4 things to watch as Jets face Dolphins in Week 18

After suffering their fifth loss in a row on Sunday at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, the Jets were mathematically eliminated from the postseason for a league-high 12th straight season. The final game is essentially meaningless for the Jets, but the Miami Dolphins have a chance to make the playoffs.

Here are some of the biggest stories to watch as the Jets wrap up their regular season...

Will the Jets be motivated to play spoiler?

Morale may be low among the Jets players, but they have a chance to prevent the Dolphins from wrapping up a postseason berth in front of their home fans. CJ Mosley and Connor McGovern were among the Jets players reiterating the importance of finishing the season strongly.

As the Jets have seen all season, a lapse in focus from one player can cause a play to fail, even when the rest of the lineup is locked in and engaged. It will therefore be as challenging as ever to keep the team collectively motivated, especially if they start slowly -- as they have many times this season.

Will any young players get a chance to make a case for more opportunities?

Head coach Robert Saleh has already confirmed that the Jets will be playing to win on Sunday, rather than using the game to feed extra reps to some of their younger players.

Nevertheless, there will be some young players getting opportunities. Undrafted rookie Tony Adams is in line to make his first NFL start following Lamarcus Joyner’s injury on Sunday. Rookies Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons have been seeing more and more playing time at defensive end over the past few weeks.

On Sunday, linebackers Hamsah Nasirildeen and Jamien Sherwood saw some rare playing time in the last few minutes, but apparently, this was just because of an injury to Mosley. However, they’ll be among the players who haven’t played much that will be keen to get on the field, along with the likes of safety Ashtyn Davis and tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Kenny Yeboah.

Are there any personal milestones up for grabs?

There may be some players with personal milestones or even incentive thresholds they’ll be looking to reach, but ultimately there aren’t many obvious targets that individual Jets will be going for on Sunday.

Garrett Wilson already achieved Jets rookie records for receptions and receiving yardage in the past few weeks and then went over the 1,000-yard threshold on Sunday. For him, Sunday will be one last chance to pad his stats and try to bolster his offensive rookie of the year case. Sauce Gardner will be looking to finish strong to do the same on the other side of the ball.

Other statistics to track could include John Franklin-Myers and Carl Lawson aiming to set a career mark for sacks. Franklin-Myers needs one and Lawson needs 1.5 to tie their previous bests. In addition, Tyler Conklin and Elijah Moore are both within reach of their career-high for receptions and yardage and Michael Carter could still end up as the Jets’ 2022 rushing leader if he racks up 66 or more yards on the ground.

Who will we be seeing for the last time in a Jets uniform?

The Jets have several key contributors with expiring contracts, including the likes of McGovern, Quincy Williams and Sheldon Rankins. Will this be the last time they suit up for the Jets?

In addition, several veterans have high cap numbers in 2023 and could therefore be potential cap casualties. Lawson and Mosley are probably going to be back, but could players like Corey Davis and Duane Brown be playing their last game for the club? In each case, this could provide further individual motivation.