New England Patriots' Playoff Chances Remain Unlikely After Beating New York Jets

The New England Patriots defeated the New York Jets on Monday night to conclude the Week 9 schedule, but the 30-27 victory didn’t do much to improve their outlook for the NFL postseason. Bill Belichick and Co. are still in line to miss the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

New England avoided an embarrassing upset on “Monday Night Football,” coming back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit against the league’s lone remaining winless team. Heading into Week 10, the Patriots have the same chance to make the postseason they did prior to Week 9.

With a 3-5 record, New England has a 12% chance to make the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. Those are the exact same postseason odds that the Patriots had before the week began.

Despite their victory, the Patriots’ chances of winning the AFC East actually went from 5% to 3%. That's because the division-leading Buffalo Bills beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, maintaining a 3.5-game edge over New England. Also, the Miami Dolphins beat the Arizona Cardinals, keeping them two games ahead of the Patriots for second place in the AFC East.

The Dolphins own the conference’s final wild-card spot and are given a 38% chance to make the postseason in the latest playoff picture. The Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos are also ahead of the Patriots in the overall AFC standings, making it an uphill battle for the Patriots to claim a playoff spot.

New England has won 11 straight division titles. That streak will likely come to an end with six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady no longer on the roster.

The win over the Jets snapped the Patriots’ four-game losing streak. Cam Newton last threw a touchdown pass on Sept. 27. The quarterback has 10 total touchdowns and eight turnovers on the season.

The Baltimore Ravens are heavy favorites to defeat New England in Week 10.