The Jets keep on winning and keep moving up the power rankings ladder. Robert Saleh's team has now won 4 games in a row and are 5-2 going into Week 8. Last win, however, turned out to be rather costly as the Gang Green lost starting running back Breece Hall and starting guard Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season. The next opponent, New England (3-4), has won last 12 games against the Jets and is favored by 2.5 points.
Here's what different power rankings websites had to say about the Jets:
ESPN: The Jets have the league's best scoring margin in the fourth quarter at plus-54. They pride themselves on being strong finishers, and they've backed it up with two come-from-behind wins over the Browns and Steelers. Then, in the last four games, they've outscored their opponents 51-7 in the fourth quarter. The secret formula? Strong defense, no giveaways, situational awareness and sound coaching. Another key factor: They've faced backup QBs in four of the aforementioned five games.
The Sporting News: The Jets don't get many offensive style points and it will get more challenging for them to score, period, without rookie running and receiving weapon Breece Hall. Robert Saleh's rebuilt defense has been great but now they will need to awaken the passing game with Zach Wilson to finish the big early surprise with an AFC wild-card berth.
CBS Sports: At 5-2, they would be in the playoffs right now. The loss of running back Breece Hall for the season with a knee injury is a damning blow. Newly-acquired James Robinson has to be a big part of the offense.
ProFootballTalk: It hurts to lose Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker, but this team is built to persevere.
Yahoo Sports: We have to treat the Jets the same way we treat everyone else. If you keep winning, you keep moving up.
NFL.com: The Jets have won five of their first seven games for the first time in 12 years, but well-earned optimism was tempered by crushing disappointment after a 16-9 win over the Broncos at Mile High. Running back Breece Hall -- edging into the Rookie Sensation category after a 62-yard touchdown run to open the scoring Sunday -- had his hugely promising debut season end in an instant with a torn ACL. A calamitous first half also included a season-ending triceps injury to versatile blocker Alijah Vera-Tucker, another emerging star. The loss of the team's top running back and best offensive lineman significantly amps up the pressure on inconsistent second-year passer Zach Wilson, even if you factor in Monday's trade with the Jaguars for veteran back James Robinson. Long-suffering Jets fans deserve a better fate.
USA Today: The trade for RB James Robinson is a decent offset for the loss of rookie Breece Hall (torn ACL). However the bigger, if underappreciated blow, here could be the season-ending triceps injury to OL Alijah Vera-Tucker. A run-dependent offense suddenly looks dangerously hamstrung.
Preseason | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 | W14 | W15 | W16 | W17 | W18 | |
ESPN | 30 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 23 | 16 | 9 | 8 | |||||||||||
Sporting News | 24 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 8 | |||||||||||
CBS Sports | 29 | 31 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||
PFT | 31 | 32 | 19 | 24 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||
Yahoo Sports | 27 | 31 | 28 | 32 | 27 | 24 | 12 | 10 | |||||||||||
NFL.com | 26 | 32 | 25 | 31 | 26 | 17 | 13 | 10 | |||||||||||
USA Today | 27 | 32 | 23 | 28 | 22 | 17 | 12 | 13 | |||||||||||
27.7 | 31.7 | 25 | 28.7 | 23.1 | 16.6 | 10.6 | 9 |