Robert Saleh said that the Jets’ defense played well for “three quarters and 13 minutes” on Sunday, but it was those final few minutes that led to a 20-17 loss to the Lions that put Detroit back to .500 and in the hunt for an NFC playoff spot, and the Jets even further on the outside looking in at the AFC picture.
Specifically, it was one play that ended up defining the game: fourth-and-one from Detroit’s 49-yard-line at the two-minute warning, a spot where the Lions had just one timeout left and a stop meant the end of the game and a first down still gave the Jets a chance to hold Detroit to perhaps a game-tying field goal attempt.
The problem: somehow, Lions tight end Brock Wright ended up wide open in the flat on a play fake, and ran for a 51-yard touchdown that gave Detroit a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“Just gave up some eye discipline in man coverage,” a somber Saleh said after the loss. “They threw the ball and there’s no reason for that play to happen. Good for them.”
“They ran what you call a leak play with a Cover-1, and the tight end got out and they just made a play,” added C.J. Mosley. “I felt like we played well the whole game, and it sucks one play changed the whole game, but that’s the way it works. It was the right play at the right time, kudos to them. They executed a play and we didn’t.”
Coming in, Saleh and the Jets knew that the Lions “would get their yards and have their opportunities,” the head coach saying “They’re one of the hottest offenses in football and a top five offense for a reason.”
But for those first 58 minutes, the Jets held Detroit to just 13 points, starting with a goal-line stand on the first possession of the game. The Lions did miss a field goal, too, but 10 of their first 13 points came off mistakes – they scored on a punt return TD, and then kicked a short field goal after picking off Zach Wilson in Jets territory – and the other three were a field goal at the end of a 15-play drive that saw a TD nullified by a penalty.
“I think overall there are a lot of things we feel like we can do better, but we have to find a way to come up with certain plays in certain situations,” said Sheldon Rankins.
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Not much better the defense could have done besides stop the play, but once again, closing out seems to be the Jets’ issue.
“No matter when it is, closing out another team out in this league is hard to do, especially when you’re playing teams playing at a very high level,” Saleh said. “They’re not just gonna lay down for you. We had our opportunities all game and we just missed them.”
“You can play as well as you want, but when it comes down to the fourth quarter, last two minutes, that’s when you have to be at your best – and unfortunately we weren’t at our best for that one play, because it determined the game,” Mosley added. “The past few weeks we’ve shown what we can do when we’re all on the same page and doing things right.”
Indeed, Detroit converted a third-and-one and a fourth-and-three on their first field goal drive, and went for it three times on fourth down overall, counting the first drive and the final play.
But, what seems to be irking Saleh and vexing the team is that three weeks in a row now, the Jets have followed up points by giving them right back several times now; Gregg Giannotti noted it during the week on Boomer & Gio about it happening against Buffalo and Minnesota, and on Sunday, the Lions got the field goal after the Jets’ first touchdown, then drove for the game-winning score right after the Jets made it 17-13 in the fourth.
“It’s devastating to lose in that fashion, but we just have to play complementary football,” D.J. Reed said. “It’s going to hurt watching this tape because there were so many chances. But we’ll get better from it."
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Fourteen Jets points counteracted by 10 for Detroit, the last seven the difference…but Saleh still can’t pint hat all on a defense that is a big reason they’re 7-7.
“It’s backbreaking because we give it up, but were in the position we are because the D plays its tail off,” Saleh said, before lamenting the final offensive play Detroit ran: “It’s the NFL, it’s a back and forth game with ebbs and flows, but from a defensive standpoint, you pride yourself on being able to close the game out right there; we had the opportunity on fourth and an inch, and didn’t get it done.”
Saleh wouldn’t go into any more specifics than the “missed eye discipline,” but Lions QB Jared Goff said it was a “great call” and an “easy read and easy completion if we do it right.” Detroit head coach Dan Campbell never expected a TD, saying “I knew it was a first down and could be an explosive,” but Wright realistically needed just one move and one block to make it as incendiary as it gets.
And that, it seems, is what the defense is most upset about: the fact they were helpless once it happened.
“They did a good job, different motions, so as far as us getting our checks in certain situations, something didn’t get communicated,” Mosley said.
Added Quincy Williams: “It may have looked good today, but we had missed opportunities and could’ve played better. We just have to be consistent play in and play out and can’t beat ourselves.”
With a short week coming up, the Jets may know by Friday morning if the playoffs are still a realistic possibility, or if they’ll simply end up a possible spoiler.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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