At 3-3, Jets in a good spot to make run after bye week

The Jets stormed into their bye week feeling good about how they’ve come together and persevered after a devastating injury to their leader and best player, yet not satisfied in the least.

The reality is the Jets are in a good place.

They’re 3-3 with impressive wins over Buffalo and Philadelphia and a narrow loss to reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City — all done without Aaron Rodgers.

Last Sunday’s win over the previously unbeaten Eagles has raised expectations for the Jets coming out of the bye.

“Players and coaches deserve a lot of credit,” coach Robert Saleh said. “There’s been a lot of adversity. Not that anyone cares, but there has been a lot of adversity within this organization with all the different things that have transpired. But the resolve and the resilience of the group that we have in the locker room, the effort that’s put in day in and day out and on Sundays, I think has been evident.

“All this great momentum could end if we don’t finish strong coming off the bye week.”

Finishing has been a big topic since last season. The Jets were 6-3 at the bye and in control of their destiny. They then lost seven of their last eight, including the final six, ruining their playoff dreams.

This is a different team. There has been no internal turmoil to this point, just a team having to overcome major injuries to important players such as Rodgers and right tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker. But the Jets are better equipped to handle it this season.

“The guys we have in this locker room, they’re just selfless,” edge rusher Jermaine Johnson said. “We play for each other and we understand that we keep the team goal first 100% of the time. Everything else will follow.”

One goal is to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season. That’s still realistic even after losing Rodgers four offensive snaps into the season with a left Achilles tendon tear.

No one expected the Jets to come back from that except for those who call 1 Jets Drive their home office. Rodgers hopes to make a miraculous comeback to help the Jets’ playoff drive, but the Jets might have enough to make it without him.

The main reasons the Jets have been able to withstand Rodgers’ loss are coaching, a legitimately hungry and dominant defense, running back Breece Hall getting stronger and stronger, Zach Wilson improving and Greg Zuerlein being one of the most reliable kickers in the league.

Saleh and his staff have done a great job of giving the players confidence and belief and making sure they’re prepared. They have game-planned well and developed players to be able to step in and be valuable contributors. Last week’s game was a perfect example.

The Jets were down starting cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed and lost nickel back Michael Carter II during the game. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who Saleh believes deserves head-coaching consideration, and cornerbacks coach Tony Oden had their groups ready. The Jets picked off Jalen Hurts three times and didn’t let the Eagles score after halftime.

The offense has some things to fix, particularly their third-down efficiency (32nd out of 32 teams) and red-zone conversion rate (31st). Self-scouting over the bye should help this. But the Jets should continue to improve in all areas on offense.

Their line has held up pretty well, even after losing Vera-Tucker.

Hall, who suffered an ACL tear as a rookie last season, is healthy and running like one of the league’s best backs. He

is second in the NFL in yards per carry (6.5) and second among running backs in yards per touch (5.9). He scored the Jets’ only offensive touchdowns in the past two games.

The Jets didn’t have Hall for the final 10 games last season. If he stays healthy, that’s a major weapon on their side.

“Giving him the ball is imperative for this offense to be successful,” receiver Allen Lazard said. “The more touches he has, the better the team is.”

Zuerlein has been a weapon for the Jets as well. He’s cleaned up a lot of their third-down and red-zone woes with his strong leg. Zuerlein is 14-for-15 on field goals this season, including 9-for-9 in the last two wins.

To make the playoffs, the Jets need Wilson to lead more touchdown drives. They don’t want him to be merely a game manager. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has opened up the playbook more for him, and he looks more comfortable and confident running it.

Wilson is connecting on a career-high 60.4% of his passes. He’s completed 67.3% of his attempts during the last three games — the highest percentage of any three-game stretch of his career.

Going 3-for-12 in the red zone in those games is a problem that needs correcting, though.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a crazy difficult fix,” tight end Tyler Conklin said. “We’ll figure out why we’re struggling in that area. We’ll address it and we’ll get better at it. I think we’re right there, though.”

Coming out of the bye, there are some things to watch.

The trade deadline is Oct. 31 and the Jets could be active, trying to add reinforcements to improve their playoff chances. They need another receiver and more offensive line help. Defensive end Carl Lawson and running back Dalvin Cook could be expendable.

The Jets also have a relatively favorable schedule. Their first three opponents after the bye — the Giants, Chargers and Raiders — have a combined record of 6-11 entering Week 7.

With Rodgers rehabbing tirelessly to position himself for a late-season return, the Jets could position themselves nicely for the stretch run.

“We put ourselves in a good spot,” Johnson said. “[We’ve got to] get ready to go on this 11-week drive to fight for what we’ve been wanting to fight for since the beginning of the season.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.