For the fan base, Sunday’s Jets 30-28 win over the Commanders is a win for many; however, it is a loss for the actual players.
While fans are hoping to continue climbing up the draft board (now 3rd), perhaps one-third of the roster won’t even be returning next year. So, they don’t care at all about draft positioning.
Players have invested years of weight lifting, training, and injuries. They have pride and want to win; they don’t want to be losers to help next year’s team.
Please understand that Sunday’s first half was only rivaled by the first half pathetic performance against the Bears. How could an NFL team start a game as poorly as the Commanders did Sunday? How prepared were they mentally to come out and be intense from the first play?
Then there is Jacoby Brissett. All he has done is enter the game late against the Rams and lead the offense to two touchdowns. Then against the Jets, he led the Commanders to three consecutive touchdown drives.
So, what does Ron Rivera do next week?
All season long, Rivera has sung the tune of “the growth and development of Sam Howell.” However, it is hard to watch Howell now, as his confidence has spiraled downward, and his play sadly decreased.
The players once believed in Sam Howell and publicly declared their support. But the evidence they’ve seen in recent games, leads them to now want Brissett to be the starter the last two games, correct?
And if that is so, Rivera knows he owes it to the locker room to play the guy that gives the players the best chance to compete.