FOXBOROUGH -- Jets coach Robert Saleh told it like it was following the blow-out 54-13 loss to the Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
"Top down. Starts with coaching all the way down," he said. "Obviously we’ve got to be better. They punched us in the freaking mouth and scored points, so credit to them. That's it. I mean, I've been in part of some of those in my life. They just don't feel good."
The 54 points were the most scored by the Patriots since Nov. 3, 2013, when they scored 55 against the Steelers, and the most allowed by the Jets since another Pats double nickel: a 55-21 loss in New England way back on Oct. 29, 1978.
"This is the NFL. You give up 50 points, it's embarrassing," Saleh said. "I don't think I've had this feeling after a game since 2017 against Dallas. A helpless feeling where you're just watching, you're trying to figure something out. I'll be honest. We talk about adversity. Everyone was asking. You can chalk this one up, it's here. This is from coaches all the way down. NFL doesn't really give a flying [expletive] - excuse my language - in terms of scheduling. We got to line up the next week and for the 11 or 12, whatever we got left. I know we got the right men in that locker room. I know we got the right people in that locker room. I know we'll come back strong. But we got to get it going."
The Jets are now 1-5 on the year and have fallen to the Patriots 12 straight times, including a 25-6 loss in Week 2, and the defense has seemingly regressed every game, giving up 19, 25, 26, 24, 27, and now 54.
"From a defensive standpoint we all think we’re a lot better than that. I want to tell you they're unforced errors, but there’s a better way we have to coach it, and messaging has to be better. Something wasn’t connecting today, starting with the coaching," Saleh said. "There’s always a tell the truth moment when you watch film; you want to look at whether we were structurally okay or a matter of execution. Not having CJ (Mosley, who sat out with an injury) out there hurt, but it shouldn’t have hurt this bad. Our guys are playing their tails off, but that fourth quarter, we ran out of humans. It just wasn’t good."
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Jets team gear
And he reiterated that "not good" starts with himself.
“I always look at myself in the mirror first, and challenge everyone to look at themselves first. It’s about individual fortitude and reflection, and trying to find a way to get things fixed. It’s more disappointment than anything,” Saleh said.
He's confident, however, the team will get it going in the right direction, but don't expect him to blow up and lay into his team, because that's not his style.
"These are grown men; they played their tails off and have a lot of pride. They’re trying to play for one another," Saleh said, "and if you need somebody to be in your butt yelling at you to get going, playing a child’s game at a king’s ransom, you don’t deserve to wear the logo, period."
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch