The Jets found another way to lose on Sunday, falling 19-9 to the Rams despite not punting once. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. Before we get into some specifics from this game (which felt as meaningless as any game I’ve ever covered), I wanted to take a look back a few years. With the Jets turning the page from Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, one question I have gotten from a few people has been when things turned for them. Because there was hope at one point. It’s hard to remember now. But the Jets had some success in 2022 and it looked like the team was trending in the right direction. We all know that direction was a mirage and they went 7-10 last year and are 4-11 this year.
So, what was the turning point?
There are a few contenders.
You can start in the second quarter of the home game against the Patriots on Oct. 30, 2022. The Jets were 5-2 and had won four games in a row. There were clearly flaws with the team but they were finding ways to win games, largely on defense.
With 37 seconds left in the first half against New England, the Jets led 10-3. Mac Jones threw a pass that was intercepted by Michael Carter II and returned for a touchdown giving the Jets a 17-3 lead if the extra point was good. But it was called back on a roughing the passer penalty against John Franklin-Myers. The Patriots ended up kicking a field goal to make it 10-6 at halftime. The Pats went on to win 22-17.
If you talk to people around the Jets, they feel like this is when things began to slip away. The only issue I have with that argument is they did come back the next week and beat the Bills at home.
That brings us to the next key game — again against the Patriots. They lost 10-3 on a punt return by Marcus Jones with five seconds left. After the game, Zach Wilson gave a terrible answer about his role in the loss. The Jets benched Wilson a few days later and while he would go on to start again for the Jets due to injuries, it never really felt like he was the starter again. The organization had clearly lost belief in Wilson, the player they drafted No. 2 overall the year before and that was a devastating blow for the franchise.
Mike White would replace Wilson as the starter and he provided some hope. The Jets were 7-4 heading into Minnesota two weeks after the debacle in New England. The playoffs still seemed realistic.
The Jets played the Vikings tough that day but Braxton Berrios dropped a would-be touchdown from the 1-yard line and the Jets lost 27-22. It was the first of six straight losses to end the season.
To me, these three games in 2022 were where everything went south for the Jets. There was hope that the team was building something and the way the season ended was devastating. The slide led to Mike LaFleur getting fired, Nathaniel Hackett getting hired and the pivot to Aaron Rodgers, which has not worked.
Right now, it feels like the Jets have just been hopeless for so long. It’s hard to remember but two years ago there was hope for a very brief time before it disappeared in spectacular fashion.
2. That brings us to the current day. Garrett Wilson was part of that hope in 2022 as the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Now, it feels like Wilson and the Jets are heading toward a divorce like this franchise has so many times with a star player. Wilson looks miserable and expressed his frustration after Sunday’s loss.
There is speculation from people who know Wilson that he will ask for a trade after the season. Wilson won’t touch that question right now and publicly has said he wants to stay with the Jets. But this feels like a bad situation that keeps getting worse.
On Sunday, Wilson was only targeted three times before the final drive of the game. For whatever reason, Wilson and Rodgers have not clicked. You can’t say that Rodgers has not looked for him. He has 141 targets, which is fourth in the NFL, and 90 catches. But if you’re watching the games, the two have looked off way too many times this season.
It has gotten worse with Davante Adams on the team. Rodgers clearly trusts Adams and looks to him in key situations way more than Wilson.
The new general manager and head coach may be able to flip this around and get Wilson to buy in to the new regime but this feels like an offseason where Wilson is going to want out and the new regime may move him to get picks and accelerate their team building.
I would try to sign Wilson to an extension. I think he is an immensely talented player that still has a lot of room for improvement. Trading those kinds of players feels like bad management.
3. When we look back on the Aaron Rodgers era, one component that can’t be forgotten is how bad a general manager he was. The moves to bring in his friends have largely been a bust. Adams looks pretty good, but that may be too little, too late.
Allen Lazard had another two drops on Sunday and now has eight in 10 games this season. Lazard had some positive moments early in the season before he was sidelined by a chest injury. Overall, though, Lazard’s two years with the Jets have been a massive disappointment for a guy who received a four-year, $44 million contract. The Jets can move on after this season and they surely will. Lazard will be a footnote in the Rodgers era as one of several bad moves made to make Rodgers happy.
4. Speaking of bad moves, the trade for Haason Reddick may be one of the worst in the team’s history. Reddick did tip a pass on Sunday against the Rams. Other than that, he was invisible again. He had no tackles in the game and no sacks again. He has a ½ sack this season since ending his holdout. It is astonishing how little impact Reddick has had.
Revealing stat
The Jets only had one play of 20 yards or more and it was for exactly 20 yards. Rodgers hit Tyler Conklin for a 20-yard gain on the first drive. Other than that, the Jets were mostly picking up short gains all day. This offense has lacked explosion for most of the season.
Surprising snap count
We might have to rename this the Malachi Corley watch. The rookie was actually active for Sunday’s game … and he played zero snaps. The only other active player who did not see the field was backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The coaches clearly do not trust Corley.
Game ball
Breece Hall looked like himself on Sunday after dealing with a knee injury in recent weeks. Hall did not get the ball enough but when he did he made some nice plays. He had five catches for 38 yards and 14 rushes for 52 yards.
