How the Jets can still make the playoffs with two games left in season

The Jets kicked off Week 16 with a crushing 19-3 loss to the Jaguars Thursday night.

A day after the game, Jets coach Robert Saleh said he wasn’t thinking about the Jets playoff chances.

“Thinking playoffs is far-fetched, but at the same time, we’ve done a lot of really, really cool things this year and the most important thing right now is finishing strong, which starts with Seattle,” Saleh said.

Just when it appeared Gang Green’s playoff hopes were “far-fetched,” it received some help from a few AFC teams that kept the team in the playoff race.

Losses by the Dolphins, Titans, Patriots and the Raiders kept the Jets in ninth place in the AFC with two games left in the season. Despite going winless in December and winning only two games in two months, the Jets still have a realistic shot of making the playoffs and ending an 11-year postseason drought with some help if they can take care of business.

• Buffalo Bills (12-3, clinched AFC East)
• Kansas City Chiefs (12-3, clinched AFC West)
• Cincinnati Bengals (11-4, leading AFC North, clinched playoff spot)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8, leading AFC South)
• Baltimore Ravens (10-5, clinched playoff spot)
• Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
• Miami Dolphins (8-7)

• 8. New England Patriots (7-8)
• 9. New York Jets (7-8)
• 10. Tennessee Titans (7-8)
• 11. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8)
• 12. Las Vegas Raiders (6-9)

The Jets need road wins over both the Seahawks in Week 17 and the Dolphins in Week 18. Gang Green also needs the Patriots to lose a game either against the Dolphins in Week 17 or when they visit the Bills to close the season. If all that happens, the Jets would punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

However, if the Patriots defeat the Dolphins and the Jets lose to the Seahawks Sunday, Gang Green will be eliminated. After winning both meetings this season, the Patriots own the tiebreaker over the Jets. Gang Green could also be eliminated if it loses to the Dolphins in Week 18.

The Jets could also get into the playoffs if they win both remaining games and the Chargers lose their last three games. Los Angeles can clinch a spot in the postseason with a win at the Colts Monday night after the Patriots and Raiders lost over the weekend. The Chargers also hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Dolphins after defeating them in Week 14.