Following their late-season bye, the Jets (3-8) will begin their final six-game stretch when the Seattle Seahawks (6-5) visit MetLife Stadium on Sunday. While the Jets have lost 7 or 8 games, they insisted this week that they have plenty to play for and their collective makeup will come to light in a time marked by adversity.
"I know from over 20 years of being in it that there is no context to tape," said Jeff Ulbrich, who was elevated to interim head coach prior to the team's Week 6 game against the Bills. "When people evaluate tape – they don't look at your record, they don't look at the score of the game. They couldn't care less about any of that. All they look at is the tape, so the tape is a reflection of me, it's a reflection of every single player in that locker room. It's a reflection of all of us, it's a reflection of the organization.
"So, we decide how we finish the season, and we decide how we're judged based upon that tape and because of that, we got to pour everything we have into this Seattle week, and that's one truth in this league that will never change. There is no context to tape – the tape is who you are."
Every Team Will Look at This Tape
Veteran T Morgan Moses, who sat out only 2 games despite a Grade 2 MCL tear, meniscus damage and a small fracture in his knee, returned to the Jets in the offseason after consecutive playoff trips with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022-23.
"We got six games to play, and we got six games to not only play for ourselves but every team around the NFL is going to be looking at this tape these last six games to see the type of effort that guys are going to put on that field," Moses said. "You want guys in your locker room who are going to compete at a high level when things aren't going great – not just when things are going well. For us, it's just go out there and compete man because we have a lot of people playing for a lot of things and a lot of people sacrificing a lot of things to be out there."
Prior to their bye, the Jets were encouraged about the direction of their run game on offense. But Jeff Ulbrich would like to see more explosive plays in the pass game, and he wants his defense to limit opposing offense's explosives through the air.
"It was an awesome opportunity to deep dive into what we've done well, what we haven't done well, places where we need to improve and got a really clear vision of where to take this particular team, so I'm excited about the remaining football that we have," Ulbrich said. "This morning [Monday] the messaging was attitude and approach. Those are decisions that we have to make on a daily basis, and we have to own our process and if we do that, we're going to provide a brand football that we're all proud of and we're going to finish this thing off the right way."
Change Is Going to Happen Regardless
Aaron Rodgers will make his 12th consecutive start for the Jets. Earlier this week, he talked about not knowing if he wants to play in 2025, but added New York would be the top option if he did. Rodgers, who is completing 63.4% of his passes for 2,442 yards with 17 TDs and 7 INTs, summed up his plans, saying: 'I'm open to anything and attached to nothing.' Ulbrich has reiterated Rodgers is feeling healthier than he has in a while and the offensive gameplan could include more keepers, boots and QB movement.
"There is pride in performance at all times," Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." "And I have a lot of pride in what I've accomplished, and I have love for my teammates, and I want to go out there and play as well as I can."
The Jets' defensive QB – MLB C.J. Mosley – could be back out there with his teammates in game action for the first time since Oct. 20. Mosley, who sustained a toe injury in Week 2 at Tennessee and then injured his neck prior to Jets-Patriots kickoff in Week 8, has missed the past four games, but returned to practice Wednesday.
"Even though we're coming off this bye week with a losing record, it doesn't have to stay that way," Mosley said. "We can find a win to win these last few games and try to make something out of these last six weeks that we have. At the end of this season whether we finish off with all wins, all losses or .500, change is going to happen regardless so might as well do what we can while we're here."
Child's Game, King's Ransom
The Jets will begin December with a visit from a Seahawks club that is tied atop the NFC West and is seeking a third consecutive win. Former Jets QB Geno Smith is completing 69.1% of his passes and is No. 2 in the NFL in pass yards (3,035) but also leads the league with 12 INTs and has been sacked 37 times.
Under first-year HC Mike Macdonald, the Seattle defense has begun to find their swagger and the 'Hawks could be poised for late-season surge.
Regardless of the opponent, the Jets will determine how they finish the season and the tape won't lie.
"You have an opportunity to play a child's game for a king's ransom," T Morgan Moses said. " A lot of people don't have the opportunity to go do that, so we're going to worry about what's in front of us. We have great veteran guys and great veteran presence in the locker room who are going to control the variables of what we go through day in and day out and that's the biggest part. When you have great people in the locker room who can bring guys together and move forward no matter what the circumstances are, it's going to gel."
