Where Jets Stand in Playoff Race After Blasting Bears

New York is 7-4 leading up to their road game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13.

After a dominant performance in their win over the Bears on Sunday, the Jets have a spot in the postseason picture.

New York holds the seventh and final position in the AFC playoff bracket after the conclusion of Week 12. They would face the No. 2 seeded Dolphins on the road in Miami if the season ended on Tuesday.

With six games remaining in the regular season, teams have plenty of time to battle for a higher seed or fall out of contention. Either way, the Jets have to like their odds when it comes to making the playoffs, ending their 11-season drought. 

FiveThirtyEight gives the Jets a 53 percent chance to advance to the playoffs entering play in Week 13. It's a long shot, but they calculate that New York has a six percent chance to win the AFC East.

Meanwhile, the Jets' opponent this week has a chance to clinch their division on Sunday. The Vikings will be NFC North champions with a win over New York and a Lions loss against the Jaguars. 

The goal all along for this rebuilding Jets team was to play meaningful games in December, taking a clear step forward toward contention. Even after accomplishing that mission, Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn't celebrating. He's focused on the task at hand this week.

"It’s great to be where we are," Saleh told reporters on Monday. "We expected to have a competitive football team, but at the same time we haven’t accomplished anything, there’s still six games left. There’s still a lot of football to be had, we’ve got six really good opponents that we get to go play, first one being Minnesota. I always say there’s only one team happy at the end of the year, and the focus is you just got to focus on your moment. It’s awesome to be where we are right now, like we said, playing meaningful games. It’s fun, it gives you purpose, it allows you to play for something more than just a paycheck. But at the same time, we’ve just got to focus on our moment."

MORE:

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• Jets' Elijah Moore Reflects on Journey From Trade Request to First Touchdown in 2022
• Jets' Rookie Helps to Revive Run Game With Historic Debut

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