C.J. Mosley, a decade into his NFL career, had been around long enough to know what this past week was going to be like for the New York Jets he captains. The team came in at 5–9. The game was on Christmas Eve. MetLife Stadium was going to be half full. And with the Washington Commanders playing out the string on the other side, the chances of checked-out football ran high.
So last week the five-time All-Pro linebacker turned to scripture, finding a Bible verse to take to his teammates to illustrate what was in front of them.
There was no turning the clock back to Week 1 for a group of players who entered the season with Gotham-sized expectations. But what they could do, Mosley told them, was carry the mentality they had that September night—with the idea that those dreams could come back alive.
