October 18, 2015, Queens, NY Coming off a bye, the Jets should be well rested and somewhat healed (as healed as one could be who plays in the NFL) as they play Washington at home. The Jets have lost their last three games coming off byes, but that was under the Rex Ryan Regime. First-season head coach Todd Bowles is looking to reverse that trend as the Jets try to win their fourth game of the season against a Washington team that is still in search of their identity. Currently, the Jets are 3-1, and Washington is 2-3.
The Jets’ second best defensive player (Darrelle Revis is still their premier defender), Sheldon Richardson, returns after a four-game suspension. Richardson was suspended for testing positive for marijuana. His return should bolster the Jets defense physically and emotionally.
The Jets are one game behind the New England Patriots who play the Indianapolis Colts tonight. It’s not a question of will the Patriots win; it’s a question of by how much. If the Jets lose and the Patriots win, that would put the Jets two games behind the Patriots. Certainly with eleven more games in the regular season, a two-game lead is anything but insurmountable, but barring an injury to Tom Brady, the Patriots may not lose a game during the regular season. The Buffalo Bills are just a half game behind the Jets, and while they are very mistake prone, they will play hard every game.
Washington is a feisty team, and their division, the NFC East, is still up for grabs. At 2-3, they are very much in the hunt. Head coach Jay Gruden may be in a make-or-break year and will probably be let go if Washington loses 10 or more games this season. This will be no walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.
The game is slated for 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium and will be aired on Fox.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at @cliffordbenton.