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Could the Jets really make the playoffs? – Metro US

Could the Jets really make the playoffs?

Sam Darnold. (Photo: Getty Images)
I know, I can’t believe I’m asking this question right now, either. 
 
But with Sam Darnold back under center, the New York Jets look like a completely different football team; from junior varsity to the NFL in the blink of an eye. 
 
It’s hard to believe that the return of just one player can create such a turnaround, but Darnold took the Jets from a 31-6 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles with Luke Falk, to 24-22 winners against the once-perceived big, bad Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. 
 
Darnold looked like the franchise quarterback he was touted to be after fully recovering from a bout with mononucleosis. He completed 71.8-percent of his passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns. 
 
Leading the Jets to three touchdown drives, Darnold helped New York record more offensive touchdowns in Week 6 than they had in their first four games of the season combined. 
 
A win against a (possibly) quality team will obviously provide illusions of grandeur for a Jets fan base starving for success. This is a team, after all, that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 and has had a winning record just once in the previous eight seasons. 
 
So if the Jets can beat the Cowboys, why couldn’t they beat up on some of the weaker teams in the league?
 
Luckily, their schedule provides a bevy of those advantageous matchups. 
 
Just look at their remaining schedule:
 
Week 7- vs. Patriots (6-0)
Week 8- @ Jaguars (2-4)
Week 9- @ Dolphins (0-5)
Week 10- vs. Giants (2-4)
Week 11- @ Redskins (1-5)
Week 12- vs. Raiders (3-2)
Week 13- @ Bengals (0-6)
Week 14- vs. Dolphins (0-5)
Week 15- @ Ravens (4-2)
Week 16- vs. Steelers (2-4)
Week 17- @ Bills (4-1)
 
Seeing how they played on Sunday — and figuring they’ll only get better the longer Darnold re-acclimates — the Jets should (key word, should) beat the Dolphins twice, the Jaguars, Giants, Redskins, and Bengals. 
 
Matchups against the Raiders and Steelers should also be categorized as winnable games, but their inconsistencies throughout the early portions of the season make them unpredictable. 
 
That could leave the Jets with seven-to-nine wins — which will put them in the AFC Wild Card conversation — entering Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills where revenge will be on the minds of Gang Green after blowing a 16-point lead in Week 1. 
 
Are we getting ahead of ourselves? 
 
Probably, but crazier things have happened in the NFL.