ESPN ranks Gang Green at No. 30 in FPI

The New York Jets ranked No. 30 in ESPN’s Football Power Index and rightfully so.

It’s no secret that the New York Jets are rebuilding. It’s going to take some time for everything to come together but heading into the regular season, they will be lucky to win a handful of football games.

Ending last year at 5-11, the Jets are entering the regular season with very low expectations. So much so, that ESPN ranked them No. 30 in their Football Power Index. Yes, things will be that bad for Gang Green due to their lack of overall talent and younger players getting some major playing time against stiff competition.

As per ESPN’s FPI, they have the Jets winning about five games with the New England Patriots, as always, leading the division. Here is what Hank Gargiulo of ESPN Analytics said in the article about the AFC East:

The Patriots have won the AFC East in each of the past eight seasons, and FPI has them as overwhelming favorites to win a ninth consecutive crown. It’s not just that the Patriots are seen as the clear top team in the league, it’s that the remainder of the division (including a Dolphins team that reached the playoffs last season) is in the bottom third of the rankings heading into 2017.

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The Jets will, unfortunately, be on the outside looking in this upcoming season but in the grand scheme of things, it’s expected.

They will be giving a plethora of their younger players and even their recent 2017 NFL Draft picks valuable playing time during the regular season.

That will help with developing them for the future at the cost of some growing pains in 2017.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons why the Jets are ranked so low comes down to the most important position on the team. That’s right, with no definitive answer at quarterback, it severely limits anything the Jets can do. Without an established franchise quarterback like the other teams of the AFC East have, the Jets don’t have a chance at making a run towards a division title, let alone the NFL Playoffs.

Overall, ESPN is right when it came to their assessment of the Jets. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bode well for the franchise or their fans heading into the regular season. By all accounts, it’s going to be a long year with a focus on preparing for a brighter future.