New York Jets come up short against Raiders, remain in lead for QB Trevor Lawrence

The New York Jets lost their Week 13 matchup to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, but there is indeed a silver lining.

Rejoice, New York Jets fans (well, at least the ones who are pro-tank).

On Sunday, Gang Green came up short against the Las Vegas Raiders despite leading late in the game. It was close for much of the matchup, but after a late miracle touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Henry Ruggs, the Raiders escaped MetLife Stadium with a 31-28 victory over the winless Jets.

Nonetheless, there is a silver lining for the team that hasn’t won a ballgame since the 2019 campaign.

The Jets are currently still in the race for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, which means they remain on pace to acquire Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

No, nothing is set in stone and four games remain in the regular season, but the Jets still lead the way when it comes to “Tanking for Trevor.”

The one team that Jets fans needed to worry about (and still need to worry about) when it came to this specific race was the one-win Jacksonville Jaguars, who are currently tied with the Vikings late in overtime. But with this loss for the Jets, any outcome for the Jags on Sunday would still keep New York in the lead for the top draft selection.

With Lawrence now that much closer to becoming a future Jet, the future of Sam Darnold remains in question. There’s a chance the Jets trade him amid selecting Lawrence just a few years after drafting him in 2018.