The New York Jets (3-7) will look to head into their bye on a high note with a win over the Indianapolis Colts (4-6) Sunday at MetLife Stadium. A return home might be just what the doctor ordered for a Jets team, coming off a 31-6 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona, that has allowed an NFL-best 12.3 points a game at MetLife.
After starting 2-1, the Jets have lost 6 of 7 games. They'll meet a Colts squad that started 4-3 but is currently on a 3-game losing streak and sports a 1-4 road record. Amid adversity, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has said his club has stuck together throughout a turbulent ride.
"I'm just so fortunate that the group that we have, the DNA, the character of them is so unique and so different than most teams and locker rooms out there in my opinion," Ulbrich said. "The fact that we've had struggles, and we haven't lived up to expectations to this point in the season, but they have stayed together and they continue to work their butts off, very fortunate in that way. But it's been challenging – there's no doubt in that in any way."
'A Lot of Things to Be Hopeful For'
As of late Tuesday, the Jets-Colts matchup was set to feature QB Aaron Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP in his 20th NFL season who will turn 41 in December, against former Jets QB Joe Flacco, the Super Bowl XLVII MVP in his 17th NFL season who will turn 40 in January. But Colts HC Shane Steichen reversed course, returning the Indy starting job to Anthony Richardson, a 22-year-old signal-caller who was selected No. 4 overall by the Colts in the 2023 Draft.
"He's a hell of a talent," Steichen said. "We have never lost faith or belief in him and his abilities, and he's shown strides."
Richardson, 3-3 as a starter this season, is a raw talent who's completed 44.4% of his passes with 4 TDs and 7 INTs, and rushed for 242 yards and 1 TD. Rodgers, whose 151 pass yards in Arizona were his fewest in a game he's had 35-plus pass attempts, has hit on 62.4% of his passes for 2,258 yards with 15 TDs and 7 INTs.
"You have to hold onto the hope of something great happening," Rodgers said. "I've been in the situation where we've been four under .500 before, and I said back then that it just takes one to kind of get the momentum going."
Rodgers thought the Jets had seized that momentum they needed in the second-half surge against the Texans as he put on a vintage display in Week 9, throwing for 3 TDs while carving up the AFC South leaders. But the Jets cooled off in the desert as the Cardinals scored on their first five possessions and Rodgers and the offense was held out of the end zone.
"This is a chance for us to go into the bye week feeling good about ourselves and getting everybody back healthy," Rodgers said. "And then looking realistically at the last 6 games – there's a lot of things to be hopeful for, but we have to win this weekend."
Higher Level
Jeff Ulbrich has remained positive with a group that has at times exhibited a high ceiling and low floor.
"I think everybody in this building needs to play at a higher level, coach at a higher level and have more accountability, so we all need to improve in that way," he said.
The Jets got back to fundamentals and basics this week, emphasizing tackling on defense. They'll see a healthy dose of Jonathan Taylor (126-616-4.9-5TD) and Anthony Richardson provides a scrambling element that Joe Flacco doesn't have. And a week after Aaron Rodgers had 38 dropbacks compared to 17 rush attempts, the Green & White would like to offer more balance while rushing Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
"We have not ran the ball well enough and we need to be better at that," Ulbrich said. "We need to be more committed to it and partly that ratio gets a little out of whack when you get down in games and obviously, you're throwing the ball to try to get back. But we definitely have to do a better job in the run game."
'Our Window Is Dwindling'
The Jets remain simultaneously hopeful and realistic.
"As long as there is a chance, we got a chance," said CB Sauce Gardner.
Garrett Wilson has been a bright light in a trying season, and he'll take aim at a Colts defense that has been opportunistic with 17 takeaways, but ranks 29th overall (386.7 yds/g). Wilson, who has 5-plus receptions in 8 straight games, has produced 65 receptions, the most through 10 games in franchise history.
"At the end of the day, our window is dwindling," he said.
Seven games remain, but the only one that matters is the Colts. If the Jets beat Indianapolis, they would go into their bye week with 2 wins in their past 3 games. And Jeff Ulbrich and his coaching staff will get an opportunity to step back and take a deep dive with a self-scout.
"We really have to take this thing week to week," Wilson said. "We just have to find a way to battle back and approach every game like it's the championship because the truth of it is if we drop one – those odds keep getting worse."
