The New York Jets’ prolonged slide lastly reached the underside.
From legit playoff contenders barely a month in the past to yet one more postseason spent at house as a spectator.
New York was eradicated from postseason rivalry with its 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, making certain that for the franchise-record twelfth straight season the Jets will not be a part of the NFL playoffs, the longest energetic drought within the league.
The Jets (7-9) final reached the postseason in 2011 and can end with a shedding file for the seventh straight season.
“No one is hurting more than the people in that locker room, especially me,” Jets coach Robert Salah mentioned. “However on the identical time, I do know it’s arduous to see the sunshine on the finish of the tunnel, however there’s nonetheless plenty of actually cool issues to take a look at from this season.
“However proper now, it stings.”
New York (7-9) began the month of December sitting at 7-4, was in the course of the AFC East race and was coming off a 31-10 thumping of Chicago. The weeks since have been one challenge after one other for the Jets, all including as much as a five-game shedding streak on the worst doable time.
The Jets began the day with hopes that Week 18 can be significant it doesn’t matter what. However New England’s win over Miami coupled with New York’s loss was the method that eradicated the Jets.
“The five-game losing streak and I know we battled in a bunch of games, this one we could have been a lot better,” Saleh mentioned. “Especially these last two games, just feel like we’re a better football team than this. Obviously, it starts with me.”
New York’s fifth straight setback began badly and by no means improved. Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III broke a 60-yard run on the primary play of the sport and, three performs in, Colby Parkinson caught a 12-yard landing cross from one-time Jets QB Geno Smith.
Seattle led 17-3 early within the second quarter after Smith’s second TD cross and after not main at any level within the earlier three video games, the Seahawks thrived in taking part in from forward.
The early deficit put extra stress on New York quarterback Mike White, returning after lacking two video games with fractured ribs.
“There’s a normal that the blokes deserve and I didn’t reside as much as that customary or play to that customary at present,” White mentioned.
White threw a careless interception on New York’s first possession, one among two picks thrown within the recreation. White was 23 of 46 for 240 yards, was sacked 4 occasions and did not get something began offensively within the second half.
New York had simply six first downs whereas making an attempt to rally within the second half with 4 of these on its last drive. The Jets additionally went three-and-out on three straight possessions and did not run an offensive play inside Seattle’s 20 your complete recreation.
Greg Zuerlein hit a pair of 44-yard discipline objectives for New York to account for all of its factors.
“It stinks. It’s tough. It’s gut wrenching. It’s all the above. You can use whatever adjective you want to use to describe it,” White mentioned. “By no means is there moral victories, but in the grand scheme of things we are playing meaningful football late in the season. But also I think we’re at the point where we don’t care about moral victories.”
Whereas the offensive struggles had been vital, the failures weren’t remoted to that facet of the ball. New York gave up a season-high 198 yards speeding to the Seahawks, and Seattle held the ball for almost 34 minutes.
And that is with out the added layer of the Jets watching Smith have fun beating his former workforce and protecting Seattle’s playoff hopes alive going into Week 18.
“We feel like we blew the season,” Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “We wanted a chance at the playoffs. … At the end of the day, that is what we wanted to do and to have a chance to prove ourselves beyond that. We didn’t get there, so we don’t feel good about it at all.”
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