The New York Jets should be much improved, but the Kansas City Chiefs still run the league.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs / Luke Hales/GettyImages
Even I can see some good things on the horizon for the normally flightless New York Jets. As long as Aaron Rodgers can play close to what he was for years with the Green Bay Packers, they should be a serious playoff contender in the deep AFC. The only problem is the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs also play in the same conference. Who is going to slow them down?
Well, former NFL veteran journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer thinks Gang Green might have it in them. He went on Up & Adams on Wednesday, citing that the combination of Rodgers’ greatness, as well as the defensive mind of head coach Robert Saleh could be enough to propel the Jets past the Chiefs. I mean, it is possible, but they are not my top pick to unseat Kansas City inside the deep AFC.
I look at the Jets as a team with tremendous upside, but also deep variance. Could they get to the AFC Championship and maybe beat a juggernaut team like the Chiefs? I wouldn’t rule it out, but this is also a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. Pretty much everybody else on the team outside of Rodgers could not even shave their face the last time the Jets were playing into January.
Still, Hoyer remains adamant that Rodgers could be the difference-maker that the Jets are hoping for.
I don’t know if I’d be giving them a legitimate shot to dethrone the Chiefs, but I’m okay with the Jets.
Brian Hoyer tabs New York Jets as team to dethrone Kansas City Chiefs
To better react to Hoyer’s grandiose statement about the Jets, I need to first say how I feel about them heading into this season. What are the expectations for the 2024 squad? Well, for starters, this should be a playoff team. I don’t know if they are definitively better than the Buffalo Bills or the Miami Dolphins in-division, but I see at least two of the three making the playoffs. They are growing on me.
Right now, I would say the AFC has about three or four playoff locks. That would be Kansas City, the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans, and I really like the Cincinnati Bengals to bounce back. I don’t see a second team making the playoffs out of the AFC West besides the Chiefs. The same may apply to the AFC South with maybe Jacksonville joining Houston. So will the Jets be making the playoffs?
You know what? Why not? I have given the Jets a ton of grief over the years and I think their loyal fanbase deserves a special season. To me, if the Jets can beat out Buffalo and Miami to win the division, they can be on that shortlist with Baltimore, Cincinnati and Houston. The good news is I don’t trust Buffalo in the postseason, and I can’t really say I trust the Dolphins for any reason whatsoever.
So to bring it back to Hoyer’s point, I think the Jets firing on all cylinders could get the Chiefs, but it may just be that one time. You would need Kevin O’Shea to be eating Danny O’Shea’s dust the one time they used to race bikes down the hill in good, ole Urbania, Ohio. The big question is what kind of Devon Sawa are we getting out of Rodgers? Are we getting Junior Floyd or an angry Stan Mitchell.
My tea’s gone cold I’m wondering why I even got out of bed at all, to ultimately side with Hoyer a bit…