The New York Jets have ruled out a key defensive lineman ahead of their huge Week 10 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. While New York sits at 3-6, their recent win over the Houston Texans has Aaron Rodgers' team believing that they can turn things around by going on a long winning streak. However, that's going to be tougher to accomplish now that their defense is set to be shorthanded.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas is out with a knee injury for Sunday's game against the Cards. This is a tough blow for a team on the brink of falling out of the playoff hunt if they lose to Arizona, and it will be imperative that other players step up in his absence.
Jets running out of time to start making playoff push
Thomas is one of 13 players on the Jets injury report going into the Cardinals' matchup. The veteran has been a mainstay on New York's defensive line in the two-and-half years he's been with the franchise. So far this year, Thomas has recorded 16 tackles with 2.5 sacks.
As of right now, the Jets are tenth overall in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills running away with the AFC East division, so snatching a Wild Card spot is New York's most realistic path towards a playoff berth, which would be a remarkable accomplishment. The Jets have not been to the playoffs since 2010, which is the longest postseason drought in the NFL by far. But New York is only two games out of a playoff spot, although it's worth noting that is more like a three-game deficit since the Denver Broncos beat them earlier this year.
Still, this team has plenty of room for optimism going forward. After their contest against the Cardinals, six of the Jets final seven games come against teams who currently have a .500 record or worse, with the only team having a winning record in that slate of opponents being the Bills. As a result, they have some winnable games in front of them.
New York has time to completely turn around a tumultuous season that saw the fire head coach Robert Saleh after just five games. A key to that will be getting players like Thomas back to help elevate a defense that has not managed to meet expectations this season.
While New York's defense is ranked tenth in points given up per game, this unit has ranked toward the bottom half of the NFL in stopping the run, which is one reason why some projections have Cardinals running back James Conner running over the Jets on Sunday. Jeff Ulbich's team must improve this weakness as soon as possible if they want to walk away with a win against Arizona.
