A GANG FULL OF HOPE
We all know how the last game of the last regular season ended for the Jets, how they lost to Rex Ryan and the Bills in Buffalo, even with the playoffs on the line, after too many years out of the playoffs under Rex. It was as big a regular season loss as the Jets have ever had, and you know that is saying something. Under a classy new regime, Ryan Fitzpatrick turned back into the quarterback who had played for every team except the Canton Bulldogs. And the Jets were out of the playoffs, again. Same song, different singers in Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles. Same old Jets when it was all on the line against the former coach of the team.
Then in the first game that counted since Buffalo on the first Sunday of January, Nick Folk couldn’t kick and Darrelle Revis couldn’t cover – it’s becoming a bit of a problem – and the Jets found a way to lose a game at home against the Bengals that they should have won.
It is why, even four days after that, the Jets needed to win a game, against Rex, against the Bills, in Buffalo, and not just because the Bills were wearing those hideous red uniforms. The Jets, starting out this year with six straight games against teams .500 or better in 2015, needed to make sure they didn’t fall into an 0-2 hole; needed to find a way to assure their fans, who always expect the worst because so would you, that they weren’t going to start out 1-5 or even 0-6. They did that. The Jets looked like a playoff team on Thursday night, at least to me. They got a game they needed to get, after they tried to hand it back to Rex’s guy early in the second half. Even on a 2016 Jets team that is supposed to be built around defense, here is what they produced against the Ryan Bros.: defense.
The quarterback, Fitzpatrick, nearly threw for 400 yards, made all the secondhalf throws he needed to make, looked as good in the second game of this season as he did at his very best last season. If Quincy Enunwa hadn’t left the game with sore ribs, the Jets would have three guys with more than 100 receiving yards, to go with a 100-yard rushing game from Matt Forte. You tell me when the Jets, in a game they needed, last produced this much offense from this many different skill-position guys.
The Jets had a quarterback in Buffalo throwing like a star, a running back running like a star and a third receiver to go with Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Just that. They were as much fun to watch when they had the ball as they have been in a long time. Did they let the Bills back into it? You saw them do exactly that. The whole country did. Did Revis – he has to get better, because there were moments Thursday night when he looked as if he couldn’t cover you or me – get torched for a big play? He did. Tyrod Taylor, the Bills quarterback, produced another long touchdown off a busted play, and seemed to take all the positive momentum that the Jets had carried to the locker room and fold it into a party hat. There was a big turnover. The Jets ended up giving up 31. But when it really was on the line for them, and the lead was gone, they played some ball. They got to 1-1. It doesn’t mean they’re going to take the AFC East from the Patriots, even if they are the New England Garoppolos right now. It doesn’t mean that beating Rex, finally, makes them a sure thing for the playoffs. What it means is that the Jets showed you some collective poise and collective grit on Thursday night. And even nerve. What it means is that the second half of the second game of the season was big stuff, and a whole lot of fun to watch.
The money quote from Todd Bowles was this one, of course:
“Our big-time players made some bigtime plays. By no means were we perfect. From a fighting standpoint, I thought we were outstanding.”
They fought. Fought hardest and best after they lost the lead. Bowles said he didn’t think this was the best Ryan Fitzpatrick had played for the Jets, and maybe it wasn’t, but considering the circumstances, considering the various calamities we saw early in the third quarter, and knowing what the Bills had done twice to the Jets a year ago, Bowles is wrong about that. This is as good as Fitzpatrick has been since he got here. It doesn’t change the last game he played in Buffalo before this one. He still won this one. You can imagine what the reaction would have been like if he had lost it, and the Jets had gone to 0-2.
The next four games don’t get any easier. The Patriots don’t get any easier when Brady has finally served out his ridiculous 4-game suspension for Roger Goodell. It was troubling to see those big plays, especially the one against Revis, and for the Jets not to step on the Bills when they had them 20-10 at the half.
This was still such an important game on Thursday night, even in September. An awful lot of guys played big for the Jets. Again: Big stuff. They didn’t just produce a W in Buffalo. They produced hope. The Jets looked dangerous against the Bills, and not just to their own fans for a change. It’s a good thing. l Read about Mike Lupica’s new book
‘Last Man Out’ on Pages 74-75 turned out to be a lot of blah blah blah, because of the greatest pro football coach who ever lived. By the way? You know what brought Dr. Oz and Donald Trump together? Destiny did. I just continue to love the fact that Trump’s personal physician looks like
You don’t know whether to ask him if he’ll give you a check-up, or if he wants to party. That home run that
hit off Betances on Thursday night felt like a walk-off homer for a whole season.
The object of the game is for the Mets to not just get into the wild card game, but play it at Citi Field.
You know who I want to join the season in a big way today?