The Jets hope for making a magical run to the playoffs was just that, hope.
That ship may have sailed after a brutal 27-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
Bill Parcells said it best, “You are what your record says you are.”
What the Jets clearly are not, with a 3-6 record, is a playoff team. There should be no further debate about the direction this team’s headed in and it’s a far stretch from where expectations were heading into this season.
No more talk about how difficult the first part of the season was, all that did was mask the fact this team’s flawed, aging, and apparently quite stubborn to the point they’ve bordered on delusional.
When it came down to which team could give the game away the best, the Jets were determined to outperform the Dolphins.
Costly penalties, allowing a backup kick returner to go 96 yards for a touchdown, and two more killer interceptions thrown by a quarterback who leads the league in that category.
Add it all up and it’s another painful three hours of the obvious played out for all to see.
Jets head coach Todd Bowles, however, is right. This isn’t just on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Yes, he’s been bad, downright awful at times, but it’s definitely not just him.
That much noted, it still does not take away from Fitzpatrick seeming to be oblivious to the fact he’s played bad football this season, yet wants to talk about how much support from ownership he’s not getting.
Fitzpatrick. Geno Smith. Bryce Petty. Heck, even Ken O’Brien or Browning Nagle. It doesn’t matter who’s at quarterback if they don’t have time to throw the football. The offensive line, specifically at the tackle positions, has been below-average for much of this season.
Darrelle Revis is not Revis Island anymore, and that’s alright. But it’s time to acknowledge this and allow for adjustments to accommodate it.
And that talented defensive line? Apparently all isn’t well there either. Bowles cited a “coaches decision” as for why he benched Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson against Miami in the first quarter.
One thing losing does is reveal character, and right now this team’s character is being tested in every way possible.
Now that the Jets are sitting comfortably in the basement of the AFC East division with a 3-6 record, maybe now they’ll start accepting the obvious instead of continuing to hold onto fleeting hope.