How Bengals’ loss to Ravens helps New York Jets’ long-term playoff hopes

The Jets from New York have a difficult path to trying to break their 14-year playoff drought.

Everyone knows that only three teams that started the season 2-6 in the Super Bowl era have made the postseason. Only three teams.

For the Jets (3-6) to achieve the highly improbable feat they need to win at least six of their remaining eight games. New York needs some help too.

That’s why Cincinnatis loss to Baltimore on Thursday evening was helpful.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase put up some of the biggest numbers of any individual player this season, but the Bengals still fell short to the Ravens.

That loss dropped Cincinnati to 4-6 on the season and ranks ninth in the AFC, ahead of New York.

So how exactly does this loss help the Jets, who are preparing to play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday?

Well, it’s the first link in a potential chain of events that could significantly improve New York’s standing in the playoff race by the time the bye week rolls around.

The Jets obviously have to win Sunday. In the meantime, Indianapolis goes to Buffalo. If the Colts lose that game, here’s what would happen:

New York would improve to 4-6 with a 4-4 conference record;

Indianapolis would fall to 4-6 with a 3-4 conference record;

Cincinnati would remain 4-6 with a 2-4 conference record.

And with that, the Jets would move up two spots in the AFC standings in just one week.

Secretly, the Jets host the Colts next Sunday, which would give New York a chance to win the head-to-head tiebreaker if it needs to at the end of the season.

That would leave New York with a 5-6 record and an eighth-place finish entering the bye week. That would be the best-case scenario for the Jets, who looked dead in the water just a few weeks ago.

It would still be an uphill climb for New York. Of the seven teams that would make the AFC playoffs if they started today, Buffalo is the only team left on the Jets’ schedule, which is Week 17 in Buffalo. It would still be up to New York to keep winning.

Thanks to Cincinnati’s loss, this week and next will be crucial if New York wants a chance to contend for the playoffs. The Jets still wouldn’t be in control of their own destiny, but at least they would have a fighting chance.