The outlook of the New York Jets 2024 season was going to be determined on Thursday Night Football against the Houston Texans in Week 9.
Riding a five-game losing streak, a loss likely would have led to the team unloading players and starting a rebuild. Their record would have been 2-7 and a playoff spot would have been virtually out of reach.
Alas, they did not lose the game.
The Jets picked up a huge 21-13 victory, pushing their record to 3-6. There may not be a team in NFL history that has had a record that bad but still possessed the optimism this team has moving forward.
There were some things to like from that performance, especially in the second half.
New York’s offense finally started to click, as they scored touchdowns on all three of their possessions after halftime. In the first half, they were shut out after Malachi Corley dropped the ball before the goalline and it was ruled a touchback.
Defensively, things are coming together despite several injuries. The pass rush has received a jolt from Haason Reddick, as the Jets made life miserable for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud last week.
With the victory, the Jets moved up ESPN’s NFL power rankings, climbing to No. 24 after being No. 27 in the previous edition.
While it was a step in the right direction, plenty of work remains. What is the most important game for the team? Naturally, it is the next one against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, as they need to start stringing together successful performances.
“Yes, that's right, this week. At 3-6, the Jets have virtually no margin for error to keep alive their faint playoff hopes. They played their best half of the season in Thursday's win over the Texans, outscoring them 21-6 in the second half. That might have been a turning point -- or maybe it was just a tease. How they fare against the streaking Cardinals, winners of three straight, will go a long way toward defining their season,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote.
Given their record, things certainly look bleak. But New York is likely going to be favored in a majority of their games down the stretch.
After the Cardinals, the only other team on their schedule with a record over .500 is the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. The Los Angeles Rams are at .500.
The opportunity to make something of this season exists. Will they be able to take advantage? We will find out over the coming weeks.
