Another Important Game Sunday at Met Life for the Jets

Dec 12, 2010; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith (24) deflects the pass as he gets it away from New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller (81) in the 4th quarter at the New York Jets vs Miami Dolphins at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

The game against New England is over, and it is time to move on. The truth is, at 3-4, the Jets are right in the thick of the playoff race. Going into last week, every team except the Ravens and Texans were 3-3, showing how evenly balanced the AFC is in 2012. The conference can be had by anybody. As drastic as the season has felt to date, the season is far from over, there is a lot of football left to be played.

Enter the Miami Dolphins. The Jets already beat them in Miami, so here comes the second matchup. The rivalry has ramped up a bit, thanks to Calvin Pace talking about “taking Reggie Bush out”, and Reggie Bush responding by saying that Darrelle Revis “Got what he deserved”. There will never be any love lost between these two teams either.

The Jets need this one, make no mistake. There is a lot to be said about momentum, especially heading into the bye week. The Jets will have two weeks to think about this one before they hit the field again. If they win, they will be feeling good, and set up for a good run. If they lose, they won’t be in a great frame of mind as they move into the second half of the year. Look at the record too. 3-4, 2-1 in the division. A win will bring them to .500, and 3-1 in the division. A loss will not put them in a good spot, 3-5, 2-2 in the division. They will have one huge hill to climb to come back from that. The one game will make a huge difference.

Look at the run of games coming up after the bye:at Seattle, at St. Louis, home for New England, home for Arizona, and at Jacksonville before they hit the final three weeks. Does this not look like a classic Jets stretch, where we could see them going 5-1, or 2-4. The Jets do typically give young quarterbacks fits, but Seattle won’t be a push over. I am sure Brian Schotteheimer will bring all he can to get some revenge on the team that got rid of him. New England obviously will be tough, but so will Arizona and the Jaguars. The Jets should do well in this stretch, but there are no gimmes in this league, especially for the Jets, who historically have played down to their opponents. Much of how this stretch will play out will hinge on how the Jets enter this game.

If they enter it coming off of a win before the bye. they should be ready for a heck of a stretch. If they don’t, it could be a long stretch. This one on Sunday is important.