The New York Jets have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
With a matchup against the Miami Dolphins this week, however, the Jets have a chance to knock their divisional rival out of the playoffs with a win.
By losing the game, the Jets would likely be able to significantly improve their draft stock in 2023.
Don’t tell that to Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Robert Saleh on playing spoiler this week for the Dolphins, smiling: "Would it be nice to have Mike McDaniel hanging out with me poolside in a couple weeks? Damn right it would." #jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) January 4, 2023
Saleh and Mike McDaniel spent four years together as coaches for the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Now, these two friends are in the same division, trying to coach their respective teams to victory on Monday.
It appears that the Jets will be playing their starters on Sunday, even though this game is meaningless for them for this particular season.
However, intra-divisional games are always competitive, and for that reason alone, the Jets will likely pull out all the stops to try and beat the Dolphins this weekend.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, will likely be on their third-string quarterback, given injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater.
Both teams have players who have suffered significant injuries this season but will look to try to win the final game of the 2022 campaign.
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, with Saleh and McDaniel at the helm of both of these teams, they are set to have a strong rivalry for the foreseeable future.
Storylines like this are a perfect example of why the NFL is one of, if not the best reality television shows in the world.
