ORCHARD PARK — The Bills dismantled the Jets 40-14 on Sunday to drop the Jets to a dismal 4-12. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. It was stunning to watch how poorly Aaron Rodgers played on Sunday. Look, the Jets’ problems run much, much deeper than just Rodgers but he is certainly one of them. The Jets made the trade for Rodgers in April 2023 with the expectation that he could still be an elite quarterback.
Here is what elite quarterbacks do: They hide your other problems. The Bills have one in Josh Allen. Do the Bills have a perfect team? Far from it. But Allen is so good that he makes up for other deficiencies. You see the same thing with Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, who is currently trying to drag the Bengals to the playoffs himself.
Rodgers is now just an average quarterback. There are days like in Miami or in the second half in Jacksonville where he plays well and you can fool yourself into thinking he still has some of that magic he had in Green Bay.
But then he has days like Sunday where he looks below average and you are reminded that he is 41 and consistently dealing with one ailment or another that hinders him.
Put Rodgers on a good team that plays in good weather conditions consistently like the Vikings or Lions and I still think he could have a good season. But the Jets play their games outdoors and, as stated in the beginning, the problems with this team run deeper than just quarterback.
It is just shocking to watch Rodgers play as poorly as he did Sunday.
2. The Jets have a problem on their hands with their young stars Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner. Both players are beyond frustrated with the way things are going with the team. That has been apparent with Wilson for a while and Gardner showed his frustration after Sunday’s loss.
The losing is wearing on both players. They have now lost 32 games in three seasons. Wilson went to Ohio State where it might take 10 years to lose 32 games. Gardner was part of a turnaround at Cincinnati where they became a top team.
It is a tough scenario right now because the Jets have a leadership void. I’m not sure who is supposed to make them feel better. The current coaching staff has one more week and they are going to get shown the door. It will take several weeks before the Jets have a new general manager and coach in place. That just leaves them to stew about the direction of the team right now.
Whoever comes in as the new GM and coach needs to love these two up shortly after they get hired. These two should be building blocks for the Jets.
The goal should be to have them spend their careers as Jets, something this franchise has failed to do with so many of its stars through the years. Both players probably will be seeking contract extensions.
The new GM should think about extending both. It would be a sign that the franchise recognizes that these two players can be part of the solution here and you’d be amazed how money might make their unhappiness disappear.
Right now, it feels very volatile with Wilson and Gardner. The Jets need to fix that this offseason.
3. As I was driving into the Jets’ training center in Florham Park on Friday, I was looking at the snow on the fields and thinking about how long ago training camp feels. There was so much optimism about this team and it did not feel silly. It truly felt like this team had the roster to break the playoff drought.
Now, they are 4-12 and incapable of doing anything well. With another loss, this Jets team will join a select group of the worst teams in franchise history.
There have only been four Jets teams that have lost 13 games – 1995 (3-13), 1996 (1-15), 2020 (2-14) and 2021 (4-13). That is not a group you want to be associated with. The first two are the Rich Kotite years. The last two were when Adam Gase’s team cratered and Robert Saleh had a very young team in his first season as coach.
This is the most disappointing Jets team I have covered in terms of where expectations were and where they finished, particularly when you factor in they have not had that many major injuries. The 1999 and 2023 seasons were huge disappointments but they lost their quarterbacks in Week 1. This one is just bad all around.
4. When retracing what went wrong with the 2024 Jets, don’t overlook this offseason and what they did on the defensive line. Losing Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers continues to haunt this team.
The Jets pass rush could not get to Josh Allen on Sunday, allowing him to extend plays and putting pressure on the defensive backs. The Jets secondary has looked worse than they’ve played because of the lack of a pass rush. Every opposing quarterback has all day to throw and they are picking the Jets apart.
Haason Reddick is one of the worst acquisitions in team history. The guy has had zero impact. The mistakes of March and April are haunting the Jets in November and December.
Revealing stat
Aaron Rodgers had a QBR of 1.2, the lowest of the season for any quarterback in the NFL, per ESPN. It was also the lowest of his career.
Surprising snap count
Micheal Clemons played 37 snaps (53 percent). My question is: why? Clemons has been terrible this season and he got another personal foul in this game. It’s time to put him on the bench.
Game ball
There are not many options here. Punter Thomas Morstead continues to do his job. His punt that was downed at the 1 in the third quarter had a chance to flip the momentum of the game. The Jets got the ball back on the 45 but Rodgers threw an interception and the Bills then scored. Don’t blame Morstead.
