One play can sum up the 2024 New York Jets. It’s Mike Williams falling down.
The Jets, of their first recreation with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich changing fired Robert Saleh, had a shot to beat the Buffalo Payments regardless of quite a few errors together with a surprising quantity of penalties and a few big missed subject objectives. Aaron Rodgers discovered Williams downfield for what appeared like an enormous acquire that will have put the Jets contained in the crimson zone. However as Williams began to come back again to the ball, he fell down. That allowed Payments cornerback Taron Johnson to dive in entrance of Williams and get a game-clinching interception.
That’s the Jets this season. A possibility for one thing particular was there, and so they tripped throughout themselves attending to it. The Payments ran out the clock after that interception and gained 23-20.
The Jets knew the stakes coming into the sport. In the event that they gained they might be 3-3 and in first place of the AFC East. A loss and so they’d be two video games behind the Payments, with a disappointing 2-4 document. Even in mid-October it felt like a must-win recreation for the Jets, particularly after the teaching change shook up the group.
There aren’t any extra teaching adjustments coming. The Jets misplaced, and now they’ve an enormous gap to dig out of. It doesn’t assist that they will’t get out of their very own method.
Jets get an enormous Hail Mary
The Jets had been removed from excellent however they had been shifting the ball, largely via large performs by their stars. Breece Corridor got here out of his stoop and appeared just like the participant we had seen his first two seasons. Garrett Wilson caught a pleasant landing behind the top zone and had a productive first half. The Jets didn’t simply fireplace Saleh. They modified play-callers from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing, and the distinction was notable.
The Jets’ greatest play of the primary half was luck, although it’s getting to some extent wherein Rodgers Hail Marys seem to be a ability. On the ultimate play of the primary half Rodgers wound up and threw it to the top zone, and Allen Lazard got here down with a 52-yard landing. That was his fourth profession Hail Mary, and his first with the Jets. Perhaps he is aware of what he’s doing on these performs.
That stored the Jets within the recreation regardless of an enormous half from Josh Allen. He had a quarterback sneak for a landing, two different passing touchdowns and was making large performs in all places on the sector. He scrambled to his proper and fired a deep cross to operating again Ray Davis for a surprising 42-yard acquire.
The Payments had the perfect participant on the sector. However the Jets have loads of expertise too, and so they had been determined. They only couldn’t cease making important errors.
Jets maintain making errors
The Jets have a brand new coach however nonetheless made unhealthy errors. There was a key sequence within the third quarter when a holding penalty introduced again a Braelon Allen landing, Wilson had a landing in his arms however was crushed ultimately zone and dropped it, after which on fourth down Zuerlein bounced a 32-yard field-goal try off the crossbar. Then within the fourth quarter Zuerlein, who missed a last-minute subject aim that might have overwhelmed the Denver Broncos in Week 4, had one other try go off the crossbar from 43 yards out. The sport was tied 20-20 however the Jets had blown alternatives to get extra factors.
The Jets have been off all season when it comes to execution. A key penalty on both aspect of the ball, being a bit off on a timing route, missed subject objectives in key spots, it has all added up for the Jets and it didn’t change Monday evening simply because they’d a brand new coach.
The Payments had their share of errors too. Tyler Bass missed an additional level and a subject aim. Buffalo’s offense stalled a bit within the second half. But Buffalo nonetheless drove down and received a go-ahead subject aim with 3:43 to go. And Jets defensive sort out Javon Kinlaw, who received referred to as for a questionable roughing the passer penalty on that drive, received a 15-yard penalty for improper language towards an official after the sector aim. Just like the Jets wanted extra unforced errors.
New York had a shot within the ultimate minutes, and the drive was stored alive by a controversial replay reversal that turned an obvious Rodgers fumble into an incomplete cross, and a defensive cross interference name. However an enormous holding name introduced again a Corridor first down. Then Rodgers’ deep cross to Williams was picked off after Williams misplaced his footing.
Allen picked up a primary down on a third-down run and the Payments killed the clock after that.
You gained’t usually discover a soccer group make that many errors in a good recreation. Saleh took the autumn for the Jets’ disappointing begin. However the outcomes didn’t change.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER36 updates