Despite recent failures, Jets still in playoff hunt

The Jets’ locker room was mostly quiet Thursday night. Players were either down, disgusted or both after their fourth straight loss. The Jets seemed resigned to the fact that they had thrown away their last chance at making the playoffs.

Then, over the weekend, all of the Jets’ Christmas wishes came true.

The teams the Jets needed to lose, particularly New England and Miami, lost. It kept the Jets very much alive in the AFC playoff race heading into Sunday’s game in Seattle.

“The football gods were definitely at work over this past weekend,” Jets Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “You could probably say the weekend before that, as well. We just got to deliver. We luckily got us another chance to still be in it this week, still be relevant for the playoff run.”

Those football gods, who have had plenty of fun at the Jets’ expense over the years, winked at Robert Saleh’s team over the weekend. The Jets need more good fortune to snap their 11-year playoff drought and get some help from an unlikely source, Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

The Jets (7-8) have to win at Seattle and Miami. They also need New England (7-8) to lose or tie one of their remaining two games. The Patriots play Miami on Sunday and Buffalo next week.

If the Jets and Dolphins (8-7) both win Sunday, it would set up a win-and-get-in duel in Miami in Week 18. The Jets have the tiebreaker from beating Miami earlier this season.

“After that [Thursday] loss, immediately after it, it felt like there was no shot,” tight end Tyler Conklin said. “After the way things played out over the weekend. it’s looking a lot different.

“I’m obviously happy about that but the main thing is just one day at a time for us. At the end of the day, we need to take care of Seattle first for anything to be possible.”

The loss to Jacksonville on Thursday night might come to be known as Zach Wilson’s final start as a Jet. Mike White is back and will run the offense for the final two games, barring injury. White was cleared Monday from fractured ribs that sidelined him for two games.

White’s return and the playoffs still being possible should galvanize the Jets, but they have some things to fix. Wilson is taking a lot of heat, but he’s not the reason the Jets have dropped five of their last six. He started only three of the games.

Their offensive line has struggled to protect and create holes for the run game, which has regressed. Braxton Berrios dropped a potential game-winning touchdown in Minnesota when the losing streak started. Michael Carter fumbled deep in Buffalo territory the following week. Both were one-score losses.

The defense has given up explosive plays, including a 51-yard touchdown to Detroit on fourth down with less than two minutes to go in Week 15. Special teams allowed punt-return touchdowns in two one-score losses.

Following the Jacksonville loss, Saleh said, “thinking playoffs is far-fetched.” He said Monday that being in this position won’t make a difference if the Jets can’t fix what’s hurt them.

“There’s going to be excitement naturally,” Saleh said. “But the message doesn’t change. This isn’t about playoffs. I get it. I get it. We got to get back to what we were in the first half of the season, one day at a time, take advantage of the moment and whatever happens, happens.

“The playoffs and all that stuff is cool, but we got to stay connected to this moment in Seattle and Seattle only.”  

The Jets will face a team in a similar position. The Seahawks (7-8) need to win out and get help to make the playoffs. The Jets know they’re out of slip-ups.

“This past weekend doesn’t matter if we don’t take care of our business,” Mosley said. “We really, really have to come in every day focused, understanding what’s at stake, understanding our time’s very limited for these next two weeks to really do something with the season that we’ve had — the good, the bad and the ugly. Just find a way to win.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.