Adam Gase, Sam Darnold and the gameday staff of the New York Jets have to be ecstatic that the team went into Los Angeles and upset the Rams in Week 15. With the victory the Jets won't become the third team in NFL history to go 0-16, as they are now 1-13.
Of course, from a long-term perspective, Sunday's win could have tragic consequences for the Jets. Gase and Darnold may very well not be employed by the Jets this time next year, but general manager Joe Douglas and the organization were just three more losses away from completing a winless season and assuring they landed the No. 1 overall pick. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will almost certainly be the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he'll enter the NFL as the most hyped quarterback since Andrew Luck.
Now that the Jets are 1-13, the Jacksonville Jaguars, also 1-13, have become the favorite to land the No. 1 pick. The Jaguars lost 40-14 to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, and haven't won a game since Week 1.
If the Jets end up with the No. 2 pick, that would hardly be a disaster, as Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields would be a candidate to be the top overall pick in many seasons. But for much of the season, Lawrence to the Jets was seen by many a fait accompli. Social media reacted to the possibility that Sunday's victory may ultimately cost the Jets an opportunity to land such a transcendent talent:
How bad are the Jets? Trevor Lawrence is going to be a millionaire celebrity in his early 20s, and he’s damn lucky that it could be in Jacksonville and not New York.
— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) December 21, 2020
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