It was unsettling, frustrating. The feel of the Jets' locker room after the season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens, the way players reacted to the loss, how Robert Saleh spoke — it was like this team was OK with the result.
No, no one admitted they viewed competing with the Ravens as a moral victory, but that was the impression. They didn’t seem angry. They didn’t seem annoyed. It was like they expected to lose, so when they lost, it really didn’t resonate. It was a losers mentality.
What a difference a few months make.
You want a sign the Jets are for real? You want to believe this team is headed in the right direction? You want proof the baby Jets have matured before your very eyes?
Look at how this team reacted to Sunday’s 27-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Moral victories aren’t enough for the Jets anymore.
And because of that, this turnaround is just about complete.
If ever there was a time to puff out your chest after a loss it was this weekend. The Vikings hosted the Jets as a 9-2 powerhouse considered by many to be among the two best teams in the NFC, and one of the five best in the entire league. Their defense wasn’t without its issues, but still good. Their offense was led by Kirk Cousins, but there was no underselling the dominance of their playmakers outside (Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen).
The Jets struggled in the first half, then wildly outplayed Minnesota in the third and fourth quarters. If it wasn’t for their ineptitude in the red zone (1-of-6, 17 percent), they win running away. Last year, even earlier this season, that would have been enough.
But the Jets were not OK with this. They were annoyed. They were proud of how they fought back after falling behind, 20-3, but everyone realized they let a game they should have won slip away, and that didn’t sit right with anyone.
Not players. Not coaches. Not upper management. Not ownership.
Good.
