If the Jets want a chance at the playoffs this season, this is going to be a key game in their quest to make it there. The Jets host the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in the last game of the week nine slate. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET at Metlife Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
The Jets currently sit at 4-3 and in second place in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and yes, even the New England Patriots, all lost on Sunday giving New York a chance to set themselves up to possibly grab a share of the AFC East lead.
The Chargers on the other side are having a conundrum of a season. Currently they sit at 3-4 but are coming off a big statement win over the Chicago Bears where it looked like their defense was playing up to their billing, something that hasn’t happened much this season.
If the Jets want to win this game, they are going to have to do it the way they have gotten all their victories this year: ugly. They are going to have to take the Chargers stellar passing attack and well-designed running game and drag them down to play ugly, field position, don’t-make-a-mistake football.
The Jets are home underdogs even with a three-game winning streak and facing a Chargers team with a losing record.
While L.A. boasts a top-10 scoring offense and one of the most prolific passing attacks in the game, the Chargers still hold a losing record. The Chargers can’t seem to get out of their own way late in games and wind up losing in heartbreaking fashion.
Since entering the league in 2020, Justin Herbert has thrown 13 interceptions in the fourth quarter of one-score games. That’s five more than any other quarterback over the same period. In one-score games this season, the Chargers are 2-3, with an 0-3 record in games decided by a field goal or less.
While the Jets are dealing with injuries along the offensive line, the Chargers are facing injuries along their receiving core. L.A. lost Mike Williams for the year, and it Joshua Palmer was just put on IR as well.
Zach Wilson on the other side, while still very limited in his abilities to run the offense, has at least eliminated many of the big mistakes that plagued him throughout his career. After throwing four interceptions in his first two games, he has only thrown one since. The Jets are grinding out victories with little to no help from the quarterback position.
Wilson is keeping the Jets in games with his safer play, doing just enough to earn three straight victories and leaning on the stout defense to do most of the heavy lifting. And the defense has been doing just that.
With the Jets defense playing as good as it has, and the Chargers finding ways to lose games late, if the Jets can keep the game close and ugly, the Jets will have a shot to go 2-0 in Monday Night Football this year and grab at least a share of the AFC East.
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