The scene in the final minute of the first half at MetLife Stadium told the story of one of the worst showings in recent Jets history.
They had just surrendered two touchdowns and more than 150 yards in just 42 seconds to a Cowboys team without its top weapon. And, remarkably, 28 of those seconds were used up by a three-and-out and punt from the offense.
The Jets were down 23-3 to the worst defense in the league. And as they lined up to mercifully end the first half with a kneel down, the fans at MetLife Stadium were chanting, “Let’s go Cowboys!” A few moments later, Jets fans were booing their team as they headed into the locker room.
Sunday afternoon’s 37-22 smackdown to the Cowboys was more than a loss for the Jets. It was worse than first-year coach Aaron Glenn becoming the first in franchise history to lose his first five games.
It was a three-hour waking nightmare. A performance so bad, and so devoid of hope on every level, that one has no choice but to question the brighter future that Glenn has so adamantly projected through the Jets’ struggles in his first month on the job.
Losing is understandable. Especially for a new coach on a team with a history of losing. But losing like this is not.
The Jets made the Cowboys look like a team that was in its Super Bowl heyday, even though most of the players on the field weren’t alive the last time the Cowboys made it to the NFC Championship game (1995 season).
Yes, Dallas’ offense is one of the best in the league. But the Cowboys were playing without wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and still made the Jets’ defense look completely lost for most of the game.
They broke through tackles and waltzed for massive gains like the 43-yard touchdown pass to receiver George Pickens and running back Javonte Williams’ 66-yard run in the waning moments of the first half.
The defense also surrendered a 46-yard pass to receiver Ryan Flournoy and a 26-yard touchdown to tight end Jake Ferguson, who scored twice.
It’s hard to believe the Jets’ defense was one of the best in the league in recent years. And that they’ve now become the first team in history to start 0-5 with no takeaways.
But even worse was the offensive performance. They’ve shown some reason for hope this year, and against the Cowboys, who have the worst defense in the league, they should have been able to make some headway.
Instead? They couldn’t score a touchdown until garbage time, midway through the fourth quarter, when they were already down 30-6. Quarterback Justin Field completed 32 of 46 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the fourth quarter.
And they once again had a killer turnover when it mattered most, with running back Breece Hall fumbling the ball away at the Dallas 13 with the Jets trying to tie the game at 10 late in the second quarter.
They had hung around, despite their poor play. But Hall’s fumble broke them.
A few weeks ago, the question around the Jets was whether they could learn how to win. Now it’s fair to wonder if they’re losing faith that they can put themselves in a position to be competitive.
And that’s not a good thing for anyone with 12 games left to play.
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