Nov 12, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) gives the play to the offense in the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Bills defeated the Jets 22-17 Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets are coming off their mini-bye week to host the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium in Week 11. The Jets had a rather poor showing in Week 10 on Thursday Night Football, losing to former head coach Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills. The Texans, meanwhile, are riding a two-game winning streak and are 4-5 on the season.
This makes the matchup Sunday afternoon extremely important. At 5-4, the Jets are tied for a Wild Card spot in the AFA, but a loss to the Texans could really derail the Jets’ season.
With losses to the Oakland Raiders and Bills in two of the last three weeks, the Jets are starting at some poor tiebreakers. That is already two teams they have lost head-to-head matchups with, and is the reason they are in seventh place right now. Adding a third in the Texans would make for a huge detriment to their playoff hopes; it would not only give them another tiebreaker loss, but also put them a full game behind the idle Pittsburgh Steelers.
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This is essentially a must win game for the Jets, but it will not be a cakewalk. The Texans have plenty to play for as well as they are tied for first place in the AFC South. A victory will keep them there, and give them a lot of momentum as the Indianapolis Colts will be without Andrew Luck for a couple of weeks. A win would also make the Wild Card become a reality as a fallback option, as they would be, at worst, one game behind the Bills and Steelers.
If the Jets are to win this game, they will need to put together a better effort all around than they have in recent weeks. They are lucky to not be riding a four-game losing streak, as they narrowly defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago. They can start to put this tough stretch of games behind them by defeating the Texans on Sunday before another big game with division rival Miami Dolphins in Week 12.
If the Jets are to defeat the Texans, they will need some players to step up while limiting some players on the Texans. Which would those players be? Check out our slideshow of the five players to watch for in Week 11 when the Jets and Texans face off Sunday afternoon.
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