- WHERE: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | Prime Video, NFL+
Halloween Night could be frightful for the loser of Thursday’s game.
The 2-6 New York Jets, losers of five straight, including Sunday’s devastating setback to the Patriots, are already close to crossing the River Styx.
The 6-2 Houston Texans are in far better shape overall, but the season-ending ACL injury to WR Stefon Diggs threatens to haunt their season.
Strangely, these teams met under similar circumstances -- the Jets struggling, the Texans winners of four of their past five -- at MetLife Stadium last year. It ended with the Texans, who were injury-stricken on offense then as they are now, getting thumped by the Jets, 30-6.
Aaron Rodgers didn’t commit a turnover last week but had six interceptions in his previous three games and must play his sharpest to outduel C.J. Stroud, even if Stroud is lacking some of his offensive weaponry.
The Jets also must show up in prime time, which hasn’t often been the case. They’re 1-3 under the lights this season and 2-7 in night games since 2023, and they’re only 7-17 at home in primetime since MetLife opened in 2010.
Can the Jets somehow avoid what could be a season-ending loss? They’ll basically be in survival mode for the foreseeable future, but the Texans could put them in an almost impossible spot -- and gain revenge for last year’s blowout -- in this key Thursday night game.
Here are four things to watch for when the Texas visit the Jets on Thursday night on Prime Video and NFL+:
1) Is Thursday the Jets’ last stand? The Jets missed golden chances in one-score losses to the Broncos, Vikings and Bills and now have lost five straight games for a third season in a row. They’ve played a decent schedule and actually have one more touchdown than their opponents. There is Pro Bowl talent on this roster. But even the most optimistic supporters have to face reality: Of the 129 teams that have started the season 2-6, only two have made the postseason. But at 3-6, they’d have a better chance. Still a slim chance, but the Rams made it last year at 3-6. This has to be the game Aaron Rodgers has to come through. Davante Adams -- or Garrett Wilson or Breece Hall or whoever else -- must have a big performance. Whatever it takes. This is it. Rodgers’ numbers aren’t vastly different from those of Zach Wilson last season. But Rodgers twice had five-game losing streaks previously with the Packers, and both times he responded with three-TD, zero-INT performances in home wins to snap the streak. If the Jets don’t want to wallow for the final half of the season, Thursday must be a win.
2) No Diggity. Stefon Diggs’ torn ACL puts the Texans in a tough spot for Thursday, especially with Nico Collins still out. The soonest Collins can return from injured reserve is Week 10. That leaves WR Tank Dell and TE Dalton Schultz as two obvious candidates to pick up the slack. Dell was a non-factor in the loss to Green Bay but otherwise has been rounding into form, catching a pretty touchdown Sunday. Schultz has seen his target share decrease this season and hasn’t caught a regular-season TD in almost a year, but he also would figure to have a bigger role coming off a season-high 52 yards Sunday. Robert Woods is also a pro’s pro who’s ready to go at a moment’s notice, and C.J. Stroud likely won’t be afraid targeting him in key spots. Xavier Hutchinson is usually good for a big play or two when called on. John Metchie III had his most work in Week 8 with three catches for 29 yards and might be in line for expanded work. The Texans will need to piecemeal this thing together a bit, but there are opportunities for several players -- especially Dell, Schultz and Woods -- to step up when the team needs it most.
3) Jets defense skidding since Saleh left. When the Jets fired Robert Saleh and promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim coach, also switching offensive play-callers, it actually led to a small improvement offensively in the three games since. However, the defense has backslid noticeably since the coaching switch. They went from averaging 17.0 points and 255.8 yards allowed with Saleh to giving up 28.3 points and 338.3 yards post-Saleh. They also forced six turnovers in Weeks 1-5 and zero since. Third downs were a problem in the loss to the Patriots, allowing seven of 15 conversions, including four conversions of third-and-9 or longer in the final 10 minutes of the game. Haason Reddick is back, but he only provided a pair of pressures last week and will be counted on for more. Sauce Gardner, who has gone 33 games without an interception, also had his tackling called out this week by Ulbrich. But the Jets had major defensive success in last year’s meeting with the Texans at MetLife, holding them to six points. C.J. Stroud completed only 10 of 23 passes for 91 yards and was sacked four times, with the Jets getting their hands on an absurd 10 passes. That came in extremely rainy conditions, which aren’t in Thursday’s forecast, but the Jets must do their best to short-circuit the Texans similarly, with disruption to Houston’s passing-game rhythm up front and on the back end.
4) Joe Mixon needs to cook. The Texans have called Mixon’s number often this season, whether or not they’re shorthanded offensively. He’s averaging a career-high 20.6 carries per game, which would be higher had he not missed most of the Bears game with injury and sat out most of the fourth quarter versus New England. Mixon also has been highly productive when healthy, rushing for touchdowns in four of his five games and catching multiple passes in every outing this season. Mixon’s career numbers in Thursday games aren't off the charts, but he had a 20-touch, 100-yard outing against the Ravens last season and is used to heavy workloads in short weeks. It’s all hands on deck for this one. The Texans’ offensive line also is shorthanded, with Jarrett Patterson taking the struggling Kenyon Green’s place last week and playing well before suffering a concussion on Mixon’s 14-yard TD last week, which forced Green back into the lineup. The Jets have been worn down by the run game at times, but they’ll have to know Mixon will get it plenty early.
