The final straw in the Jets’ horrific day was Davis Webb taking over at quarterback for the Bills.
You remember Webb. He was the Giants 2017 third-round pick bust who had a cup of coffee with the Jets the following year.
Yes, it was that bad. The defense was a sieve for quarterback Josh Allen, who showed how he can be the league’s best as he picked apart the Jets’ secondary for 366 yards that looked like a lot more. Bills’ receivers seemed to be open everywhere.
This 45-17 mess was a true defeat across the board from coaching, play calling and all three phases of the game.
It is particularly frustrating that head coach Robert Saleh and his staff had 10 days to prepare for Buffalo, and they looked like they had 10 minutes. A short burst of energy in the first half turned into a sleepwalk.
The Jets may not have expected to be Buffalo, which had it snack to the wall after last week’s upset to Jacksonville, but the Jets gave some early indications that they could keep it close.
They were in a 10-3 game and moving the ball with Mike White at the helm, but a inexcusable fourth-and-1 delay of game call badly hurt them. There also was the unstoppable Sheldon Diggs, who beat Javelin Guidry on the same exact play for a 12-yard touchdown pass after the first one was waved off.
The Jets still had a chance to make it interesting, but Corey Davis was stripped of the ball after a catch.
Buffalo sealed it away with a 75-yard drive to open the second half, and then intercepted White for the third of his four interceptions.
Game over. Everyone at MetLife and at home knew it.
Their defense has allowed 175 points in their last four games. That’s the second-highest point total allowed in the span since Tennessee gave up 177 in 2004.
Along with the defense debacle, the White experiment is over, and Zach Wilson should be back next week. White’s short-lived fame is over. The reasons why White made his first NFL start in three years finally surfaced over what looks like an overachieving couple of games.
He did guide them to a garbage touchdown on Michael Carter’s three-yard run. Carter was bottled up throughout the game, but the rookie runs hard for every yard.
In his post presser, Saleh looked more like Adam Gase searching for answers. Remember, Saleh was the 49ers’ defensive guru.
“We’re in there talking about trying to do things the right way and try to see where we can help our guys out, “ he deadpanned. “Obviously, it’s not good enough. It always starts with me. We have eight games left and we have to figure it out.”
Defensive tackle Sheldon Ranks offered his perspective.
“Every man should be embarrassed,” he stressed. “Every man should be mad.”
Every Jet should be. Their last two games have been hard to watch.
Wilson may be back next week against Miami at MetLife, and there still can be some hope.
But the grim reality of what the remaining eight games could be like may be too difficult to hide.