The New York Jets go into the offseason on as quiet of a whimper as you can imagine. They end the season with an 11-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins, finishing with six straight losses and went their last three games without scoring a touchdown, totaling 15 points in those three games.
The Jets have also sent the Dolphins to the playoffs as a result of the Patriots losing to the Bills, meaning the Dolphins will head to Buffalo in the AFC Wild Card next weekend. The Jets finish the season 7-10, which feels very disappointing after a 7-4 start.
The Jets didn’t even reach 200 yards of total offense, finishing with 187. Only 38 of those yards came on the ground, while the Dolphins had two running backs reach 70 yards. Jeff Wilson had 72 and Raheem Mostert had 71.
One bright spot on offense, on a day where there were very few bright spots, was Garrett Wilson. Wilson caught nine passes for 89 yards, finishing with 83 catches for 1,103 yards for the season. He would have had over 100 yards but he lost 13 yards on the final play with all the laterals that resulted in him being ruled tackled in the end zone for a safety, making the final score 11-6.
Other than that, not much to talk about on offense, as has been the case for weeks and now questions will arise as to whether Mike LaFleur will be back as offensive coordinator next season.
Defensively, it was another solid effort as the Jets kept the Dolphins out of the end zone and held them to 302 yards of offense with only 140 through the air. New York also stepped up on third down as Miami went just 4/13 on those plays.
The Jets provided the only sack of the game as Quincy Williams got to Skylar Thompson just before halftime.
A lackluster effort with a chance to play spoiler and get some positive vibes going into the offseason only magnifies how important this offseason now is for the Jets and sums up the 2022 New York Jets in a nutshell. When folks start making their lists of coaches on the hot seat, Robert Saleh is absolutely going to be on those lists.
Will LaFleur be the scapegoat for this season? Possibly. In addition to the zero touchdowns in three games, the Jets scored just four total touchdowns in their last six games after exploding for four touchdowns against the Bears in Week 12. That might not be saying much now that the Bears have secured the No. 1 pick in the draft (with a huge help from the Texans).
Saleh wouldn’t say after the game if LaFleur will be back and says he has the do his process and make the best decision for the team.
The Jets once again finish in last place in the AFC East. It’s their third straight last-place finish and 6th time in the last seven seasons. At least they get another last-place schedule in 2023 that will include the Texans, Browns and Falcons along with the AFC East, AFC West and NFC East.
The Jets are likely looking at the No. 13 pick in the draft after the Saints and Browns both lost Sunday. There’s plenty of talent in the draft and this will be another important draft for general manager Joe Douglas, who has yet to have a winning season in four years as a general manager. The hope is he is as successful in the 2023 draft as he was in the 2022 draft.
Sunday’s lackluster loss signals the beginning of a long offseason for the Jets. It’s going to be interesting to say the least.