The New York Jets lay an egg in Denver and end their dim playoff hopes. Here’s what happened or more so what didn’t happen.
- New York Jets 0 (5-8)
- Denver Broncos 23 (4-9)
- NFL Week 14, Final, Box Score
- Sports Authority Field at Mile High; Denver, CO
If you could telegraph a perfect first half on paper, the New York Jets did the exact opposite Sunday in Denver. They finished with negative yards in the first quarter and only 40 yards after the first two quarters of play.
This has been a theme all season for the Jets on the road this season. They’ve simply come out flat and that’s unacceptable against a team that’s on an eight-game losing streak.
Something else that bothers me and it’s more than a Todd Bowles problem, it’s a Jets problem—Why kneel at the end of halves?
The Jets were down 13-0 with 35 seconds on the clock and three timeouts in their holster. What do the Jets do? Kneel it out, and say ‘oh, we’ll just reassess at the half and come out with great effort.’ That’s one of the most arrogant things I’ve ever seen.
Do you see the New England Patriots ever doing that? No, because you can’t take points for granted. Even if the Jets had just drove down the field and kicked a field goal. that would’ve given them momentum.
Either the Jets think they’re so bad they’re unable to perform a fundamental basic of football (the two-minute drill) which is embarrassing. Or they don’t think they need the points. Either way, kneeling is idiotic.
Through the early portions of the second half, the Jets continued their anemic play going down 20-0. Usually, this is the part of the program where I insert exciting Jets highlights, but those were non-existent throughout the day.
Something that seemed inevitable before the season started was Josh McCown‘s 38-year old body collapsing like a cheap tent. Although it took a lot longer than people were anticipating (14 weeks into the season), it still happened nonetheless.
Which meant all the lifeless zombie Bryce Petty fans rose from the grave to proclaim him as the next franchise quarterback. Give me a break already, when is enough enough? This guy might be a quality backup—if that.
His stats: 2-of-9 for 14 yards with a QBR of 39. The team’s final offensive numbers: 100 yards, 2.1 yards per play, 41 yards passing and two turnovers. They also lost the time of possession battle—and any hope of sneaking into the playoffs.
