their playoff odds.

According to NFL.com, the Colts playoff chances go from 29 percent down to 20 percent with a loss to Josh Allen’s team. The Colts enter the week at 4-5 which gives them a one-game advantage over the Jets as it stands.

The Colts have hit a bit of an identity crisis on offense this season. They benched Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco, but the veteran quarterback wasn’t able to get the offense going against the Vikings. They scored just 13 points in a 21-13 loss.

Michael Pittman Jr.’s return from a back injury could be a shot in the arm, but it will have to wait. He’s already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Bills.

The Bills have been on a heater going back to their win at MetLife Stadium against the Jets. They have rattled off four wins in a row and will be a road favorite against the Colts.

The Jets get a shot at the Bills again in Week 17 so another win could help put Buffalo in a position where they already have playoff positioning sealed by the time they play again.

Titans over Chargers3 of 3

Tony PollardDanielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Titans are the perfect team for the Jets to root for this weekend. At 2-6, they probably have a much closer eye on the 2025 NFL draft order than the playoff bracket. Yet, they’re coming off an overtime win over the New England Patriots.

Beating the Patriots is generally a good thing for any Jets fan. If there’s any way that it could give the Titans enough life to help them out in their playoff quest it would be even better.

The Chargers have won three of their last four game and are making a strong case that they will be one of the AFC’s wildcard teams. Their 5-3 record has them sitting at No. 6. If the Chargers continue to pile up the wins it would leave only one wildcard spot with real competition.

That’s not good for the Jets. They need those wildcard spots to come down to the final few games of the season.

A loss to the Titans would certainly bring the Chargers back down to earth. Tennessee has struggled this season, but they have been able to run the ball well with Tony Pollard and there’s a possibility that Will Levis puts on a good performance in his return to the lineup.

Alright, that might be asking for a bit too much, but it would certainly help out the Jets.