A 21-year-old Mekhi Becton experienced his first professional win on Sunday — and then delivered a message to those who were unhappy about it.
“You ain’t really a fan if you didn’t want us to win, honestly,” Becton said of Jets fans rooting for a winless season, per SNY. “I mean that in the nicest way possible. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. But I mean, if you wanted us to lose, you’re not a real fan, honestly.”
It’s been a long season for the Jets, who came into Sunday’s contest winless at 0-13. However, the team was able to rally together to pull off the unthinkable, upsetting the Rams as 17-point underdogs.
Sunday was only further proof that coaches and especially players don’t tank.
While Becton and his teammates celebrated their first win of the season, the victory was met with an uproar from the fanbase. A large percentage of Jets fans have been rooting for the team to continue its losing ways. That’s because an 0-16 record would have secured the No. 1 pick, a.k.a. Trevor Lawrence.
The draft wasn’t on players’ minds, though.
“You’d think we won the Super Bowl just now, honestly, just the way we just celebrated,” Becton said, per SNY. “We worked so hard to get this win, we worked hard every week leading up to this week. Just every week, we were just so close trying to get this win and we finally got it this week. So our hard work finally paid off, and we’re trying to go get another one.”
After the Jets’ win on Sunday, the Jaguars jumped into the driver’s seat for Lawrence’s services. And while the win may have lasting consequences for the franchise, there are still two games remaining for New York and Jacksonville.
The race for Lawrence isn’t finished just yet.