Thanksgiving signals that the stretch run of the NFL season is here, and these five teams find themselves in need of a win in Week 13.
Down the stretch we come as the NFL season kicks into high gear entering Week 13. Thanksgiving is upon us and there are no more byes, so the final five weeks of the year are huge for anyone in the mix for a playoff spot.
There are five squads that find themselves most in need of a win this week as the holidays approach, and we’ll start off with an unlikely candidate for the list as recently as three weeks ago, the New York Jets.
5. New York Jets
The Jets were left for dead after losing to the then-winless Dolphins back in Week 9, but to their credit they have righted the ship. Thanks to some resurgent play from Sam Darnold and an improving defense, the Jets have won three straight games while scoring 34 points per game, moving them within two games of a postseason berth in the mediocre AFC.
The odds are that the Jets would need to run the table to keep their hopes alive, and their next opportunity comes on Sunday when they travel to Cincinnati to take on the 0-11 Bengals. While Cincinnati has been more competitive of late, this is still a team well on its way to earning the right to draft Joe Burrow first overall in April.
Adam Gase has begun to build some credibility with Jets’ fans for the team’s turnaround, and that would all disappear with a loss to another winless team this season. For those reasons, along with keeping their slim hopes alive, the Jets crack the list this week.