On Sunday, Jets coach Rex Ryan raised eyebrows by conceding that a loss to the Falcons knocked Ryan’s team out of the playoff picture.
In reality, the team is still alive.
Ryan recently told Michael Kay of ESPN 1050 that the first-year coach simply was wr-wr-wr-mistaken.
“My thing is, I guess it’s a narrow focus, but our thing was we needed to win six games in a row,” Ryan said, via SportsRadioInterviews.com “We thought that would be good enough and anything less then that and we would be out. That was our mindset. When that happened I just thought we were -- I thought we were out.
“People can write anything they want, say anything they want about us, about me, whatever. One thing I take offense to is that we threw the towel in or there is going to be some quitters. If you know anything about me that’s one thing that you can hang your hat on is the fact that there is no quit in me.
“I had a problem with that, I can take anything else, but I had a problem with that because that isn’t who I am. I just thought that we were out of the playoffs, but if we had zero wins we were going to play Indy and give them everything we got. Now the fact that we are in the playoff hunt, I mean we are actually in a better situation today at this time than we were last week at this time. It is a real possibility still and I don’t know why or how but I am just happy and thankful we do have the opportunity still.”
The Jets would have been in an even better situation this week if they had, you know, won their home game against the Bengals.
The Jets can clinch a spot with a Week 17 win over the Bengals if the following things happen in Week 16: (1) the Jets must beat the 14-0 Colts in Indianapolis; (2) the Jaguars must lose to the Patriots and the Dolphins must lose to the Texans; and (3) the Ravens must lose to the Steelers or the the Broncos must lose to the Eagles.
Actually, items No. 2 and 3 aren’t a stretch. The Jets winning in Indy? That one falls a little closer to “long shot” territory.
Receiver Braylon Edwards said Monday that he doesn’t think the team deserves to make it to the postseason, based on their performance against the Falcons. At one point, Edwards called the team’s offense “embarrassing.”
Ryan talked to Kay about this issue as well.
“Well I definitely don’t think we have an embarrassing offense,” Ryan said. “I don’t feel that way at all. After a loss and things, you can be critical of things and if you look at it on the surface we had seven points and you don’t win too many games in the NFL. We did some good things in that game, you know four drives over 10 plays, and of course we did have the big pass to Braylon. We did some good things; we had 33 plays in out opponent’s territory. We missed three field goals, we would be feeling a lot better about ourselves had we converted those kicks and won the game. Braylon is a great player and I love him, but I disagree with him.”
Ryan has no choice but to disagree with Edwards -- even if Edwards is right. And Edwards is right. Playing a home game against a dome team that had been knocked out of the postseason the prior evening, the Jets should have put more than seven points on the board if they had hoped to prove that they deserve a spot in the postseason.
Heading to Indianapolis on Sunday, one thing is clear. It will take a lot more than seven points to beat the Colts.