It took only nine weeks for the Jets to hit rock bottom under Adam Gase.
New York was positioned well to get back on track with a win in Week 9 against the winless Dolphins. Instead, Gang Green underwhelmed yet again and dropped its seventh game of the season, 26-18.
The good news? New York is now firmly in the running for the No. 1 draft pick. The bad news? It can’t get any worse than where the Jets are at right now. With that being said, here are four takeaways from Sunday’s action.
The lowest of the low
Week 9 was supposed to be one of the few easy games the Jets had. Going up against the winless Dolphins, New York had a prime opportunity to break back into the win column and put the past two weeks in the rearview mirror.
Instead, the same old Jets took the field and failed to get the job done. New York sputtered in all facets of the game, as it has all season, and turned in yet another disappointing performance.
It doesn’t get any worse than losing to an 0-7, tanking team. The Jets have officially hit the lowest point of their season.
Sam Darnold has clearly regressed
It’s time to stop making excuses for Darnold’s poor play.
It has become abundantly clear that New York’s second-year signal-caller has regressed. For whatever reason, Darnold is not the same player that closed 2018 on a tear and gave the Jets reason to hope that he was the team’s answer at quarterback.
You can blame coaching, offensive line play and a lack of weapons all you want. The fact of the matter is, Darnold has taken a major step back when it comes to his pocket presence and decision making. Physical mistakes can be tolerated to an extent, but mental errors, like his push pass interception, are killers for quarterbacks. Darnold has made far too many of those this season.
Defensive struggles run rampant
The Dolphins offense has been far from potent. Miami has gone back and forth with Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, while its skill position players have left plenty to be desired with their lack of production.
Despite all of this, the Jets’ defense could not stop a nosebleed on Sunday. Fitzpatrick tossed three touchdown passes, two of which went to rookie Preston Williams. Mike Gesicki took advantage of having linebacker James Burgess covering him all game, catching six passes for 95 yards. The Dolphins didn’t do much on the ground, but they didn’t have to given their success through the air.
The Jets were supposed to take the next step on defense in 2019. Thanks to injuries and personnel who have simply not lived up to the billing, they’ve regressed at an alarming rate. Sunday’s game was the latest example of that.
A handful of bright spots
Normally, there aren’t many positives to take away from a loss like the one the Jets suffered against the Dolphins, but a handful of players did come to play against Miami.
Jamison Crowder caught eight passes for 83 yards, including Sam Darnold’s lone touchdown pass of the day. Vyncint Smith ripped off a 78-yard kick return to continue his relatively strong season, while Tarell Basham balled out on the defensive line, consistently getting into Miami’s backfield. Quinnen Williams also recorded his first career sack in the first quarter.
At this point, the Jets have to take victories however they can get them — even if they’re small ones.
