Jets Drop Another Spot in Sports Illustrated’s NFL Power Rankings

In a disappointing Week 12 performance, Tim Boyle, the New York Jets’ newly appointed starting quarterback, was unable to change the team’s fortunes. The Jets faced a lopsided loss to the division-leading Miami Dolphins, marking their fourth consecutive defeat and resulting in a drop to a season-low position in Sports Illustrated’s NFL Power Rankings.

The Jets now find themselves at No. 26 overall on the weekly 32-team list, with Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants leapfrogging them into the No. 25 spot. This descent follows the Jets’ previous season low, a No. 25 ranking last week after a 32-6 road loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Boyle’s debut at the helm did little to lift the Jets’ struggling offense, which has managed only 10 touchdowns in 11 games. Against the Dolphins, they netted a mere 40 yards and two first downs in the first three quarters, salvaging a fourth-quarter touchdown with 4:37 left on the clock.

The offensive woes extend to the team’s league-worst third-down conversion rate (24.14%) and red zone touchdown percentage (28.00%). After the 34-13 loss on Black Friday, the Jets’ scoring average dropped to 14.8 points per game.

Head coach Robert Saleh, acknowledging the team’s challenges, issued a challenge to his players. Left guard Laken Tomlinson shared Saleh’s message, stating, “He [Saleh] challenged us, said, ‘we can all be better as players and coaches, but we really need to get back to is just controlling the stuff that we can control.'”

As the Jets find themselves tied for 13th place in the AFC, they aim to break their four-game losing streak on December 3 at 1:00 pm ET when they host the NFC South division-leading Atlanta Falcons (5-6) at MetLife Stadium. The Falcons currently hold the No. 19 slot in this week’s power rankings.

Meanwhile, the league-wide rankings see the Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) at the top, followed by the San Francisco 49ers (8-3) at No. 2. The Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) hold the top spot among AFC teams at No. 3, while the Miami Dolphins lead the AFC East at No. 7.