Jets face Seahawks with playoff hopes at stake for both

NEW YORK JETS (7-8) at SEATTLE (7-8)

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. PST, FOX

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Jets by 1½.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jets 8-7; Seahawks 6-9.

SERIES RECORD: Seahawks lead 12-8.

LAST MEETING: Seahawks beat Jets 40-3, Dec. 13, 2020, in Seattle.

LAST WEEK: Jets lost to Jaguars 19-3; Seahawks lost to Chiefs 24-10.

JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (24), PASS (14), SCORING (25).

JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (11), PASS (5), SCORING (4).

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (21), PASS (11), SCORING (9T).

SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (31), PASS (17), SCORING (29).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Jets minus-4; Seahawks even.

JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Mike White. After being sidelined two games because of fractured ribs, White returns as the Jets starter after being cleared for contact by doctors. New York’s offense has been at its most efficient with White under center, but the banged-up offensive line will need to be on its game to protect the quarterback.

SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: It has to be QB Geno Smith facing the team that drafted him for the first time in his career. The rocky start to Smith’s career in New York cast a narrative that has followed him throughout his tenure as a backup and framed his resurgence this season with Seattle. He must play better than he has recently as mistakes have crept up during Seattle’s slide.

KEY MATCHUP: Seattle’s offense has been in a slump, scoring 13 points in its loss to San Francisco and just 10 last week against Kansas City. That included three drives into Chiefs territory where Seattle failed to get points. Now comes a Jets defense that has been stellar for most of the season. Seattle has to find success running the ball and be better on third downs than its 2-for-14 performance against the Chiefs.

KEY INJURIES: WR Denzel Mims was close to being cleared from the concussion protocol and was likely to play. … S Lamarcus Joyner should return from a hip injury that sidelined him the past two games. … Seattle will be without TE Will Dissly after he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. The Seahawks are hopeful WR Tyler Lockett (hand surgery) will be able to play. Same goes for RT Abraham Lucas (knee) and DT Al Woods (Achilles).

SERIES NOTES: The Seahawks have won four straight in the series, including a 40-3 thumping of the Jets played in an empty stadium back in 2020 in Seattle. The previous win by the Jets came in 2004 and capped five straight wins by New York over Seattle.

STATS AND STUFF: The Jets are on a four-game losing streak, their longest skid in coach Robert Saleh’s two-year tenure. … New York is trying to avoid its first five-game skid since 2020, when the Jets opened the season by losing their first 13 games. … Despite their recent slump, the Jets can still make the playoffs if they win their final two games (at Seattle and Miami) and New England loses one of its last two (home vs. Miami and at Buffalo). … In three starts this season, White is 80 of 129 (62%) for 952 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions and an 85.8% quarterback rating. … After a hot start during which undrafted rookie RB Zonovan Knight ran for 230 yards on 46 carries in his first three games, he has been held to just 21 yards on 19 attempts in his past two. … WR Garrett Wilson has the most receptions (71) and yards receiving (996) by a rookie in franchise history. He leads NFL rookies in both categories. Wilson is 4 yards away from having the 26th 1,000-yard receiving season in franchise history, and first since Brandon Marshall (1,502) and Eric Decker (1,027) in 2015. … DT Quinnen Williams, a first-time Pro Bowl selection, has a career-high 12 sacks this season and 27½ for his career. That’s the second-most sacks by a Jets player through his first 55 games since the stat began to be recorded, according to TruMedia. John Abraham has the most with 43½. … CB Sauce Gardner joined Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen as the only rookies this season to be selected to the Pro Bowl. Gardner leads the NFL with 16 passes defensed. Woolen is tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. … The Seahawks have lost three straight at home for the second straight season. They have not lost four straight home games in a single season since 2008. … Seattle can still make the playoffs winning its final two games and getting one loss by Washington. … Seahawks QB Geno Smith was a second-round pick by the Jets in 2013 out of West Virginia. Smith threw for 5,962 yards and 28 TDs with 36 INTs in 33 games, including 30 starts, for the Jets from 2013-16. … RB Kenneth Walker III rushed for 107 yards last week vs. Kansas City, his first 100-yard game since Week 9. … WR DK Metcalf has a career-high 86 receptions on the season and has topped 1,000 yards receiving for the second time. … DE Darrell Taylor has sacks in three of his past four games and is second on the team with six on the season. … DE Uchenna Nwosu needs one sack to reach double figures for the first time in his career. … The Seahawks have not forced a turnover in the past three games.

FANTASY TIP: If Lockett is able to play it will be an entertaining matchup between Jets’ cornerbacks Gardner and D.J. Reed, and the Seattle combo of Lockett and Metcalf. Considering how the two cornerbacks have been able to limit some top pass catchers this season, it might be wise to avoid the Seattle duo for this game.

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