The New York Jets' demoralizing 37-20 Thursday night loss to the Cleveland Browns drops Robert Saleh's club to 6-10 in the 2023 season and, with one game left, ensured Gang Green would finish with seven or fewer wins in each of their past eight seasons, the longest active streak in the NFL.
The Jets thought this season would be the one to end their string of fruitless campaigns. Instead, they stretched their playoff drought to 13 years. New York's season felt like it ended after three plays when Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury. And while there were some good moments -- beating the Bills in Week 1, handing Philly its first loss, Garrett Wilson's ridiculous catch, giving Taylor Swift a good game and throttling Houston -- it's been mostly a bad dream.
Thursday night was a continuation of the nightmare, as the once-dominant defense got destroyed by Joe Flacco in the first half, and the offense was dink-and-dunk drab.
"I'll just tell everybody to get their laughs out now because it's not going to be like that in the near future," running back Breece Hall said, via the New York Post. "We're going to be a lot better. I'm excited to see what we do."
It's an optimistic spin from Hall, one of the bright spots for Gang Green, who generated 84 rushing yards on 13 carries and 42 receiving yards with a touchdown on nine catches Thursday night. Hall, Wilson, Sauce Gardner, D.J Reed, Jermaine Johnson, Quinnen Williams and Alijah Vera-Tucker are all excellent building blocks. But Rodgers' injury showed that the warts in New York are deeper than just a quarterback.
The offensive line must be overhauled (again). The offense needs more weapons than Hall and Wilson. The defense needs depth on the back end. And for the love of all that is holy, a better backup QB plan is a must.
The coaching staff, assuming owner Woody Johnson doesn't change his mind about bringing back the brass, also needs a close examination of how it prepares its players. Far too often, the Jets have gotten the doors blown off out of the gate, and unforced errors, like penalties, have plagued Gang Green, as it did Thursday night.
"I've got to figure it out," Saleh said. "A lot of presnap stuff today, a lot of presnap stuff. I've got to figure it out."
The Jets have been trying to figure it out for more than a decade to no avail.
Cheers to 2024.
