new york jets trevor lawrence
(Photo by Dannie Walls/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The New York Jets beat a potential playoff team for the second consecutive week and officially end the dream of drafting Trevor Lawrence.

The New York Jets are rolling now. Last week’s upset of the Los Angeles Rams was an absolute shock. This week’s win over the shorthanded Cleveland Browns was not as jarring for fans, but it was still surprising. These wins, and the ineptitude of the Jacksonville Jaguars ensures that the Jets will not be taking Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Labeled as a “can’t-miss” guy, Lawrence is the consensus first overall pick. With the Jaguars at 1-14 and in possession of the tiebreaker, the dream of drafting Lawrence is dead. With that said, there are still some positives to take away from where the Jets find themselves.

Impressive Win Over Cleveland

The Browns were playing through a boatload of adversity in this game. Their entire receiving corps was placed on the COVID/reserve list. They were forced to promote practice squad players for this one and it showed in the gameplan. Baker Mayfield was looking for his tight ends and running backs on the majority of his passes.

The unfamiliarity with his receivers showed. Mayfield was out of whack all game and the Jets defense took advantage of this, racking up four sacks, seven quarterback hits, and forcing three fumbles.

The offense was far from perfect, but they made enough plays to win. Jamison Crowder led the way with a passing and receiving touchdown.

While the Jets were beating up on the Browns, the Bears were blowing the doors off the Jaguars. Chicago cruised to a 41-17 win as Jacksonville fans in the stands cheered.

Simply put, the Jets are light years ahead of the Jaguars right now. The last two weeks have shown that New York’s roster is not as bad as previously thought.

Even without Quinnen Williams on Sunday, the defensive line was elite. Team MVP Marcus Maye is patrolling the secondary and should be able to secure a nice contract in the offseason. Mekhi Becton could be the best left tackle in football within the next two or three years. Heck, even the receiving corps is solid when fully healthy.

The Jets have a lot of holes to fill, but this is not an 0-16 roster. The Jaguars, on the other hand, are awful.

Jets Pivot from Trevor Lawrence to QB2

Now that the Jets are officially out of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes, it’s time to pivot to QB2. Of course, there is the argument that the Jets should stick with Sam Darnold, but it’s tough to see the Jets going that direction.

In a quarterback-rich draft, the Jets have their pick of everyone not named Trevor Lawrence. With a new coach coming in and general manager Joe Douglas not being the guy to draft Darnold, it’s likely that the Jets will go with QB2.

It’s going to come down to BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Wilson can make any throw with his gigantic arm while Fields is the uber-accurate passer. There are upsides to both guys.

And no matter what happens in Week 17 against the New England Patriots, Adam Gase should not be coaching Fields or Wilson next year. That should not even be a question at this point.

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Danny Small
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

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