The Jets got crushed 42-10 by the Patriots on Sunday in their home finale, falling to 3-13 this season. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. Coaches sometimes talk about winning the “middle eight.” This is the middle eight minutes of the game — the last four minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third quarter. It is something some coaches emphasize as a critical juncture of the game.
Well, the Jets are about as bad as can be at the middle eight. They have been outscored 95-12 during that time. Those points are four Nick Folk field goals. They have not scored one touchdown in that time. They have been especially atrocious at the end of the first half, when they have given up most of those points.
That was on display again on Sunday as Aaron Glenn inexplicably used two timeouts in the final two minutes, allowing the Patriots to score their fifth touchdown of the half. Glenn should have just let the clock run and hoped the Patriots would not feel any urgency to push a 28-3 lead to 35-3. Instead, he used the timeouts and irritated Mike Vrabel, who then pushed it to the end zone and even used a timeout of his own to force the Jets to run one more play in the half.
