Fansided

Why the Jets’ Thursday night upset might wind up costing them in the long run

The Jets won, but at what cost?

By Zachary Rotman

Oct 31, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during the first half of their game against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Oct 31, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during the first half of their game against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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For the first time in over a month, the New York Jets won a football game. They upset the now 6-3 Houston Texans by a final score of 21-13, improving to 3-6 in the process. New York got off to yet another brutal start to this game, but looked like the Super Bowl contenders many expected them to be in the second half, saw Garrett Wilson make arguably one of the best catches in NFL history, and beat a pretty good team as well.

This was, for several reasons, a big win for the Jets. In a sense, it feels as if their season is still alive because of the win even despite their subpar record.

In reality though, while the win on Thursday Night Football against a formidable Texans team was fun for Jets fans to watch, it might end up hurting the team in general more than it helped.

Jets win might end up hurting them long-term more than helping

The biggest reason why this win felt so crucial for the Jets wasn't even because they beat a quality team in their conference. It was that their season felt saved. At 3-6, there's at least a puncher's chance that they might make the playoffs. With that being said, though, is a puncher's chance really what the Jets want?

Even with that win, the Jets are not in the current AFC playoff picture. The AFC is a whole lot weaker than expected so they aren't buried in the standings, but the odds are still stacked against them. NFL.com gives them a 29 percent chance to make it to the playoffs, and that will only go down if the teams ahead of them find a way to win in Week 9.

The upcoming schedule looks favorable for the Jets, but is it as favorable as Jets fans think it is? Their Week 10 opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, just beat the Miami Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa on the road. The Indianapolis Colts, their Week 11 opponent, are ahead of them in the standings and are doing their best to win right now by starting former Jet Joe Flacco over the inconsistent Anthony Richardson. The Seattle Seahawks, their Week 12 opponent, have struggled lately, but Geno Smith is leading the league in passing yards. These aren't free wins by any means.

With New York now at 3-6 and with a glimmer of hope, the chances of them selling at the November 5 trade deadline feel incredibly slim. A loss against the Texans might've convinced the Jets that trading some of their expiring veterans like Mike Williams, Morgan Moses, or even Haason Reddick would make sense. They might not have gotten much, but they would've been better set up for the future. Now, the Jets would presumably buy, if anything, which is fun, but considering their short odds, not wise.

A winning streak would go a long way, but have the Jets shown any sort of consistency this season? Does anyone believe that the second half of Thursday night's game is the new normal in New York? It might be, but that's hard to trust.

If the Jets wind up making a run and squeaking into the playoffs, this win was obviously huge. Assuming they don't, that win robbed them of the chance of acquiring assets at the trade deadline.

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