EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Shortly before midnight local time, Woody Johnson climbed into the passenger row of a golf cart that would transport the New York Jets brass from the locker room to their vehicle entrance at MetLife Stadium.
Six days had passed since Johnson exercised his control as team owner to fire head coach Robert Saleh.
Even fewer days had passed since the Jets relieved offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of play-calling duties, a responsibility that on Monday against the Buffalo Bills fell to passing game coordinator Todd Downing.
Today, as Johnson and Co. roamed the tunnels at MetLife Stadium, his assertion that this Jets team is the most talented he’s had in 25 years seemed even more validated. So too are concerns about whether this talent will be able to capitalize on its potential.
Because even though the Jets have unlocked their running game and strengthened their explosive passing game, the first game of interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich’s tenure will count in the same column as Saleh’s last two: a loss.
The Bills improved to 4-2 atop the AFC East with a 23-20 victory, while the Jets fell to 2-4 and third in the division.
Their season was not over. But their chances of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff prediction model, hovered at 40 percent. Their chance of winning the division: 10%.
A close Monday night game got away from them, taking with it some of their playoff viability.
“It was a golden opportunity,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, after a late interception doomed the Jets’ last chance to overcome a deficit that all night had seemed manageable. “Some games you win in the NFL and some games you give away.
“It was a gift.”
The Jets are probably wondering: How much more than a Week 6 game was offered?
How soon and by what means can they achieve this elusive victory?
A three-game losing streak loomed over the heads of a silent locker room as players began heading to the showers. Possible murmurs took over and the spirits, slowly, then.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner reflected on Ulbrich’s postgame message to his locker room.
“We’ve dug ourselves into a hole and it’s going to be even better,” Gardner said. “The story will be incredible when we come out of this.”
Jets offense started well, but couldn’t finish
The Jets offense got off to a smoother start Monday than it has this season.
After averaging 142.2 yards per game in the first half over five weeks, the Jets reached 225 in two quarters. After averaging 9.7 first-half points in Saleh’s five games, this Jets team scored 17 before halftime in a group of Bills above .500.
Rodgers and Wilson seemed in a better rhythm than in previous weeks, with running back Breece Hall also finding lanes more easily. The offensive momentum peaked when Rodgers deployed a Hail Mary late in the first half, which traveled 61.4 air yards…and somehow landed in the hands of ‘Allen Lazard in the end zone.
Rodgers completed 23 of 35 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on the night.
“When he throws the ball deep, you don’t know what can happen,” Hall said after a 113-yard, 6.3-yard-per-carry night. “It was a crazy play. But it doesn’t really matter if you lose the game.
The recipe for loss was relatively easy to identify, although it was less easy to solve.
The Jets marched to the red zone four times, but only scored a touchdown once. Kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two of the four field goal attempts they settled for, with Zuerlein achieving the statistically improbable feat of hitting the left post (technically two, one from each end zone) on consecutive attempts.
Jets K Greg Zuerlein after 2 of 4 FGs hit vertically: “These guys and this locker room deserve to win. And they deserve to win another game this season.
“I’m not keeping up my end of the bargain.” pic.twitter.com/4TgcpkRKM7
– Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 15, 2024
And while the Jets’ defense held the Bills to just three points in the second half, the 20 they allowed in the first half were too much for their improved, but still unable to finish, offense to overcome.
The Bills totaled 149 yards, including 110 in the first half. That doesn’t include the yards the Jets allowed when they failed to contain quarterback Josh Allen, whose breakouts propelled throws like a 42-yard heave to rookie Ray Davis who appeared to be taunting physicality and a 12-yard touchdown to Dawson Knox.
Ultimately, the Jets had plenty of opportunities to rally against a Bills team that faltered in the second half. Instead, they failed because of dropped passes, miscommunication between Rodgers and his targets and a series of penalties so disruptive that Bills and Jets fans united in booing the officials.
The Jets outgained the Bills 393 yards to 353, but couldn’t finish as often as they wanted.
“We were obviously very united with the craziness that happened this week and obviously the caller change,” Lazard said. “We really came together as a team and especially on offense…we took it personally.
“It was us, especially as an offense, being shortchanged and unable to produce when we needed to, that was the problem. And it continued this evening.
Aaron Rodgers isn’t happy with Jets’ mistakes – or officiating
Coaches and players preached responsibility, discipline and looking in the mirror.
Their optimism about getting out of the hole they dug varied from locker to locker, but ultimately each of them was able to identify areas for improvement.
Rodgers led the calls, noting that on his last intercepted throw, his accuracy wasn’t the problem. He expected Lazard to be at the red line and Mike Williams to be heading to the red line. He threw a no-look pass where Williams intended, and the receiver executed an in-breaker instead.
The quarterback left no questions as to whether his receiver followed the intended route.
Rodgers felt this reflected why the Jets have lost three straight games by one score.
“You can literally go back to every one of those games and look at little details,” Rodgers said. “I also have my own criticisms to share. But there’s a lot of opportunity if we all do the little things, do the details.
Also receiving criticism from Rodgers: civil servants.
The Bills accepted 11 penalties for 94 yards; the Jets: 11 for 110. Were the flags excessive?
“Yeah, it seemed a little ridiculous,” the quarterback said. “Some of them looked really bad, notably the brutalize the passerby with me. This does not brutalize the passer. Might as well play Sarcastaball if we should call these things. And I was thinking about the one [Javon] Kinlaw didn’t rough up the passer either.
“We had chances. We had a walk-in touchdown on Braelon [Allen] and we got a ghost call. I had a chance with G [Garrett Wilson] twice. I thought we had our chances.
The Jets’ next chance will come in prime time, as they travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers to play Sunday Night Football for a short week.
Ulbrich expressed confidence in his team’s ability to rally as well as his kicker’s ability to rebound after six missed points.
Wilson, who caught eight of 10 passes for a season-high 107 yards and a touchdown, described the urgency after a “demoralizing” night.
“It’s never been higher,” Wilson said. “We can’t think about it too much, but the reality is… we don’t have time.
“We dug ourselves into this hole. And there’s not a lot of wiggle room. »
