After a 1-7 start, nothing seemed to be going right for the Jets this season.
But in the last couple of weeks, the team has managed to go on a modest two-game winning streak, scoring exactly 34 points a game in wins over the Giants and Redskins.
And while a 3-7 record still has the Jets in a whole, Gang Green now has a chance to win a third straight game on Sunday afternoon when the Oakland Raiders visit MetLife Stadium.
The key for the Jets is to build off what they've been able to accomplish the last two weeks, and not slide back into bad habits from the first half of the season.
"That's one of those things where guys feel like what they're doing in practice, the amount of time and effort that they're putting into things, you get rewarded with a win," said head coach Adam Gase. "Obviously, you have to go out there and execute on Sunday and do all the right things and play 60 minutes and play complimentary football, that's what we want to keep doing is keep improving on that.
"I think the more we play as three phases together, the more success we have. If we're all over the place and not in line with each other, that's where we struggle."
One of the biggest reasons for the Jets' success of late is the play of second-year quarterback Sam Darnold. After struggling for a good portion of his first five games (while missing three games due to mono), Darnold has been very strong the last two games, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 523 yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception.
It's been a night-and-day turnaround for Darnold, who has compiled a 112.0 passer rating in these two wins, compared to his 70.5 rating from the previous five contests.
"I think, for me personally, it's just seeing the field," said Darnold. "I feel like I'm seeing it really well right now and if I just continue to do that, continue to put our team in a good position and if we continue to play with the tempo that we're playing at, getting in and out of the huddle, then I think we'll continue to play that way.
"It's just about taking it one week at a time. If we do that, we have that mindset, then you can never get too high or too low, whether you win or you lose. If we truly, truly have the mindset of taking it one week at a time, it doesn't matter."
Darnold also credited the Jets' recent turnaround to the way the Jets locker room stuck together, even through the rockier times.
"Coach Gase, Adam, did a really good job of making sure that we were all staying together but for the most part it was player driven," said Darnold. "We have such great guys in the locker room, the coaches do a great job making sure that we all stay together and they do a great job of continuing to work hard and game plan but everyone in that locker room is set on winning no matter what, whether we are 1-7, or we have a winning record.
"Everyone is going to take it one week at a time and continue to work super hard, that's just what we do and that's all those guys know in the locker room."
Standing in the Jets' way of a three-game winning streak is the Oakland Raiders, a team that has surprised many with their 6-4 record. John Gruden's team has won three straight games, and Darnold and the Jets know they'll present a challenge come Sunday.
"The Raiders, they looked really good on tape," Darnold said. "They've been looking good on tape most of the games that they've played. So again, it's going to be a really good challenge for us. It's going to be a fun game and we're having fun this week preparing for them."