The Jets were ready for prime time today. A win would have put them into the playoff conversation.
And, of course, they came up small.
The Jets proved once again they are “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” in the 37-17 loss to the Vikings. They had the Hulk and Thor at the game today, but should have had a Land Shark and a guy dressed as a bee.
They have no one to blame but themselves and they know it.
“Just a lack of execution on the other drives we had. Nothing more than that. It’s just a lack of execution,” said quarterback Sam Darnold. “They did a good job stopping the run and when we were passing the ball, they did a great job covering guys.”
Sure, you can give the Minnesota defense some credit, but how about the running game that was non-existent. Isaiah Crowell with 29 yards on the day and Bilal Powell taken out of the game with a neck injury.
The Jets need to run the ball to win. They did it extremely well the past two weeks and the Vikings knew that. It was almost as if they dared Darnold to beat them and the rookie came up small.
“It will be a challenge the whole year,” said head coach Todd Bowles. “He’s a rookie quarterback. Every week is going to present a new challenge. It’s not just Sam. It’s the offense and the defense and the special teams. We understand we have a big challenge next week.”
You can say that right. The Bears in Chicago. After coming up short to the Patriots, the Jets will have a very ticked Bear team to figure out at Soldier Field. Good luck there coach.
But if they are going to beat the Bears, then the Jets will need to execute on offense by running the ball. Darnold is a rookie and needs to play off the run to succeed. If Powell is out for any amount of time, that may prove difficult. Without him Crowell will be the lone main back. Cowell has shown flashes of greatness, but if he can’t run the ball, the Jets are sunk.
And that will be the theme the rest of the season. Darnold could win games, but the Jets need a team effort to really succeed.
For him, today was a learning experience.
“I learned to continue to fight,” Darnold said. “It’s a four quarter game. I think that’s the biggest thing. The first half, I thought, I personally played bad and our offense wasn’t really getting into a rhythm. We look up and we’re getting the ball to start the half down 10-2. We have to keep fighting.”
Instead they sunk. The first true fall say, the Jets froze up and hibernated, while the Vikings took advantage of their shortcomings.
It’s not how to win football games. And it’s not hot the Jets will be ready for the next level. \
Right now, they are not ready for prime time.
Cue the Samurai, the Metric Alphabet, and those Wild and Crazy Guys.
The joke is on the Jets this week.
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