GLENDALE, Ariz. — There was an audible reaction from Jets brass inside the State Farm Stadium press box when the Chiefs blocked the Broncos’ game-winning field goal attempt some 1,300 miles away. Hope renewed.
New York had found something, 10 days prior, in its victory over the Texans — both on offense and defense. The Jets’ week of practice had been so crisp, the locker room loose. Heck, they broke their pre-practice huddle on Friday by dancing.
As bad as it had been, they were now just a game out of the seventh and final AFC Wild Card spot. They were back.
Until they weren’t.
The Cardinals beat the Jets 31-6 Sunday. New York now sits 3-7 on the season.
“It’s unacceptable,” said wideout Garrett Wilson.
He’s right.
There have been bad losses for the Jets in recent years. Last year’s shutout debacle in Miami certainly comes to mind. The one to New England just a couple weeks ago, too.
This one, though, might be the worst of them all. These Jets were healthy. These Jets were ready. These Jets turned the corner Thursday night.
Arizona scored on its first five possessions, including four touchdowns. The only reason why it had to settle for a field goal was because time expired in the first half.
James Conner entered Sunday the Jets’ biggest concern. Jeff Ulbrich said that he gave the team a tackling clinic on how to slow him down. It didn’t work.
New York, in what has devolved into an alarming trend, missed 20 tackles, according to NextGen stats. Conner finished with 113 yards on 17 touches and a touchdown.
Somehow, he was the least of the Jets’ issues.
New York had no answer for Kyler Murray. The quarterback finished 22 of 24 (91.7 percent) for 266 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 20 yards and two scores on the ground.
He’s the first player in NFL history to complete 85 percent of his passes with 250 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, according to ESPN.
Aaron Rodgers (22 of 35 for 151 yards) and Davante Adams again looked old. Wilson wasn’t involved until it was too late. The offensive line broke down in pass protection. The run game actually showed signs of promise with Breece Hall (52 yards on 10 carries), but the Cardinals’ success on offense made the ground game obsolete.
“It is shocking given how we practiced during the week, how we went about stuff during training camp, what we have in this locker room?” said Wilson, who finished with five catches for 41 yards. “Yeah, it’s shocking.
“But as far as being out there and just the vibes and how it felt? Yeah, that sounds about right.”
It seems unfathomable that the Jets were once playing for first place in the AFC East. They found themselves just a game out after losing to the then-undefeated Vikings in London. That’s when Woody Johnson made the decision to fire coach Robert Saleh and hand the role over to Ulbrich, the defensive coordinator.
It has been downhill since. Not only are the Jets 1-4. After Sunday’s loss to Arizona, Adams and Rodgers said that they lacked “energy.” It’s the second time in four weeks where the energy has been called into question. Ulbrich himself said that the team “was not prepared.”
How does that happen to a team, knowing its margin for error is so astronomically small? A team that knows its playing with its season on the line? With a coach who was inserted specifically to give them a morale boost?
“I don’t know,” said Adams, who caught just six passes for 31 yards despite being targeted 13 times.
Wilson was more direct.
“The energy isn’t there because we’re playing like trash,” he said.
This was the Jets’ all-in year. They reloaded this offseason, acquired aging stars (Adams, Morgan Moses, Tyron Smith) hoping to take advantage of whatever they had left. They hoped to marry them with their youth and make a Super Bowl run. Instead, they’re 3-7 and have lost six of their past seven games.
The Jets need to run the table if they want the postseason. Even the Colts and old friend Joe Flacco next week is far from any guarantee.
“There’s a lot still in front of us,” Rodgers said.
It’s technically a true statement. There are nine games, three months left in the season.
That’s not how Rodgers meant it, though. He was echoing the team message that everything it wanted to accomplish before the season is still there.
The odds, however, are stacked against the Jets. They enter their Week 11 game against the Colts with a playoff probability of 13 percent.
This year was supposed to be different. Time is running out.