New Year’s Day could be the ultimate high or the ultimate low for both the Giants and Jets, both of whom still have playoff aspirations as the actual calendar turns to January and the NFL calendar flips to Week 17.
Here’s what needs to happen Sunday for Big Blue to earn a playoff berth and Gang Green to keep hope alive!
GIANTS make the playoffs with: a win over Indianapolis, or losses by at least three of Washington, Detroit, Seattle, and Green Bay.
Pretty simple: win and they’re in, and they’re assured of the No. 6 seed, as only the Commanders can match 9-7-1 and the Giants hold the tiebreaker. However, if Indianapolis pulls the upset, the Giants can clinch with losses by at least three of the teams who are 7-7-1 or 7-8, as they do have that Commanders tiebreaker and can’t finish with nine losses, so any combo would leave Big Blue only able to fall as far as seventh.
If neither happens, the Giants still have the potential to be the sixth seed with basically the same parameters going into Week 18.
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JETS keep their playoff hopes alive with: a win over Seattle
The Jets are in a simple spot, too: win or else. A win over Seattle would keep them in the hunt for the seventh and only remaining AFC spot (and also help the Giants potentially), but if they lose, they fall to 7-9 and would be eliminated no matter what – because any result in the game between the 8-7 Dolphins and 7-8 Pats play each other Sunday puts them in an un-winnable situation.
A Miami win puts them at 9-7, so the 7-9 Jets would not be able to catch them, while a New England win puts them at 8-8, and with the Jets 7-9, they would eliminate Gang Green because they own the tiebreaker from winning both games during the season, and Wild Card tiebreakers eliminate all but one team from each division before proceeding to actual tiebreak procedures.
Even a tie eliminates the Jets, because Miami would be 8-7-1, so even if the Jets win in Week 18, they’re 8-9 versus 8-8-1 for Miami, and any team that would leap ahead of the Dolphins would have to still have a better record than the Jets.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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