Another loss for New York and another awful performance by Bryce Petty has all but solidified the fact that, if they want to win, they will need a quarterback. In today’s battle against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jets defense once again made their presence known. They held the Bolts to only 14 points. Unfortunately, the Jets just couldn’t get their offense running for the third week in a row.
Santa Clause Ain’t Coming to Town
Coming into the week, the Jets were trying to play spoiler. The Chargers needed to win their remaining games in order to keep their playoffs hopes alive. They did just that on Sunday. The Jets’ defense was able to keep them in the game all day, but a struggling passing game really crushed any hopes they had of winning. Bilal Powell was able to put up monster numbers on the day, rushing for 145 yards, including a 57 yard touchdown, following a blocker all the way to the endzone.
Bryce Petty’s struggles continued, having thrown at least one interception in every single one of his five starts. Petty completed 15 out of 28 passing attempts for 119 yards, averaging a measly 4.2 yards per carry.
Coach Todd Bowles stated that the plan going forward is for Petty to start the final game of the season, leaving for a ton of confusion as to why Christian Hackenberg isn’t so much as getting a nod from coaches. Petty hurt his arm early in the game, but Bowles still did not make the swap at quarterback. This can only mean one thing: Hackenberg is somehow worse than Bryce Petty. Whatever the reason, if the Jets decide to never play Hackenberg, it would be a huge waste of a second round draft pick.
Next Up: New Year’s Showdown
The Jets will face the Patriots in Foxborough next week. Back in October, when the Jets were surprising everybody, they narrowly lost to New England 24-17. The game would have been tied as well if not for a controversial call on Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The Patriots are still fighting for homefield advantage in the playoffs. That being said, the Jets will have to upset them in order to keep them from clinching the top spot in the AFC. It seems difficult, but it is not impossible. The young quarterback, be it Petty or Hackenberg, will have to channel the hatred in the rivalry in order to have any sort of chance.
– Adam Melendez is a staff writer for Full Press Coverage Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @melendez2015 Follow @FPC_Jets