Two days after the Jets dropped to 3-7 with a 31-6 loss to Arizona Sunday, veteran QB Aaron Rodgers struck an optimistic tone during his weekly visit on The Pat McAfee Show.
"You have to hold on to that beautiful thing in life called hope," Rodgers said. "We aren't mathematically eliminated. There is a lot to play for. At the end of the day, the one thing that we can play for, whether we are 10-0 or 3-7, is pride. Pride in your performance and pride in the product you are putting on the field."
After starting 2-1, the Jets have lost six of their last seven games. And as of Tuesday, following the Dolphins 23-15 win over the Rams, the Jets sit 11th in the AFC, two games back of the Denver Broncos (who own the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York) for the 7th spot in the conference.
With seven game remaining, Rodgers expects the Jets to put their collective head down and to continue to prepare diligently down the stretch.
"You have to approach every week the same, especially when there is a lot of conversation about 'What are they going to do now?" Rodgers said. "And in our case, you do what you know how to do, you go back to work. The preparation stays the same and the focus stays the same. We have the handle the end of this season with humility. There are a lot of pies to be eaten around here this year, flavored humble."
The Jets sustained drives in Arizona, matching or exceeding 10 plays and averaging 57 yards on 4 of 6 possessions. However, they failed to convert in plus territory, scoring 3 points in three red zone trips. The Jets are averaging 17.7 points per game and rank No. 24 in red zone efficiency (51.61%).
"It is on us to fix this, but you aren't going to fix it doing the same thing," Rodgers said. "I think a lot of time when stuff isn't going your way, they want to make it a big thing. It is coaches' fault, player's fault, my fault. Whoever you want to lay blame on. But a lot of time it comes down to the little things. It is the little things that add up."
The Jets' Week 11 opponent, the 4-6 Colts, find themselves in a similar situation to the Green & White. Losers of three in a row and four of six, Indianapolis is 4-6 and sits at No. 8 in the conference.
"It takes little tweaks during the week that can turn this thing," Rodgers said. "You turn this thing if you can beat a Colts team that has had some up and down games themselves. … It is a chance for us to get a win, get into the bye week and look at the back half, the last six games of our schedule with a chance."
