Jets at Bears
Thanks to a crucial win in Pittsburgh, the New York Jets’ path to the playoffs is much simpler this season.
Realistically, New York needs to win and it is in - but it won’t be easy, though.
The Jets (10-4) travel to the Windy City on Sunday to face the NFC North champion Chicago Bears (10-4), who continue their quest for a first-round bye.
New York reached the AFC Championship game last season after sneaking into the playoffs with wins over the disinterested Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.
A second straight playoff appearance seemed inevitable after a 9-2 start. However, those postseason plans were put on hold after New York went eight straight quarters without a touchdown during a two-game losing streak.
The Jets regained control of their own destiny with a gritty 22-17 win over the Steelers last week. New York won largely because embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had five interceptions in the last three games, made good on his vow to play turnover-free football.
He finished 19 of 29 for 170 passing yards with a 7-yard touchdown run in which he badly fooled the Steelers with a naked bootleg. It was the Jets’ first offensive touchdown in 12 quarters.
Sanchez enters this contest dealing with a sore shoulder, the result of a hard hit he sustained during a first-quarter scramble. Sanchez underwent a precautionary MRI on Monday, but should be fine, according to coach Rex Ryan.
Nevertheless, a report in Wednesday’s New York Daily News said that Sanchez has a “slight” cartilage tear in his throwing shoulder, which could hamper him the rest of the season. Ryan said in the report that he is “99 percent" sure Sanchez would start.
The second-year quarterback will look for his first touchdown pass in three weeks against a tough Bears defense that forced five turnovers in a division-clinching 40-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
Jay Cutler threw three touchdowns and Devin Hester set an NFL record with his 14th career return for a touchdown in just his fifth season.
Hester also had a 15-yard touchdown reception for Chicago, which needs to win its final two games to secure a first-round bye. The Bears hold a tiebreaker for the NFC’s No. 2 seed thanks to their 31-26 win in Week 12 over the Philadelphia Eagles (10-4).
Aside from winning out, the Bears can also clinch a first-round bye this week if they win, Philadelphia loses and the New York Giants play to a tie with the Green Bay Packers.
The Jets, meanwhile, can clinch even in a loss. They would need either the Jacksonville Jaguars or Indianapolis Colts to lose or tie.