THAT’S THE WAY THE ROOKIE CRUMBLES
Darnold picked four times in one putrid game
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Jets can’t run the football. The Jets can’t pass the football. The Jets can’t even snap the football.
That is how bad it has gotten for the 3-6 Jets after they lost a third straight game, this one a 13-6 defeat to the Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. It was another defeat in another lost season in a game they could have won — some would say should have won — but they made enough mistakes to lose, and their hapless offense wasted a good defensive outing.
Any slim hope or notion anyone had of this team making a playoff push melted away in the South Florida heat. The offense looked like its members just met in the parking lot before the game. Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold played his worst game of the season, throwing four interceptions, including a pick-six. He was not helped by center Spencer Long, who struggled with shotgun snaps all day.
The defense gave up six points … and lost. After the game, the frustration was palpable inside the locker room.
“We got to find an answer,” wide receiver Robby Anderson said. “It’s got to change. It’s my third year I’ve been here. I understand the emphasis on restructure, rebuild, but I think everybody’s tired of that. I think that that’s an excuse. We’ve got to challenge ourselves and improve and make it happen. It can’t be no more trying to figure it out. It’s just got to happen. That’s how it goes. It’s professional football.”
For players like Anderson or safety Jamal Adams, all they’ve known is losing under coach Todd Bowles. The Jets are now 13-28 in the past three years under the coach whose seat is growing hotter by the day.
“I’m pissed off,” Adams said. “I’m sick of losing. Honestly, I’m sick of losing. Enough is enough. I’m fed up with losing.”
The Jets offense could barely move the ball. They had four first downs in
DOLPHINS 13 JETS 6
the first half and did not convert a third down until the first play of the fourth quarter. They failed to reach the end zone. Heck, they never even reached the red zone.
“We have to execute better,” Bowles said. “We have to execute better in a lot of situations. And we turned the ball over and lose the turnover battle 4-0, that’s tough to do. We get some yards and then we shoot ourselves in the foot, whether it’s penalty-wise or it’s just execution-wise and we got to do a better job of that.”
S o m e h o w, the Jets were still in the game in the fourth quarter despite their putrid offense. The Jets defense was outstanding. They held the 5-4 Dolphins to 3-of-16 on third down (19 percent), 168 total yards and sacked Dolphins quarterback Brock Osweiler four times.
The Dolphins led 6-3 at the start of the fourth when the Jets made it to the Dolphins’ 20, the farthest they had gotten all day. But Cam Wake beat Jets tackle Brandon Shell and sacked Darnold for a 7-yard loss. That was followed by a delay-of-game penalty. Suddenly, a scoring chance became third-and-19 at the Dolphins’ 32. A Jermaine Kearse drop then set up a 50-yard field-goal attempt that Jason Myers missed.
On their next possession, Darnold threw an interception to Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker that he returned 25 yards for a touchdown and 13-3 lead, essentially ending the game.
It was a brutal day for Darnold, who was intercepted on three of the Jets’ final four possessions. He went 21-of39 passing for 229 yards with the four picks for a QB rating of 31.8. He was also sacked four times.
The Jets had top receivers Anderson (four catches, 32 yards) and Quincy Enunwa (three catches, 40 yards) back
in the lineup, but Darnold still struggled.
“I think I’ve just got to be sharper,” Darnold said. “I’ve just got to go out there with a little bit, not … I think personally I have to have a better plan. Once I get to the line of scrimmage, I’ve just got to know exactly where to go with the ball and if one or two is not there, go to three. I’ve just got to have a better plan.”
The Jets now get the 2-7 Bills at home next week before their bye. They have a week to figure out what is wrong with this offense that has now scored 10 and six points in back-toback weeks.
“It’s a good question,” Anderson said when asked about the struggles. “I wish I knew the answer so I could try and communicate and make a difference to it. I feel like we’re a little condensed as an offense. It’s hard to say.” Condensed? “I just feel like we’re having an issue getting down the field,” Anderson said. “I feel like we’re stuck, like we’re limited. Things are not flowing.”
There was a clear feeling after the game that the offense had let down the defense.
“It’s tough,” Anderson said. “At this point in the season, we should be solving issues. And it’s hurting us. My hat’s off to our defense. They played a hell of a game. …. We can’t expect them to score points for us. That’s a hell of game by them. The offense we’re not doing what we need to do. We’re not putting up points.”
The Jets emphasized not pointing fingers and trying to stay together down the stretch.
“The playoffs are not out of reach,” tackle Kelvin Beachum said. “It’s slim, but they’re not out of reach. We have to keep staying together, more than anything, keep fighting for one another, keep loving on one another and let the chips fall where they fall.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — For the second straight season, the playing conditions at Hard Rock Stadium were not ideal for a Jets-Dolphins game.
The field was chewed up Saturday night when the University of Miami played Duke in the rain. The grounds crew did its best to fix the field overnight, but there were divots all over the place, just like last year when the same thing happened.
“It was fair. That’s the best I can say for it,” Jets cornerback Morris Claiborne said. “It was horrible, but we both had to play on it, so it was fair for both teams.”
Other Jets downplayed the issue of the field.
“The condition of the field wasn’t the problem,” running back Isaiah Crowell said. “Every field is not going to be perfect, but it wasn’t that bad.”
It did not appear to have any effect on the game. Both teams struggled on offense, but that probably would have happened if they played on a basketball court.
Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse was unhappy with his
performance. Kearse caught just three passes for 20 yards on nine targets. He had two major blunders. He dropped a third-down pass in the fourth quarter, then lost track of where he was on the field on another play and ended up catching a pass out of bounds.
“I didn’t play my best,” Kearse said. “I know that. It’s definitely frustrating. Especially the one out of bounds. That’s just bad football by me.”
The Jets got three starters back on offense from injury. Wide receivers Robby Anderson (ankle) and
Quincy Enunwa (ankle) both played most of the game but had limited effectiveness. Anderson had four catches for 32 yards. Enunwa had three for 40.
Bowles would not say if they were at less than 100 percent.
“They were healthy enough to play, and when you’re out on the field, you’re full speed,” Bowles said.
The Jets are 1-4 on the road this season and 2-11 over the past two years.