The New York Jets will start their fourth different quarterback of the season and hope that he doesn't wind up being a lump of coal in their stocking.  The Jets turn to Trevor Siemian against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in the final home game for the 2023 season.

The Jets currently sit at 5-9 on the season while the Commanders are 4-10. This game will obviously have no playoff implications, but it will matter, especially when April comes around and the 2024 NFL Draft.

While I don’t believe any team does or should tank for a better draft slot, the fact remains that the Jets can do big things for their draft capital with a loss to Washington.

The Commanders currently sit at the fourth pick, while the Jets have the sixth pick of the draft. Not only would losing to the Commanders give them the same record, but by losing, the Jets would lose the tiebreaker, meaning they’ll beat out Washington for a higher pick if they end the season with the same record.

With the Jets not having a second-round pick because of the Aaron Rodgers trade, a better first round pick could be that much more important.

That being said, I think at this point, it would be much better for the organization for the team to come out and prove that they are still behind Robert Saleh as the head coach. Whether you think Saleh is the guy or not, my guess is he is back next season and it would go a long way if the team ends the season on something of a high note.

The Jets will have opportunities on offense. While the Jets are the worst offense in the NFL in a lot of key stats, the Commanders defense is just as bad. This is a matchup of inept titans while the Jets have the ball.

Trevor Siemian has appeared in two games for the Jets this season and completed 48.7% of his passes for 176 yards and two interceptions during those spot appearances. For his career, he's 13-17 as a starter, with all the wins coming with the Broncos in 2016 and 2017. This will be his first since Week 12 of last season for Chicago, which came against the Jets.

"I am super grateful," said Siemian, a seven-year veteran and journeyman. "At this point in my c

areer especially, any chance I get to play is awesome, so if it happens, I'll be ready. If not, I'm hoping Zach's coming back and he's feeling alright."

Brett Rypien is the other quarterback on the Jets roster and will back up Siemian. While Aaron Rodgers was activated onto the 53-man roster to continue practicing with the team and working on his rehab from that torn Achilles he suffered in Week 1, Saleh reaffirmed that he will not be back this season and will not be the team's emergency third quarterback.

While I don’t expect the Jets to tank, I imagine we will see a lot more young players get a shot at some playing time. We are likely to see more Izzy Abanikanda, Jason Brownlee, and Xavier Gibson on offense and Will McDonald IV and Zaire Barnes on defense.

This is likely to be an ugly game all around, but it may be one of the more important games for the Jets going into the off-season.  The true Christmas Eve gift from this game might be when its over.

Jets to start Trevor Siemian against Commanders with Wilson still in protocol

The Jets will start their fourth different quarterback of the season this Christmas Eve when the Jets host the Washington Commanders, and this time it has nothing to do with a benching. Head coach Robert Saleh announced Friday that Zach Wilson remains in concussion protocol and will miss the game. Trevor Siemian will start in […]

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