ORCHARD PARK — The Jets attended a coronation on Sunday.
They witnessed the Payments successful the AFC East for the second straight yr. Buffalo clinched the division crown with a 27-10 win over the Jets at Highmark Stadium. The Payments used a dominating protection and bought simply sufficient from Josh Allen late within the recreation to safe the win and a house playoff recreation.
The Jets ended Robert Saleh’s first season as head coach 4-13 and searching up from the underside of the division at not simply the Payments (11-6), but in addition the Patriots (10-7) and Dolphins (9-8). The Jets went 0-6 in opposition to these groups this season, the second straight yr the Jets didn't win a recreation within the division.
“Clearly, we’ve bought a protracted strategy to go if we wish to shut the hole with Buffalo and New England and Miami, for that matter,” Saleh stated.
In Sunday’s loss, the Jets gave a spirited effort on protection however statistically the worst efficiency on offense in franchise historical past. They managed 53 complete yards, the bottom complete each by a Jets crew. The earlier low was 72 in opposition to the Bengals on Dec. 12, 1976 at Shea Stadium. The Jets went 1-for-14 on third down and will mainly get nothing going all day in opposition to the No. 1 protection within the NFL.
“We’ve bought to shut this hole,” Saleh stated. “It’s going to take everyone within the locker room. It’s going to take all of the coaches. It’s going to take each resolution that we make from now till the beginning of subsequent season, whether or not it’s scheme, participant, it doesn’t matter. It’s about closing this hole within the division and attending to a spot the place we’re aggressive each single recreation.”
The Jets have been aggressive in some way on Sunday regardless of their anemic offense. After recognizing the Payments a 10-0 lead, the protection, which allowed essentially the most yards and factors of any crew this season, saved the Payments from scoring on eight of their subsequent 9 possessions. The Payments held a slim 13-10 lead within the fourth quarter earlier than Allen broke by with just a few huge performs and put the Payments ultimately zone twice.
“Actually, actually pumped up for the protection,” Saleh stated. “I believed they performed their absolute butts off.”
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson ended his rookie yr by going 7-for-20 for 87 yards and one landing. The Jets couldn't set up any type of working recreation, gaining simply 48 dashing yards and the Payments bought 9 sacks because the Jets’ offensive line had a protracted day. The sacks led to a lack of 82 yards, which is what gave the Jets such an extremely low complete of yardage.
Wilson threw a 40-yard landing to Keelan Cole. If you happen to take away that play, Wilson had simply 47 passing yards and the Jets managed simply 13 yards on 45 performs. On the optimistic aspect. Wilson made it by his fifth straight recreation with out an interception. Wilson threw 9 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this yr.
“I’ve bought to play higher,” Wilson stated. “I’ve bought to do my job. I had some actually irritating performs on my finish the place I used to be simply attempting to do an excessive amount of — three-and-out, three-and-out, and in my head I’m like, ‘Make a play,’ and I’ve simply bought to simply do my job.”
It's the second straight season the Jets have misplaced a minimum of 13 video games. It was the fourth time in franchise historical past the Jets misplaced a minimum of 13 video games and the primary time since 1995-96 that they misplaced 13 in back-to-back years.
The Jets enter the offseason inspired by what they noticed from their younger gamers this season. Jets normal supervisor Joe Douglas enters this offseason armed with loads of cap house and 9 draft picks — 4 within the first two rounds — to enhance the Jets shortly.
Saleh acknowledged the Jets didn't do adequate this yr, however he's excited in regards to the future.
“On the finish of the day, it’s about successful, interval,” Saleh stated. “Profitable 4 video games on this league is just not adequate. However, on the identical time, all of us knew that this was going to be a curler coaster of a season with the youth motion that we had. All of us knew there have been going to be some ups and downs. We beat two division winners. We had the Tremendous Bowl champs on the ropes. We had a one-score recreation [in the fourth quarter] with Buffalo after dropping (45-17) the first-time round.”
The Jets haven't made the playoffs in 11 seasons, the longest drought within the NFL. Their final significant December recreation got here six years in the past in the identical stadium they have been in Sunday. None of those gamers have been on that crew. The objective for the Jets in 2022 is to have playoff hopes alive in December.
Perhaps sometime, the coronation can be theirs.
“I don’t suppose it’s one thing that occurs in a single day,” defensive sort out Sheldon Rankins stated. “I don’t suppose it’s one thing that one particular person can spearhead. Every man has to return in with that mindset and it needs to be a collaborative effort to push ahead to the heights that we wish to attain. I really feel like we’ve bought the blokes to try this. I really feel like now we have the individuals in place to not solely domesticate what we have already got however to proceed to herald the precise items and proceed to push this factor in the precise path.”
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