The New York Jets ended their season in unsurprising fashion on Sunday, losing 26-6 to the New England Patriots in a game that never truly seemed to be in question. The Jets finish with a record of 5-11 for a second straight year, and enter a critical 2018 offseason possessing nearly $80 million in cap room and holding either the sixth or seventh pick in the NFL Draft. Here are the most notable takeaways from the team’s week 17 performance.
Week 17 New York Jets Takeaways
Bryce Petty Underwhelms Again
Sunday marked the third consecutive start for third-year quarterback Bryce Petty. And after Sunday’s performance, it will likely be Petty’s last start as well. There’s no reason to pan the Baylor product. He was only a fourth round draft pick, and appears to be a hard worker. He’s said all the right things to the media, and has acted the part of a franchise quarterback. But the reality is, at this point, unquestionable. Petty is simply not an NFL starter, much less one who is capable of carrying a franchise. He can’t make requisite, simple throws, leading to a completion percentage that consistently hovers around 50 percent. His pocket awareness too is problematic, and he can’t read the field well enough either. Petty is under contract for 2018, but he’s not the answer to the team’s quarterback woes moving forward.
Christian Hackenberg Sits
This was expected by many to be the game the bubble wrap finally came off. The game in which Christian Hackenberg, the Jets invisible second year quarterback, received regular season game action. Instead, it was four more quarters of Petty to finish out the season. If the decision to sit Hackenberg for a 32nd straight game wasn’t indicative enough, Todd Bowles gave some rather cryptic post-game comments. “We don’t know if he can or he can’t,” responded the head coach, when asked if Hackenberg was capable of playing in the NFL. Barring some miraculous turnaround in the offseason, it appears that Hackenberg’s career in New York will end in disappointment.
Juston Burris Struggles Mightily, Jamal Adams Shines
The Jets defense performed well in their finale, all things considered. Allowing 26 points and 330 yards to the league’s top offense is respectable, especially given the fact that they were on the field for the majority of the game. Two players were of particular note. Juston Burris ended a disappointing sophomore campaign with another game to forget. He was torched up and down the field by Tom Brady, particularly on the game’s opening two drives. He was flagged for two penalties on third downs, both of which were back-breaking for the defense as a unit. Jamal Adams, on the other hand, had one of his better games. He lined up with tight end Rob Gronkowski on nearly every snap, and held Gronk without out a catch. Granted, Gronkowski only played three quarters, and didn’t seem to be giving his full effort, but it was a commendable performance nonetheless. Regardless of the team’s offseason decisions, it’s reassuring to know that the Jets will have Adams as a building block player for the future.
