New York Jets Week 14 Stock Report

This season is not over by a long shot.

The New York Jets were against the ropes just two weeks ago, sitting at .500 with six games remaining, but they've fought their way back with two straight wins, including a 23-20 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday.

Now, they look as alive as ever in the hunt for the playoffs. 

At 7-5, the Jets would be among the two AFC wild-card teams if the season ended today, but there are plenty of teams that are waiting in the wings for the Jets to suffer any kind of setback. 

As in any win or loss, especially one this close, there were players who played well and those who didn't deliver. In order for the Jets to snap their four-year postseason drought, they'll need those on the plus side of the spectrum to continue to contribute, and they'll need those on the minus side to elevate their game. 

Stock Up: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

What a difference two weeks makes.

A month ago, Ryan Fitzpatrick started a slump in which the veteran quarterback completed just 46.6 percent of his throws with three touchdowns, four interceptions and a 55.1 passer rating. He came out of that slump even stronger than before, though, and has completed 66.7 percent of his throws with six touchdowns and a 112.6 passer rating over the past two games.

When Fitzpatrick is playing at this level, the Jets are going to be hard to beat. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker give Fitzpatrick the kind of weapons he needs to be the efficient, game-managerial quarterback the Jets need at the helm of their offense.

Just imagine if the running game produces at the level it produced in the first month of the season; the Jets might just become a sneaky, dark-horse candidate to make a deep playoff run. 

Stock Down: Running Game

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

As mentioned in the previous slide, it's been a long decline for the Jets’ running game.

Perhaps the Jets' plan was to take advantage of a porous Giants secondary that has given up more passing yards this season than any defense in the NFL, but the Jets offense had a hard time stringing together long drives, with five of its first seven drives going three plays or fewer before ending. 

Perhaps the Jets' plan was to take advantage of a porous Giants secondary, which has given up more passing yards this season than any defense in the NFL, but the Jets offense had a hard time stringing together long drives, with five of their first seven drives going three plays or fewer before ending.

An efficient running game would help keep the Jets offense on schedule and would take the burden off of Fitzpatrick to be an efficient quarterback every time the Jets have the football.

Stock Up: Brandon Marshall

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

OK, I know I said I would keep Brandon Marshall out of the stock report because he's simply been too good on too consistent of a basis. Well, Sunday gives us an extenuating circumstance to praise Marshall once again.

Marshall caught 12 of the 13 passes thrown his way, accumulating 131 yards and punctuating the effort with the game-tying touchdown that sent the Jets and Giants to overtime. None of this is surprising to anyone who has watched Marshall this season; the veteran receiver has already accumulated 83 receptions for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He is the first Jets receiver to cross the 1,000-yard plateau since Jerricho Cotchery in 2007 and the first Jets receiver to haul in 10 touchdown catches since Santana Moss in 2003. This was also Marshall's fifth consecutive game with at least one touchdown catch.

I'm running out of words to describe Marshall's performances. He is a beast; let's just leave it at that.

Stock Down: Buster Skrine

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

For most of the 2015 season, Buster Skrine has sported a giant bull's-eye on his back. That's an understandable side effect of playing alongside Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, but the bull's-eye has only grown on Skrine with Revis out of action over the past two weeks.

Against the Giants, Skrine yielded five receptions on seven passes into his coverage (71.4 percent) for 124 yards and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. Giants quarterback Eli Manning had a 153.3 passer rating throwing into Skrine's coverage. Over the past two games, Skrine has allowed 14 receptions on 19 passes into his coverage for a whopping 243 yards and a touchdown.

No one expected Skrine to play at a shutdown level, but it's safe to say that most were expecting more out of him as the first free-agent cornerback the Jets targeted this offseason. As it turns out, Skrine is once again the first cornerback targeted, only this time, it's happening between the white lines.

Stock Up: Todd Bowles

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Wow. Real emotion. Jets head coach Todd Bowles was fired up after the Jets’ win over the Giants, and why shouldn't he be? His team pulled out an emotional, much-needed win over an intrastate rival and, in doing so, kept its playoff hopes alive. 

At 7-5, the Jets would be one of the two wild-card teams in the AFC playoff picture if the season ended today—a phrase that is both exciting and meaningless. There are still four games left, and that leaves plenty of time for anything to happen.

That being said, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans are all breathing down the Jets' collective necks. There is no margin for error for this team; if the Jets want to make the playoffs, their best bet is to win every game from here on out. A loss would immediately put their playoff hopes in question.