Jets players remaining confident amid losing streak, doubts

After the New York Jets fell to 2-6 on the season via this past Sunday's 25-22 loss to the lowly New England Patriots (2-6), multiple former Jets players said the club's campaign was essentially over and that the franchise needs "to blow this thing up." 

While speaking with reporters on Monday, current Jets cornerback D.J. Reed suggested he's "flabbergasted" by the team's five-game losing streak. Reed also hinted he and others inside the locker room still believe they can turn things around this fall. 

"Right now we’re 2-6, which is horrible — it’s horrible. But my mindset is we can still win out," Reed explained, as shared by Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "That’s my mindset. It might sound crazy to a ton of people, but that’s how I approach it. I feel like we can still win out because we have the team to do so."

There are a handful of reasons why fans won't share Reed's optimism. Per ESPN BET, the Jets suffered their latest defeat after they were 7.5-point favorites to beat a Patriots team that's still in the early stages of a roster rebuild and lacks talent on both offense and defense. The numbers show New York's defense has gotten worse since Jets owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh when the club was 2-3. Aaron Rodgers is playing like a once-great quarterback who is in the twilight of his career. 

Despite all of that, Jets tight end Tyler Conklin thinks the fact that the Jets have a short week before they host the 6-2 Houston Texans on Thursday night could ultimately benefit the struggling AFC East side. 

"I think it's a good opportunity to get a really bad taste out of your mouth...instead of having to wait a full week to do so," Conklin said about New York playing on Halloween, per Jack Bell of the Jets' website. 

Greg Bailey of ABC13 Houston noted that the Texans will likely be without top wide receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs on Thursday night because of injury setbacks. Perhaps that's why DraftKings Sportsbook had the Jets as two-point favorites for the prime-time showdown as of Tuesday morning. 

Recent history shows this particular Jets team can't afford to take any opponent lightly. Outsiders are questioning Johnson's decision to part ways with Saleh after just five games this season, but Reed said he and other players must simply "execute" better beginning with Thursday's contest. 

"The guys on the field control the outcome of the game," Reed added. "That’s what I believe. Obviously, coaching is important, but the guys that are on the field, we got to get the job done."