The Jets know the football world will be watching Monday night when the Colts come to town. They might be disappointed with their current predicament, but the Green & White will have an opportunity to play in the spotlight as the NFL's Week 13 reaches its conclusion.
"It's Monday Night Football and everybody's watching. It's time to show out," said CB Buster Skrine. "And then for young guys, you try to make a name for yourself. Everybody watches Monday Night Football — coaches, GMs, players and fans. It's a big game. If you play bad Monday night, you may be judged the whole year just off of that game and have an awesome season."
OLB Lorenzo Mauldin, who was playing at Louisville as recently as 2014, compared football's primetime stage to the bowl season.
"Monday Night Football is primetime. You're the only team playing and people are tuning that TV on to you, so you have to put on a show," he said. "It's a big stage just as if you were in college at a bowl game or something like that."
The Jets have five games remaining and two of the next three will be nationally televised night affairs at MetLife Stadium. After a San Francisco showdown with the 49ers in Week 15, the Jets will have a short week to prepare for a Saturday contest against the Miami Dolphins.
"The guys' heads are lifted — we're not done yet. We can't just give up these next five games and say okay we're not going to the playoffs or anything," Mauldin said. "We have to keep our heads up because you're playing for the name on your back and the front. We just want to end with a good note, not a bad one."
Historic Moments on MNF ('70 Browns,'86 Broncos,'87 Patriots '89 Raiders,'98 Patriots, '99 Patriots, '00 Dolphins, '00 Patriots, '03 Titans, '04 Dolphins,'04 Dolphins,'10 Ravens, '10 Dolphins, '11 Dolphins, '15 Colts)
Acquired off of waivers from the Buccaneers in late September, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins is set to play on Monday night for the first time as a pro.
"It means a lot to me," he said. "It will be my first time, so I'm excited. Always as a kid, you come home from that dreadful Monday, that first day of school for the week, and you look forward to watching Monday night. I've said this a billion times, but I'm thankful."
The Jets have repeated in the locker room this week that their spirits remain high and they have been flying around the practice field. Despite a tough loss to the Patriots on Sunday, the team's confidence has not been shaken heading into their second Monday night game of 2016.
"It's kind of been a broken record the last few weeks, but being professionals," said QB Ryan Fitzpatrick of the approach. "Coming in and doing your job every day. That's the important thing and especially for some of the older guys that have been through stuff like this. Just setting a good example and showing the young guys the way."
