Following a 30-14 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, it doesn’t get much easier for the Jets when they come out of the bye week.
Already at 0-3, the Jets come out of the bye week with tough back to back to back matchups against the Eagles, the Cowboys and then a return engagement with the Patriots in Week 7. With or without quarterback Sam Darnold, the Jets could easily be staring 0-6 in the face according to NJ’s Top Bookmakers in Adam Gase’s first season as head coach.
On Sunday, the Jets gained just 105 yards of total offense against the Patriots. Granted, no team has moved the ball on New England’s defense, however, the Jets were inept as a unit. And that is putting it nicely.
“It’s brutal,” Gase said following the lost via the New York Post. “It’s one of those things where it’s infuriating because you’re watching the defense and special teams play as hard as they can and executing what they’re being asked to do and they’re doing it well for the majority of the game and then we’re not holding up our end on offense.”
Running back Le’Veon Bell gained just 35 yards on 18 rushes. He added 28 inconsequential receiving yards on four catches from quarterback Luke Falk. Afterwards, Bell expressed his frustration as well as optimism moving forward.
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“All your haters, enjoy it for now... just don’t go casper when all this gets turned around,” said Bell via Twitter. “We embrace adversity, we embrace the hate, and everyone that wants to see my team fail, or me fail individually, I’ll remember, we’ll remember it ALL, & use it, & wear it as a badge of honor!”
Bell continued: “All of the fans, we need you! More than ever, don’t give up on this team… just keep believing we’ll get this ship turned around & sailing in the right direction! We’ll give it our ALL and we’ll be back after the bye… we love you all & we appreciate all your support, it’s NEEDED.”
The best case for the Jets is a return from Darnold in week five against the Eagles. At the very least, his return will take some of the pressure off Bell who, along with Robbie Anderson (3 recs, 11 yards), are the only true offensive threats on this team. Already three games behind both the Patriots and the Bills, chances of winning the division and making a playoff run are slim-to-nil.
However, if the defense can continue to improve and the offense can form an identity, the Jets can build a solid foundation for 2020.
