Jets, Dolphins and Patriots Playoff Breakdown

Here are the formuli that could get the Jets into and out of the playoff party this season:

1) If the Jets win against Seattle and Miami, they win the AFC East based on a better conference record (8-4) than the New England Patriots, even if New England wins out as well.

2) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins win out and finish at 11-5, the Jets would be 10-6, or 9-7, and probably out of the playoffs. Both New England and Miami would make the playoffs, with the Dolphins as a divison winner and the Patriots as a wild card. The Patriots make the postseason if Baltimore loses one of its final two games.

3) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins and Jets split, then the Patriots win the AFC East. The Jets will have to hope that they beat Miami to win that tie-breaker and, further, hope that they have a better conference record than the Baltimore Ravens in order to clinch the sixth seed.

4) If the Patriots and Ravens win out and the Dolphins and Jets split their final two games, then the Jets and Dolphins would miss the playoffs. The Patriots would win the AFC East, and the Ravens would be the sixth seed.

5) If the Dolphins win out and the Ravens win out, and the Jets and Patriots lose at least one game, then both Miami and Baltimore will make the playoffs.

6) If the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots win out, the Jets are out of the playoffs. The Dolphins win the AFC East, and the Ravens win the wild card over the Patriots, because of a better conference record.

7) If the Jets, Patriots, and Ravens win out, the Dolphins are out of the playoffs. The Jets would win the AFC East, and the Ravens would be the wild card, knocking the Patriots out of the playoffs.

8) If the Jets and Patriots win out, and the Ravens and Dolphins lose at least one game, then the Jets win the AFC East, and the Patriots win the wild card.

9) If the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins all lose a game and finish tied at 10-6, then the Jets win the AFC East, and the Dolphins would have an edge over the Patriots for the wild card. The Dolphins will then have to hope that the Ravens lose their last two games in order to clinch the wild card. If the Ravens finish 10-6 or 11-5, then the Ravens will be the wild card and the Dolphins would be out.

10) If the Patriots lose a game, they are automatically eliminated from the postseason.

11) If the Jets finish 10-6 and win the division based on a three-way tie with the Dolphins and Patriots, then the Denver Broncos would be the number three seed if they, too, finish at 10-6. The Broncos own a head-to-head tie-breaker against the Jets.

In short, don't waste your time buying playoff tickets at this juncture. The AFC East is way too clouded and the chances that the one of these teams will play a home game is quite small.