The Week 16 San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday, Dec. 23 will be played at 8:20 PM ET on NBC's "Sunday Night Football", the NFL announced today. The San Diego Chargers-New York Jets game, originally scheduled for Sunday night, will move to 1:00 PM ET on CBS and the New York Giants-Baltimore Ravens game will move to 4:25 PM ET on FOX.
From Grantland: The Jets Are … Back? The patron saint of bad quarterback play in 2012 might not be the Jets' starter for much longer, but Mark Sanchez might have another playoff appearance to add to his résumé by the time the Jets release him. That's right, folks: Somehow, someway, the Jets are back in the playoff picture. It took shakier-than-shaky wins over the Cardinals and Jaguars and losses by both the Steelers and Bengals to make it happen, but the Jets are now 6-7 and one game out of the sixth and final wild-card spot in the AFC. New York's final three games are remarkably friendly, as they have a home game against the Chargers sandwiched between trips to Tennessee and Buffalo. The Steelers and Bengals play in Pittsburgh in Week 16, but the Steelers still have to play the Cowboys and (resurgent) Browns, while the Bengals get the Eagles and Ravens. The Jets lost to the Steelers in Week 2, so they'll be rooting for a Bengals win there in Week 16 to try to have some semblance of controlling their own destiny in Week 17. The Jets have come up from deeper holes. Remember, Rex Ryan thought that his team had been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in Week 15 of the 2010 season, only for the 7-7 Jets to get a reprieve upon further review. Then they faced a 14-0 Colts team that sat their starters in the second half and ceded a lead to the Jets, and followed that with a home win over a Bengals team that had already clinched a playoff spot and ran a vanilla scheme, knowing that they were to play the Jets the following week, pushing New York into the playoffs. The Jets somehow marched from that Ryan concession press conference to the AFC Championship Game. Empires have been built on stupider platforms than this Jets team, but not much stupider. If it happens again, maybe they'll even give Sanchez another contract extension.
I just did the calculation. Oddly enough, if it comes down to strength of victory, we have a higher SOV than Cincy does (if Cincy loses and we win on Monday). That would mean that we'd be in the number 7 spot, right behind the Steelers. Jets SOV: .667 Cincy SOV: 542. It helps in our favor they beat the likes of Oakland, Kansas, and Jacksonville.
If PITT lost 2 games but beat CINCY and CINCY lost all 3 of their remaining games then the Jets would still make it if they won out. But a PIT win vs CIN and a CIN win vs CLE ensures no Jets playoffs.
I think you mean PIT win vs. CIN and PIT win vs CLE. That way, PIT has at least 9-7 record and tiebreakers vs. CIN and NYJ
1) Cincy does not need to lose all 3 for the Jets to make it 2) Cincy does not play CLE. Jets can still make it even if both win this weekend - but then they need Cincy to beat Pitt. If both lose this weekend (possible) or if Dallas beats Pitt in Dallas very possible there are more options.
It's early, but it looks like the Texans will be playing for the #1 seed until week 17. 14-0 Pats all over HOU
The Texans losing would be huge -- forces them to play out the string handing indy 2 losses. Making their game at KC in the cold huge! Indy at 9-7 benefits the Jets in tie breaker situations if the steelers and Ravens are also 9-7. Steelers getting to 8-8 would still be best. Dez Bryant being hurt sucks though.
The only way that matters is if IND loses to HOU in week 15 and IND loses to KC in week 16. I don't think the second will happen. In that case, we actually want IND to win in week 17 due to tiebreakers (NYJ beat IND whereas CIN didn't play IND) and we'll get some strength of victory points. Strength of victory is really close and if we get a scenario like: NYJ wins out IND wins 1 PIT loses to CIN CIN loses to PHI and wins vs PIT and BAL then the very close strength-of-victory factor comes into play between NYJ and CIN. We'll need to cheer for IND to win in that case.
What annoys me about the coverage is you hear - well the Jets have an easy schedule -- the schedule gods are smiling on the jets -- steelers, bengals, and colts have it so hard. Who told the Steelers to lose to the Raiders, Browns, Titans, and Chargers? Cinci just decided to pass on games against Miami and Cleveland? They chose not to close out the Cowboys even though they had all kinds of chances? The Colts wanted to get blown out on the road by the Jets, Pats, and Bears? You can only play your schedule in the order you get it.
I am not so sure about the KC game -- Chiefs can run the ball against anyone, colts have been blown out on the road, weather might be a factor, and Andrew Luck throws a lot of INTs
Seriously, when the Jets were losing, nobody brought up the Jets had one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. Someone want to look at the Colts schedule? You play who is on your schedule. Hearing all the national pundits (and so-called "fans" who are rooting for losses) makes me want this team to sneak into the playoffs even more.
Jamaal Charles should have a big game against the Colts. Problem is the Chiefs can't pass the ball, and now Bowe is out. Colts needed to lose this week or last. That Luck TD on the last play vs Detroit was, and still is, a killer.
If you can run -- do what the jets do .. play keep away all game and hope Indy makes a mistake and you don't.
Wrong. If we win out and Indy loses out, were definitely in the playoffs, regardless what happens in the AFC North.
