The Jets, who’ve amassed a total sum of just three wins with eight losses this season, will be looking for some kind of relief in the month of December, the final five weeks of football for them and the other nonplayoff bound teams. But relief is something that they’ve sparsely found in the months of September, October and November.
After impressively defeating the Detroit Lions 48-17 in their first game of the season, the Jets sputtered, losing three in a row. The lost divisional one to the Miami Dolphins, one to the Cleveland Browns and another to the Jacksonville Jaguars, teams with records that now equal theirs, scoring less points in the losses, 41 all totaled, than the 48 that they scored in Game 1.
The Jets’ additional two wins against the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts came just at the right time. Both teams have turned their sputtering seasons around and are potential playoff contenders.
Denver, 5-6, have a two-game win streak and have recently beaten the Los Angeles Chargers, now 8-3, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-3.
After losing their first five games, the Colts, 6-5, are on a five-game win streak. Their last loss? The New York Jets.
As the Colts ascended, the Jets descended, losing five in a row, the last one Sunday to the 8-3 New England Patriots 27-13, the Jets were limited in the second half to a field goal; it was another divisional loss, the Jets’ third.
They’ll face the 5-5 Tennessee Titans Sunday, and then the Buffalo Bills the Sunday after that, two road games against two potentially tough opponents. Buffalo, only 4-7, embarrassed the Jets here 41-10 three Sundays ago, Week 10. It’s grown from another loss to potentially deciding the fate of some of their staff members and players. It’s a tough situation for Jets coaches and players, as well as fans.
“Obviously they’re hurting,” acknowledged Jets safety Jamal Adams with a pained, perplexed look on his face, empathizing with his team’s fans. “We get a lot of negative comments, and we understand it. I get it. I get the frustration, but at the end of the day, we are hurting twice as much as you. So just stick in there with us, and we are going to figure it out.”
But even Adams’ key plays against the Patriots’ prime players, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, might not be enough for now to calm the Jets’ fan base. They’ve been waiting for a Super Bowl win, or another Bowl appearance, since January 1969, nearly 50 years ago.
“Do I know when, do I know the timetable,” responded Jamal Adams about a team turnaround, repeating the questions. “No. But, all I can do is just continue to do my part as a leader on this football team, and as a player on this team, it’s to just do my job and to continue to help those around me get better.”
Adams further noted, “We are playing hard, but we are just not doing enough. We have to do more.”