Just four more weeks.
For those fans who were ready to throw a brick through their screens after the Jets’ incomprehensible loss on Sunday, leaving them a franchise-worst 0-12 this season, I urge you to take a deep breath and repeat after me: it is almost over.
While the bizarre ending was glorious for fellow #JetsTank proponents, who were gnashing their teeth when Gang Green came back from an 11-point second-half deficit to take a 28-24 lead with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter, those in a different camp who can’t see anything beyond the moment should just take a step back and look at the big picture.
If you’re furious at defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for his decision to call an all-out blitz on what turned out to be the final play, leaving undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Lamar Jackson on an island against cheetah-like Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III, take solace knowing that it was Williams’ last call, as he was canned on Monday.
The Jets were the first team to bring eight or more rushers in the final 30 seconds of a game this season, and per ESPN, which kept such data since 2006, no defense has ever rushed six-plus men in the last 15 seconds of regulation where it was holding a four-to-eight point lead with 40-plus yards of cushion.
Combined with the prior play – Raiders wide receiver Nelson Agholor split two Jets safeties deep down the middle to get open for a sure touchdown, only to watch helplessly as quarterback Derek Carr’s pass sailed out of the end zone – it’s even more egregious. Williams needed to be held accountable for such a foolish risk, in lieu of setting up a gauntlet along the goal line to make the Raiders beat them with a more miraculous play, rather than a pitch-and-catch.
Know the same fate lies ahead for head coach Adam Gase, who had an opportunity to “play to win the game” on a third-and-six with 1:28 remaining but opted to have quarterback Sam Darnold hand off to Ty Johnson for a one-yard gain (and he nearly went out of bounds to boot).
And finally, many of the players, ranging in pedigree from former No. 3 overall pick Darnold – who broke a four-game slump with two touchdown passes, but was also responsible for three turnovers – on down to Jackson, will also be seeking new employment in the offseason. General manager Joe Douglas will surely look to utilize his draft and salary cap assets to import higher quality personnel (a notion I’ll have more on starting on Friday).
The bottom line is that the status quo was maintained on Sunday; Jacksonville lost in similar “heartbreaking” fashion, which means the one-win Jaguars are still nipping at the Jets’ heels for the right to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
It's unlikely to change in the next two weeks. The Jets face the daunting task of visiting Seattle, who must be frothing at the mouth after losing at home to the Giants, next Sunday, and then go back to the West Coast for a date with the Rams on December 20 – while the Jaguars have an equally challenging schedule, hosting Tennessee before visiting Baltimore.
It’s ironic that when Gase was hired, his goal for the Jets was to play meaningful games in December. Well, mission accomplished, except that it’s now incredibly meaningful for the Jets to LOSE these games, since the negative consequences of just one win would vastly outweigh the temporary feel-good sensation of avoiding the ignominy of an 0-16 season.
So much is riding on the Jets doing this right if you understand the timeline: securing the top pick makes New York a much more attractive destination for both coaches and free agents. In turn, these changes would make the Jets more attractive to Lawrence, should he have doubts. As I wrote previously, losing is everything this season.
As painful as that may sound, think of it like the expected side effects that could come with the new COVID-19 vaccine. You might get some bad headaches in the short term, but it sure beats living through another hellish year.
Doctor’s orders for all Jets fans: just take your medicine for four more weeks, which can’t go quick enough.
For a FAN’s perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve Lichtenstein on Twitter: @SteveLichtenst1
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