The New York Jets dismal season continues after a heartbreaking loss to their arch-rival the New England Patriots. Absolutely nothing is going right for the team and it shows. The ball is not bouncing their way, the plays are not working how they are drawn up, whatever could go wrong, is going wrong.
New York Jets Week Twelve Takeaways
Fitzpatrick Gets the Nod
After Bryce Petty debuted lasted week, the question facing head coach Todd Bowles was whether or not Petty would continue starting or would they go with the now healthy Ryan Fitzpatrick. With Fitzpatrick under center, the offense looked great from the opening drive. Ryan Fitzpatrick hit his favorite target, Brandon Marshall, twice for a short and medium gain leading to a Nick Folk field goal.
Throughout the rest of the game the offense looked good. Quincy Enunwa had a monster game reeling in five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Marshall also had a good game, catching six passes (including the two from the opening drive) and a touchdown as well. Marshall and Enunwa are becoming a dynamic duo, creating problems for opposing teams based on their sheer size and strength that is rare for receivers to have.
Offensively, the Jets were playing well, especially Fitzpatrick. He finished 22/32 completions for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not in a giving mood. On the last drive of the game for the Jets, Fitzpatrick was in the shotgun formation when he was sacked by defensive end Chris Long, who caused the fumble that was recovered by another defensive end Trey Flowers. After that, all Tom Brady had to do was sit on the ball and thats all she wrote.
Jets Big Four Came to Play
The New York Jets defense had one of their best showings from their front four of the season. Throughout the first half of the game they had Brady on the turf. No sacks were recorded, but they knocked him down and were certainly in his head. Two players that really stood out was Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson. Both of these defensive linemen were in the backfield consistently, with Williams chasing down Brady for a good hit at one point. The way the front four played today was the way they came into the season expected to play. If they played at this high a level every week, then the team’s record might be very different. All of that aside, it was nice to see what they were capable of and gives the fans hope for next season.
New York Jets Season Over?
This is the question being thrown around the past few weeks, and its one that has quite a obvious answer i think. Yes, the New York Jets season is over and done with. There is no chance to make the playoffs, and aside from this week, there didn’t even seem to be a heartbeat to this team. When the season started fans were eager to see what this new look team could do, and it seems from the opening drive of the season that something was off.
One thing the Jets do with consistency is give the New England Patriots a run for their money. Now, with one more meeting coming up with the arch-rivals, that game will be about pride, and avoiding the season sweep. The season is lost, but I saw a team today that played with a fire, a fight, that was not seen throughout the season. Perhaps this is the turning point in the locker room that they needed. If they can find a way to carry this to the end of the season, then they can at least end the season on a high note and walk away with pride. At this point, pride is all they have left.
