In Dan Campbell’s second season as Lions head coach, with Aaron Glenn as his defensive coordinator, Detroit started 1-6 before getting white hot down the stretch and finishing 9-8. It was a stunning in-season improvement, the likes of which Glenn will preach is possible for his Jets, who have some winnable games and wind at their backs following the dramatic Week 8 victory and a restful bye. Of course, the Jets also could sell off pieces this week, and realistically, they’re not as close to thriving as those Lions were, even with several close losses so far. How aggressive the Jets are in offloading at the trade deadline could give us an idea of how competitive they can be down the stretch, but the bottom line is that wins now can help vault them into the offseason program and build a foundation of belief. There’s still a lot to get solved.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: After publishing on Tuesday, the Jets traded CB Sauce Gardner to the Colts and DT Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, netting three first-round picks in the two deals.