On the one hand, the Jets made it all the way to Week 17 with hopes for the playoffs. On the other hand, a better offense and the Jets could have cruised into the playoffs.
Buy Jets TicketsThat’s been the story over the past few weeks and was magnified in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. The offense, including quarterback Mike White, crumbled in the spotlight of what amounted to a playoff game for the Jets and, as a result, the Jets lost 23-6 and saw their playoff hopes officially fade away with the loss. It is now 12 seasons without a postseason appearance for the Jets, the longest such streak in the NFL.
The Jets recorded their second straight game without a touchdown after their 19-3 loss in Week 16 to the Jaguars. They have scored nine total points and had under 300 yards of offense each across their last two games.
White went 23/46 for 240 yards and two interceptions with a fumble lost as the Jets lost their fifth straight after sitting with a 7-4 record. There’s no other way to say it: White was not good and today proved the Jets’ 2023 quarterback is not on this roster, no matter how much the Jets want to try and sell folks on the idea of not giving up on Zach Wilson.
One question from this game is why did the Jets abandon the run in the second half? They were having success in the first half and then just decided not to do anything on the ground. The Jets had 76 yards on 13 carries in the first half. They ended up with 75 yards on 17 carries.
The Jets wound up being a team that was severely held back by their offense. Their defense did all they could all season to give the Jets a chance and the offense couldn’t get the job done. Week 17 was no different. The defense tightened up after two early scores from Geno Smith, holding the Seahawks to just six points in the second half.
But these were the results of the Jets’ second-half possessions:
- Missed field goal
- Punt
- Punt
- Punt
- Interception
- Downs
- End of Game
Those drives totaled 98 yards, including three three-and-outs. That’s not going to get it done in what was effectively a playoff game for the Jets.
Robert Saleh said a few weeks ago that the playoffs were “farfetched”. Now, they’re just a pipe dream for the 2022 season. The Jets started 5-2 and were 6-3 and even 7-4 at one point. They now sit at 7-9 and are assured of their 7th straight losing season.
The Jets will finish the season next week against the Dolphins and can play spoiler to Miami’s playoff hopes. Other than that, it becomes full-speed ahead for 2023 for the Jets with some major questions to be answered.
