GREEN BLEW IT? ‘NO S--T!’
Todd’s bumbling Gang loses another late lead
The Jets are out of luck — or as Todd Bowles might say, s--t out of the luck.
In the latest crushing chapter of a season defined by missed opportunities and late-game collapses, the Jets offered their worst blunder to date Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Bowles’ squad was once again unable to get out of its own way, wilting down the stretch in a mistake-ridden final 20 minutes that sealed a 35-27 loss to the Panthers and finally eliminated all playoff aspirations.
When asked this past week if the Jets (4-7) needed to win out to make the postseason, Bowles said, “That’s probably a no s--t statement.” His players then threw away a winnable game two days later in front of their home fans. They went toe-totoe with one of the NFL’s elite teams for three quarters, but in familiar fashion, their killer instinct was nowhere to be found.
“We now know that the only team that can really beat us is ourselves,” linebacker Darron Lee said in a somber and frustrated Jets locker room after the game. “I’m fully confident that nobody in this league can genuinely, genuinely beat us when we execute. But that’s the thing: We got to execute. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot “It’s all on us. It really is.” This time, the Jets’ collapse began late in the third quarter and unfolded from there, with error after error coming in rapid succession, a rolling boulder of ineptitude that proved impossible to overcome. With the Jets ahead 17-12 late in the period, Jordan Jenkins jumped offside on a 4thand-2, gifting Cam Newton and the Panthers (8-3) a first down. After a blown coverage that resulted in a 26-yard completion to Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Stewart walked into the end zone to give Carolina the lead.
Next, the Jets drove 74 yards but failed to score on three tries from one yard out. Offensive coordinator John Morton called three pass plays. Austin Seferian-Jenkins appeared to score a touchdown on a second-down fade route, but the call on the field was overturned because the tight end briefly lost possession of the ball. They settled for a field goal.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Jets took over at their own 46yard line. But the great field position was squandered when Josh McCown, the team’s 38-year-old starting quarterback, attempted to pass with Panthers defensive lineman Wes Horton draped all over him. McCown fumbled. Linebacker Luke Kuechly picked up the loose ball and returned it 34 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
“I was just trying to throw the ball away,” said McCown, who passed for 307 yards and three touchdowns, including two bombs to Robby Anderson. “Obviously, (in) hindsight, I wish I would’ve tucked it and ate it.”
The Jets went three-and-out on their ensuing series. They punted. Long snapper Thomas Hennessy was in position to make a tackle in coverage, but returner Kaelin Clay spun around the Don Bosco alum before sprinting 60 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.
Later, as the two-minute warning approached, the Jets had a chance to get the ball back down five points. On 3rd-and-11, though, defensive lineman Mike Pennel committed a blatant roughing the passer that virtually ended the game.
“Self-inflicted wounds,” Bowles said.
A flummoxed group was left searching for answers.
“It’s hard to deal with,” Leonard Williams said. “It really just comes down to, are we going to be the ones that make those big plays in the fourth quarter, or are we going to let them be the ones?”
According to Jermaine Kearse, who caught seven passes for 105 yards, the Jets are missing “grit.” “It’s something that you’re going to find within yourself,”
the former
Seahawk said. “You could kind of lead people to it, but at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to that individual to find it. …And if you can’t find a way, you’ve got to find a way to find a way.” The lost chances will stick with these Jets: first a blown 14-point lead against the Pats; later, blown fourth-quarter leads against the Dolphins, Falcons, and now the Panthers. “It makes it much more frustrating,” cornerback Morris Claiborne said. “People had us not (doing) anything this year, and you go up with the defending Super Bowl champs and those type of things . ... You don’t blink. You don’t flinch. And you lose those games like that, by an inch. It hurts. It hurts. But you have to keep fighting.”