It was so very, very Jet-like.
Maybe it’s for the best, especially for those who are hoping the Jets will “Tank for Trevor” Lawrence, the Clemson quarterback destined to go No. 1 in the 2021 draft. The Jets are still in the pole position for that pick now that they are 0-9 for the first time in franchise history. And If Lawrence is as good as scouts believe, that’s good.
Before the Jets collapse, though, there was hope that maybe the second half of this season wouldn’t be so awful. With Sam Darnold on the sidelines nursing his injured shoulder, the 35-year-old Flacco made his case for being somebody’s quarterback next season by going 18-of-25 for 265 yards and three touchdowns. It looked like that with the Jets three top receivers finally on the field together, their offense might actually click.
But Flacco ruined that by overthrowing rookie Denzel Mims and getting picked off on the Jets’ first play of the fourth quarter, and the Patriots really never looked back after that. The rest of it felt so familiar to Jets fans, especially against the hated Patriots.
Here are a few more takeaways from the latest in a long line of losses that hurt …
- The “Three Dudes,” as Adam Gase called them, sure did deliver. Breshad Perriman in particular was a very effective deep threat, especially after dropping what would’ve been a 17-yard touchdown on the opening drive. He added a 50-yard touchdown, drew a 40-plus yard pass interference penalty to set up another touchdown and finished with five catches for 101 yards. Jamison Crowder (2-26-1) did a terrific toe tap to keep his feet in on his 20-yard touchdown. And Mims was a solid 4-for-62, albeit with eight targets.
- Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains had been calling the plays for the Jets’ two worst offensive outputs of the season – both in the last two games. And it sure looked like he turned that around when his team entered the third quarter with 319 offensive yards – two yards shy of the team’s single season high. Then in the third quarter they picked up three yards. Still a season-high, though, of 322.
- The Jets’ defensive line figured to suffer with Quinnen Williams out, and it certainly wasn’t at its best. But they got a strong game from DT Foley Fatukasi, the third-year pro out of UConn. His best moment was a huge, 4th and 1 stop in the first quarter. He forced a fumble on the play, too.
- Linebacker Harvey Langi had an active and solid game at inside linebacker, which is important with Avery Williamson now in Pittsburgh. The fourth-year pro is 28 so he’s not the Jets' future, but he’ll have a big chance to prove he can be a valuable reserve down the stretch, especially with Blake Cashman still hurt. He finished with 10 tackles.
- All that success on offense, and the Jets still couldn’t find a way to get tight end Chris Herndon involved. He wasn’t even targeted once. Meanwhile, tight end Ryan Griffin at least had two catches for 28 yards.
- The Jets are going to have a difficult decision to make when kicker Sam Ficken’s groin heals. Sergio Castillo has been a terrific replacement. He is now six-of-seven after nailing field goals of 35 and 50 yards against the Patriots. He’s proven reliable and has a strong leg. They could try to stash him back on the practice squad when Ficken returns. Ficken, by the way, was 9-of-10 before he got hurt, so this is a good problem for the Jets to have.
- It’s hard to understand why the Jets continue to give so much work to 37-year-old running back Frank Gore. He had 12 carries (for 46 yards) compared to six (for 19 yards) for rookie La’Mical Perine. Gore is still very good, but Perine is not only more explosive, he’s the future for the Jets. Or he could be. There’s really only one way for them to find out. They have to give him the ball and see what he can do as the main guy for an entire game – every game the rest of the way.
- Rookie safety Ashtyn Davis got flagged for a weak roughing the passer call in the first half. He was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit, though replays showed he really hit Cam Newton in the shoulder. Of course, Newton is 6-5, so Davis probably should’ve come in lower. Regardless, it was the Jets’ 10th roughing the passer call on the season. No other team has more than four.
