Jets season comes crashing down and out of the playoffs for a 12th straight season
For a minute this season, the New York Jets were one of the NFL's best stories.
Those days are long gone. The Jets' offense was listless Sunday in a 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It was a familiar scene that culminated in a five-game losing streak, dropped them to 7-9 and eliminated them from the postseason.
With Zach Wilson watching in street clothes, a banged-up Mike White struggled at quarterback as the Jets failed to score 20 points for a fourth straight game.
Just eight weeks ago, the Jets were riding the high of a win over the Buffalo Bills that had them 6-3 and poised for their first playoff berth since 2010. Since then, they've watched their offense fail to keep pace with a talented young defense as Wilson — the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft — has twice been benched for ineffectiveness. He was inactive Sunday and is expected to remain so next week.
The Jets will look to play spoiler against the Miami Dolphins in their season finale before heading into an uncertain offseason with big questions at quarterback after another losing season. White is not the answer.
Playing his first game in his return from rib fractures, the second-year quarterback threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and took four sacks against the Seahawks. He threw multiple would-be interceptions that the Seahawks dropped. He completed 23 of 46 passes for 240 yards as the Jets failed to score a touchdown. Hailed by some Jets fans as a potential savior, he has regressed to looking very much like an NFL backup.
The burning question remains focused on Wilson. Do the Jets attempt to resurrect his career in New York or cut bait on the first-round pick after just two seasons? Conflicting reports don't add clarity to a situation that will be the subject of intense debate in New York.
Not only did Wilson struggle in a second season that saw him complete 54.5% of his passes for 187.6 yards per game with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. He appeared to lose support of the locker room after failing to take ownership of his poor play. It's a difficult spot for a young quarterback that could prompt a Jets team with playmakers on both sides of the ball to make a roster move at the game's most important decision.
Those are decisions for the offseason. Unfortunately for the Jets, they get another early start to make them after next Sunday.
