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The Jets had their first 100-yard rusher since Isaiah Crowell in 2018 in their 31-28 loss to the Raiders.
The Jets were on their way to their first win of 2020. Up 28-24 with 13 seconds left and the Raiders in their own territory with no timeouts, it looked like New York was about to jump into the win column.
But then, reality struck, and arguably the Jetsiest thing of all-time happened.
The Jets left undrafted free agent Lamar Jackson on an island with Henry Ruggs III and the speedy rookie cooked him for a 46-yard prayer of a touchdown to hand New York its 12th consecutive loss by a final score of 31-28.
Derek Carr and Darren Waller took advantage of a thin Jets secondary for two touchdowns, while Sam Darnold accounted for three costly turnovers. Waller totaled 13 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while Darnold tossed an interception and fumbled twice. He showed some grit with a hard-nosed touchdown run in the fourth, but in the end, his last-ditch effort at a comeback was for naught.
New York has had plenty of close calls in 2020, but this one is easily the toughest pill Adam Gase’s team has had to swallow. The victory was in its grasp, but it could not do enough to win the final 13 seconds.
Game Balls
RBs Josh Adams and Ty Johnson: With Frank Gore departing due to injury early in the first quarter, Adams and Johnson both stepped up to the plate and admirably filled the void. The two combined for 178 rushing yards, with Johnson accounting for 104 and a score to go along with Adams’ 74 on only eight carries.
WR Jamison Crowder: New York’s passing attack against the Raiders was nothing to write home about, but Crowder was on the receiving end of two touchdown passes. That is certainly worthy of some recognition after a few quiet weeks.
DT Quinnen Williams: Williams was once again a disruptive force on the defensive line, totaling four tackles, three quarterback hits, one sack and one tackle for loss.
Quick Thoughts
-It’s tough to find the words to accurately surmise how the Jets managed to lose on Sunday. Why is Gregg Williams blitzing and leaving Jackson on an island against Ruggs III, who is one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL, with the game on the line and the Raiders in hail mary mode? Decisions like that perfectly sum up why New York is 0-12. A brutal loss for the Jets and even worse decision making by Williams at the end of the game.
-New York had no answer for Carr’s connection with Waller. Williams has done a good job scheming against Carr in the past, but even he could not figure out how to slow down Waller. Placing Marcus Maye on him instead of a linebacker (Harvey Langi) or inexperienced defensive backs (Ashtyn Davis, Bryce Hall and Jackson) could have done the trick, but what do we know?
-While the Jets’ first two offensive series were examples of ideal execution by Darnold and company, their next effective drives were not until the fourth quarter. New York’s offense was marching along until Darnold reverted to his turnover happy ways in the second quarter. Sunday was a real chance for Darnold to light up a porous secondary, but he failed to deliver with the consistency required of an NFL starting quarterback — an issue that has plagued him throughout his career.
-Williams’ impact goes far beyond the box score. Even if he’s not making a tackle in the backfield, he’s frequently blowing up opposing offensive linemen at the point of attack. Williams’ statistical production has come along nicely in 2020, but even when he’s not racking up tackles at a prolific rate, he’s making a positive impact. That’s a major step in the right direction for Williams after his rocky rookie season.
-Sans his costly miss on Waller that led to a touchdown, Hall is really good at tackling in space and has showcased some impressive instincts on underneath routes and screens throughout his rookie season. The Jets would like to see a bit more out of him covering downfield, but Hall is certainly trending in the right direction.
-New York’s first drive of the game was easily its best offensive series of the year. It took time off the clock and Darnold marched the Jets down the field with authority. Going up against a soft defense makes things a bit easier, but still ideal execution by New York. If only that had been the case all season.
-It’s unfortunate that it took an injury to Gore for the Jets to get a look at some of their younger running backs. Adams and Johnson don’t exactly have the makings of future bell-cow backs, but they opened some eyes with their play against the Raiders. Don’t worry, though. As soon as Gore returns to the field, they will once again be shunned to the sideline in favor of the 37-year-old.
-0-12. Four more games until the tank for Trevor Lawrence is complete.