Wilson hurt as Jets’ playoff drought hits 13 years

Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 03:25 PM ET
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A New York Jets season that began with so much Aaron Rodgers-inspired hope and hype hit rock bottom Sunday, the way so many others have.

A blowout loss to a divisional foe. Playoff elimination. A mess at the quarterback position.

The Jets, 30-0 losers to the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium, continued the longest active playoff drought among the four major sports leagues. They were mathematically eliminated for the 13th straight year after what cornerback D.J. Reed described as a “good, old ass whooping.”

It was an embarrassing performance in which the Jets were outgained, 290-103. It was so lopsided that wide receiver Allen Lazard offered this blunt assessment of the debacle: “They outschemed us and they out-efforted us.”

No one had it worse than quarterback Zach Wilson, who was sacked on four of 15 dropbacks and left with a concussion late in the second quarter. He was replaced by Trevor Siemian, who will become the Jets’ fourth different starter if Wilson isn’t out of the concussion protocol by next Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders. The Jets haven’t started four quarterbacks in the same season since 1989.

At 5-9, the Jets clinched their eighth straight losing season — currently, the NFL’s longest slump — and it seemingly eliminates the possibility of Rodgers making a miracle return to the field after Sept. 13 Achilles surgery. Rodgers, 40, could be medically cleared this week, but has said on numerous occasions that it wouldn’t make sense to play if there are no playoff implications.

So, in a span of three hours, the Jets got one quarterback concussed and destroyed the comeback dream of another. Coach Robert Saleh, whose record dropped to 16-32 (including 2-13 in December/January), declined to speculate on Rodgers’ chances of playing again this season.

Before the season, the Jets fancied themselves as Super Bowl contenders, but their world was rocked on the fourth play, when Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles. They couldn’t even hold on long enough to give Rodgers a shot to make a heroic return.

“It’s disappointing, starting with the first series of the year until now,” said Saleh, commenting on the playoff miss. “It’s been a constant battle.”

Cornerback Sauce Gardner admitted the team squandered an opportunity to maybe get Rodgers back for the stretch run.

“Our job is to keep winning and if us winning would’ve brought him back, then, yes, [we let him down],” he said. “But that’s not something that’s on everybody’s mind. At the end of the day, we just want to win.”

This was a total meltdown from the beginning. The Jets were outgained in the first half, 197-4. Just like it was for Rodgers in Week 1, it was the fourth play that led to their demise. This time, Wilson suffered a strip sack deep in his own territory, setting up the Dolphins at the 1-yard line. A touchdown soon followed, and that pretty much ended the game for the Jets.

Wilson (4-of-11, 26 yards) was examined for a concussion early in the game by the independent neurologist, but he was cleared to return. Eventually, after several hits, he was pulled near the end of the first half. It was 24-0 when Siemian entered with 1:03 on the clock.

“It’s definitely not fun to look at,” Reed said, referring to the pounding Wilson absorbed. “You want to see your offense having fun, moving the chains. It’s pretty tough to watch.”

Saleh blamed the offensive line, saying, “It starts up front. We have to be better up front.” The Jets, starting their 11th different line combination, allowed six sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Left tackle Mekhi Becton, who struggled, suggested they weren’t overpowered by the Miami front. He said they were undermined by self-inflicted mistakes.

“We got to communicate better as a whole line,” he said, adding the first strip sack resulted from the wrong slide protection. “We’ve got to get the cadence right. We all just got to be better as one. … It’s very shocking.”

The Jets’ top playmaker, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, had only three catches for 29 yards. He wasn’t targeted until the third quarter.

“I’m aware,” he deadpanned, when it was mentioned by a reporter.

Wilson, an emotional player, was caught on camera a few times during the game, expressing frustration on the sideline. “Oh, yeah, for sure,” he said, though he didn’t blame the coaches for not finding ways to get him the ball.

“I’ve got to figure it out, be better, run better routes, be better in the meeting room to figure out how I can be involved early and often and how we can win games,” said Wilson.

By the second half, the Jets appeared drained, seemingly going through the motions. Reed sensed a lag around midway through the third quarter.

“You could kind of just see the [lack of] energy and the momentum and the emotion on guys’ faces — it was down about the whole game,” Reed said. “I wouldn’t say I was too happy about that.”