Will the New York Jets make the NFL playoffs? Exploring AFC East Week 12 standings

The New York Jets fell to 4-6 on Sunday, with a 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills basically knocking the team out of playoff contention with not much hope for the remainder of the season and no answer to the quarterback position following Aaron Rodgers' loss.

After Rodgers got injured, he started to push for a return in 2023, hoping to boost a playoff run and make a Cinderella story out of a mess. However, it's clear that none of his replacements have enough quality to keep the hopes alive, and by the time he could return, the Jets might be eliminated.

---

Where do the New York Jets sit in the AFC playoff picture?

The New York Jets currently have the third-worst record in the conference, tied with the Los Angeles Chargers at 4-6 but better than the New England Patriots (2-8) and the Tennessee Titans (3-7).

With two games below the Pittsburgh Steelers, who currently sit with the seventh seed, they would need a fantastic sequence from now on to steal one of the three wild card spots. Spoiler alert: it's not going to happen.

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh said on Monday that the team is making a quarterback change. Zach Wilson is going to the bench, with Tim Boyle taking over as the starter and Trevor Siemian as the immediate backup. Wilson is effectively QB3 by now.

---

What does the New York Jets' remaining schedule look like?

The team has squandered plenty of good changes to win easy games in 2023, so they're now under pressure to beat a number of good teams if they still want to make the playoffs. Spoiler alert number two: it's not going to happen.

The next game is a special edition. The league will host a Friday contest on Black Friday, with the Jets playing the Miami Dolphins on November 24 at 3 p.m. ET. This game will be played at MetLife Stadium, just like the subsequent two, against the Atlanta Falcons (December 3) and the Houston Texans (December 10).

Another game against the Miami Dolphins is set to happen on December 17. The Washington Commanders will fly to New York on December 24 - four days later, a Thursday Night Football game in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns is coming.

The final game of the season puts up the New York Jets and the New England Patriots on January 7. The Patriots won just two games this season, but one of them was against the Jets back in Week 3.

---

AFC East standings after Week 11

1. Miami Dolphins (7-3)
2. Buffalo Bills (6-5)
3. New York Jets (4-6)
4. New England Patriots (2-8)

All teams in the division already had their bye weeks, except for the Buffalo Bills, who have two tough games coming up with visits to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, who both played in Super Bowl LVII, with the Chiefs winning 38-35.

---

AFC Wild Card standings

• 5. Cleveland Browns (7-3)
• 6. Houston Texans (6-4)
• 7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

The Texans leapfrogged the Steelers on Sunday with their win over the Arizona Cardinals. Although they have the same record, Houston is above Pittsburgh due to the head-to-head; they would also be ahead due to the conference record, with the Texans sitting at 3-2 and the Steelers at 4-3.