Offseason changes on tap prior to finale
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — If ever there was a year ripe for change at the top of AFC East it was this one.
And heading into the final week of the regular season, a new standard-bearer has emerged, with the Buffalo Bills having claimed the division crown and the Miami Dolphins on the cusp of making the playoffs as well.
Left out of the party are the New York Jets (2-13), who successfully avoided a winless season but are staring up from the bottom of the division for the fourth time in five seasons.
And they have some unexpected company in the New England Patriots (6-9), whose 11-season reign atop the division came to an end following the departure of Tom Brady to Tampa Bay for this season.
“I’ve been spoiled being a part of this organization — you have expectations, and those expectations center around winning,” said Patriots special teams captain Matt Slater, who was drafted in 2008 and is the longest-tenured player on the roster.
“We just haven’t done that this year. So it’s been frustrating in a lot of ways.”
It has created a matchup with the Jets on Sunday that is not so much a season finale as a prologue for what promises to be an offseason of upheaval for both teams.
This will almost certainly be the final game for Jets coach Adam Gase, who after presiding over a franchise-worst 0-13 start, is likely to be fired. He is 9-22 in two seasons in New York.
The Patriots are facing another offseason in which they’ll have to figure out their starter at quarterback with Cam Newton’s one-year deal expiring. It’s unlikely he will return after a dismal 2020 that has seen him throw 10 interceptions to just five touchdowns.
The game could also mark the Jets finale for quarterback Sam Darnold, whose future with the team is uncertain. With New York securing the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, it could opt to take a quarterback.
“Whether it matters for the playoffs is not really relevant to us because, and I’ve said this a lot this year, we’re playing for our jobs,” Darnold said.
If this is the final game for Gase, one of the reasons will be how mightily New York’s offense has struggled under him. The Jets are on track to finish last in the NFL in total offense for the second straight year, which hasn’t previously happened in franchise history. With that ineptitude and Darnold not making big strides in his third season, Gase knows that’s on him.
“Going down the schedule, you think back like, ‘OK, this is why this went the way it did,’ ” Gase said. “It’s kind of irrelevant when you get to this late in the season.”
Stidham time? One of the biggest questions in New England since the Patriots were eliminated from postseason contention was whether coach Bill Belichick would use the final two games to give backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham some extra playing time.
Newton started last week against Buffalo, but after the Patriots fell behind he was pulled in favor Stidham. Belichick has been mum about his plans, but Stidham “would absolutely love to have that opportunity, but that’s not in my control.”