Jet Up – Jets’ season coming off the rails with loss to Jags

The New York Jets thought they were back on the wagon in Week 6 with a 24-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.  If there’s any indication from Sunday’s 29-15 loss to the Jaguars, it’s that the season is very much over.  The Jaguars aren’t the Dolphins, but they certainly aren’t in the upper echelon of teams in the NFL.

Gardner Minshew and Leonard Fournette chewed up and spit out the swiss cheese Jets’ defense.  Minshew was 22-for-34 with 279 yards and three touchdowns.  Fournette only had 76 yards rushing, but broke off a long run at the beginning of the first quarter that put the Jets behind the eight-ball.  He also caught seven passes for 60 yards.

Sam Darnold has regressed since shining in the win over the Cowboys.  He looked like he saw ghosts again, even if he went 21-for-30 and threw for two touchdowns.  He had three interceptions and made more than a few bad decisions in the pocket.  It doesn’t help that his receivers don’t inspire much confidence, but the combination of bad playcalling and poor throws made it a rough day for Darnold.  His offensive line isn’t helping him either, as the Jets allowed eight sacks to a decent Jacksonville defense.  Darnold was running for his life for most of the game, but that doesn’t excuse some of his decision making.

If there’s one redeeming thing to take from the game, it’s that Ryan Griffin may be the tight end that Chris Herndon was supposed to be.  The young TE caught four passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns.  Griffin is taking over for Herndon, who looked to be the tight end of the future but can’t stay on the field.  Herndon missed the first four games of the season due to suspension and has been ruled out each game after due to a lingering hamstring injury.

What’s next for the Jets?  A visit to Miami, where the Jets will avoid to be the first team to lose to the lowly Dolphins.  At this rate, Adam Gase may not make it through the rest of the season.  He was never the right man for the job and the 1-6 start to the season shows just that.

The last note from Sunday is that Sam Darnold was banged up and came away from the game with a sprained left thumb.  It’s not on his throwing hand so it’s not too detrimental, but those finger injuries can be tricky for the one person who handles the ball each and every play.  Be on the lookout for further updates from the Jets on Darnold’s status for next week.