When it comes to the NY Jets, head coach Todd Bowles during his weekly press conference still believes in “The goal is still the Super Bowl.”
Some teams in the NFL haven’t been fortunate enough to win a Super Bowl trophy, so the Jets should consider themselves lucky that some guy nicknamed ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath led them to the promise land some 40+ years ago. But with that being said, the Jets aren’t complacent with the fact that they’ve won a Lombardi, they realize that it’s been nearly half a century since Namath hoisted that treasured prize.
Jets fans that were born in the Millennial era didn’t see that moment in Jets history in person and only a handful of fans are alive from that infamous day. Despite going to several AFC Championship games since, the Jets haven’t been back and as head coach Todd Bowles revealed in his latest press conference, that is still the goal for the Jets. Here is what he said provided by the Media Relations Department of the Jets:
On the goal for the team…
I said when I came in, the goal was to get to the playoffs so that you can get to the Super Bowl. You’re trying to get to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl and that’s still our goal.
With the Jets sitting at 5-4 and currently out of the AFC playoff picture, the Jets are in crunch time in November and they know it. It’s Week 11 in the NFL and the Jets have their destiny in their hands and everything is still right there in front of them. If the Jets want to end the streak and head back to the playoffs, it starts this Sunday in Houston and Bowles knows the Jets have got to take it one game at a time and he talked about that, the playoffs, and much more:
On if the season is a failure if they don’t get to the playoffs…
For me, yes. We want to get to the playoffs every year. We don’t accept not going.
On challenges posed by the Texans…
They played a great game (Monday). Obviously, defensively they’re tough up front. They have some very good corners and they cause a lot of turnovers that way. Offensively, they’re big up front, you have to handle (DeAndre) Hopkins on the outside as well as (Nate) Washington. They have a very good passing game with their receivers.
Nov 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles coaches against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Am I proclaiming that the rest of the NFL better watch out the Jets are the leading representative for the AFC conference this year? No, I’m not saying that quite yet, but I think realistically looking at their schedule that if this team can return to form (the first 2 weeks of the season for example) the Jets ‘ceiling’ at the end of the season when everything is said and done is 11 wins which would mean the Jets would have to go 6-1 down the stretch.
Not impossible by any means, but unlikely I think the Jets could possibly get in with 9 wins but I think the golden number this year is 10 wins. I think 10 wins guarantees without a shadow of a doubt that the Jets are playing important football in January.
alright, jets fans. here’s your remaining schedule: @ HOU, vs MIA, @ NYG, vs TEN, @ DAL, vs NE, @ BUF. we finish __ and Y/N to the playoffs?
— Brian Erni (@brianerni) November 16, 2015
So we’ve got ‘4’ road games (at the Giants barely counts) against beatable opponents and 2 home games against a beatable Tennessee Titans squad and a tough out obviously with the still undefeated New England Patriots which is always a challenge though the Jets played them well better than any other team this year outside of the aforementioned New York Giants.
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An interesting schedule to say the least for the Jets, what can’t be understated is that the Jets can’t underestimate any of these teams. Getting the running game flowing is essential to the long term success of this team, keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick healthy is vital, and finding ways to win games instead of finding ways to lose games will be the key for the Jets down the stretch. I’m intrigued to see how the Jets come out against an inexperienced quarterback in T.J. Yates as I anticipate the defense of the Jets to dominate.