
You wake up Monday morning a Jets’ fan, and you have a pit in your stomach.
Sunday’s 30-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Met Life Stadium was yet another example on how further this 0-5 team can sink into the football abyss. They arguably have become the worst team in football (The 0-5 Giants and Falcons have more effort and talent).
Can a 0-16 or a 1-15 campaign become a reality? With each passing week, it becomes clearer.
The problems remain the same and there doesn’t appear to be an easy solution in sight. It is their worst start since 1996 when the immortal Rich Kotite was at the controls of the 1-15 team.
Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, who was held to 133 yards in their previous week’s loss to Carolina, sat back in the pocket all afternoon and carved up the Jets’ defense for a career-high 380 yards. He was sacked only once.
It’s true, the Jets had their chances, but they couldn’t convert third- and fourth-and ones, one incident after linebacker Avery Williamson picked off a pass at the Arizona 10, but the Jets could only convert a Sam Ficken field goal.
They wasted another opportunity when they drove to the Cardinals’ 13-yard line and couldn’t gain the necessary yard, opting for a deep handoff to Le’Veon Bell.
Can a 35-year-old, 6-foot-5 Joe Flacco execute a quarterback sneak when Tampa’s 43-year-old Tom Brady is still doing it?
The defense, however, couldn’t stop the Cardinals who converted a fourth-and-one on their own 39-yard line and marched down the field for the final nail at 24-10.
So much for respecting the Jets’ defense. For whatever reason, practice hasn’t made perfect.
“It’s definitely very frustrating,” said Williamson. “We’ve been working our butts off all week, and just not coming out on top. We haven’t been able to finish.
Flacco was serviceable yet flat in his 18-for-33, 195-yard performance, and Bell was back for 60 yards on 13 carries. However, Bell should have been used more on the ground and in the air–only one reception for seven yards– and many of his carries were predictable.
On his Twitter account, Bell liked a tweet that suggested he should be traded. With him in his second year of a four-year deal in this mess, it only will be a matter of time before Bell begins to talk trade.
So, here are the Jets with a rash of injuries, a predictable and inept offense –even though head coach Adam Gase did implement a reverse and an attempted flea flicker on consecutive plays — possible some malcontents along the way, and now a reeling defense that was once dominant. They can be thankful for the consistent kicking game between Ficken and punter Braden Mann.
The Jets won’t get a break either. Due to rescheduling due to COVID, they fly to Miami to face a Dolphins team (2-3) that routed San Francisco on the road Sunday with never-aging and former Jet Ryan Fitpatrick at the helm.
This is a Jets’ offense that has scored six touchdowns in five games. Head coach Adam Gase is the lone veteran coach who doesn’t have a win this season and looks like a conductor without his wand hiding behind his playsheet.
It becomes more obvious that he has lost control of the band.
“We’ve got to get back to work and find a way to play for 60 minutes,” he said. When one side of the ball is playing, the other side is not. We get something going and then fall apart on the other side. We’re not giving ourselves a chance to be there in the end.”
Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins are ahead in sunny Miami. Enjoy the scenery and stock up on the antacids.
Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire