Just six teams in the AFC can tout a winning record. The Jets are one of them. Six teams from the conference will reach the postseason.
So why do the Jets (5-4) sit just outside the current playoff picture? Look no further than the AFC South, where no team has a winning record and one of them must qualify for the postseason.
Gang Green will get a crack at one of these struggling teams Sunday when they travel to Houston to face the Texans (4-5), who are tied with the Colts for the division lead.
Here are three keys to Gang Green getting the win in Texas.
Watt-ch out
The Texans’ No. 1 threat, by far, is J.J. Watt. The sack machine has 9.5 this season — 66.5 in his four-plus seasons. Although the Jets’ O-line allows the fewest sacks in the NFL, Watt must be constantly accounted for.
Fitz and starts
Ryan Fitzpatrick expects to start, as usual, for the Jets despite having thumb surgery one week ago Friday. Coach Todd Bowles wouldn’t greenlight him unless he was good to go, so expect a solid outing from a solid quarterback against the team he played for in 2014.
On to the next one
The Jets have lost three of their past four games, with the lone win an unimpressive 28-23 victory over the hapless Jaguars on Nov. 8. Gang Green must put the sting of last week’s 22-17 loss to Rex Ryan’s Bills behind them and forge ahead to keep pace with Buffalo and the Steelers in the AFC wild card race.
