A common refrain from long-suffering New York Jets fans is that Jets actually stands for Just End This Season. That attitude was on full display as the team traveled to Orchard Park, New York for a 40-14 beatdown at the hands of the rival Bills as it appeared that everyone in the organization was more focused on planning their offseason golf outings than playing sound football.
Mercifully, there’s just one more game for the Green and White faithful to endure before we can all begin fantasizing about how the next regime can fix the long-broken franchise.
The Jets’ backup tackles were thrust into action and struggled mightily
One of the lone bright spots on an otherwise laughably bad football team had been the play of rookie left tackle Olu Fashanu. While he showed promise since taking over for the disappointing Tyron Smith, Fashanu suffered a foot injury in Week 16’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, which while not overly severe, ended his season prematurely.
Starting right tackle Morgan Moses left Sunday’s game in the first half with a knee injury forcing backup Carter Warren into action, though Moses ultimately did return later in the game. With Max Mitchell starting in Fashanu’s stead and Warren seeing significant action the pass protection regularly broke down and derailed any semblance of offensive rhythm the Jets hoped to develop.
Add swing tackle to the long list of Jets’ needs this offseason as neither Mitchell nor Warren have distinguished themselves after being taken in the fourth round in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Aaron Rodgers’ worst performance of the season ends with him being benched
Rodgers entered the matchup on the hunt for his 500th career touchdown pass. His day was ended prematurely as he was benched at the end of the third quarter and stuck on 499 TDs. On the day Rodgers was sacked 4 times and put up just 112 yards through the air on 12/18 passing while also throwing two picks.
It was not the performance he needed as his future with the team is murky at best. To make matters worse, backup Tyrod Taylor came in and went 11/14 while tossing two garbage-time touchdowns. The game was already out of hand at that point, but Taylor’s performance further sows doubt that the Jets should retain Rodgers in 2025. Perhaps Taylor, who is under contract next season, can serve as the bridge next year as the Jets figure out their future.
Garrett Wilson eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau
Wilson trotted into the history books after his 7-catch, 66-yard performance that also included a touchdown on Sunday. He became the first Jets receiver in history to go over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, and the fifth in league history to accomplish such a feat, joining an elite club that also includes Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Michael Thomas, and Odell Beckham Jr.
Despite some negative headlines surrounding his feelings on target distribution, Wilson has continued to perform regardless of the mess under center and sits at 97 receptions for 1,053 yards and 7 touchdowns on the season. With a game to go, he has a very good shot at crossing the 100-catch mark for the first time in his career.
The Jets would be wise to pull out all the stops to repair their relationship with the young star this offseason, as rumors of an impending trade demand have circulated. For a passionate player like Wilson, winning cures all ills, and the Jets will have to show him they are taking concrete steps to put a winning product on the field. That starts with picking the right leadership in the front office and on the sidelines at the conclusion of the season.
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Next up for New York
The Jets’ season will conclude on Sunday, January 5th, with a matchup against another division rival, the Miami Dolphins. Once billed as a key matchup that might decide the division, the Jets are focused on offseason beach vacations while the 8-8 Dolphins are technically still alive in the playoff chase, though they need a lot of help.
One thing to note is that in these teams’ previous matchup back in Week 14, a 32-26 overtime loss for the Jets, Aaron Rodgers posted his best performance of the season throwing for 339 yards. Maybe this is the game he finally breaks through with his 500th touchdown pass. Outside of that, there aren’t many storylines of note for Gang Green.
