JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 32-25 win over the Jaguars on Sunday. Here are some thoughts and observations about the game.
1. Davante Adams put on a show in the second half, which led to questions about his future with the Jets. Adams had nine catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. He had a 71-yard catch, a 41-yard catch and an acrobatic sideline catch in the final minute that looked like the Jets would win.
So what will happen for Adams this offseason?
The Jets have him under contract for two more years, but it’s clear his contract will need to be reworked if he wants to stay. He’s due $35 million per year for the next two years, and that’s not happening.
There are many questions about whether it makes sense for the Jets to keep Adams and whether he would want to stay. It all seems to start with the question of whether Aaron Rodgers will return in 2025. Adams wasn’t forced to leave Las Vegas for New York because she enjoyed our beautiful weather. He wanted to play with Rodgers. If Rodgers is no longer quarterback, would he want to stay with the Jets?
If Adams wants to stay, the Jets should try to work with him. He and Garrett Wilson could form a dynamic receiver combo no matter who the quarterback is next year. Adams turned 32 on Christmas Eve, but he still looks fast and is an elite route runner.
It’s difficult to know what Adams’ new contract will look like. He’s older and no longer the best receiver in the NFL, but he showed on Sunday that he’s still very close.
Whoever comes on board as general manager and head coach of the Jets will be faced with some important decisions about the direction of the team in 2025. This roster has talent, but underperformance. The new regime may tear everything down and start building its own base. If the team thinks it’s ready to win in 2025, Adams needs to be a part of it. That was evident in the second half Sunday.
2. After the game, there was a lot of talk about “Where have we been this season?” or “It’s finally clicking.” The Jets players and coaches would have been more than happy to get a win over anyone at this point, but we shouldn’t overlook just how bad the Jaguars are when evaluating this game.
The Jets needed a historic performance in the second half to get to 32 points against the NFL’s worst defense. They allowed 421 yards to the Jaguars offense with backup quarterback Mac Jones playing with one good receiver and several other anonymous receivers. A tight end named Brenton Strange had 11 receptions.
If not for Adams’ crazy fourth quarter performance, the Jets might have lost this game.
The Jets have nothing to apologize for. They beat the teams in front of them, but let’s not get carried away with the team turning a corner and showing what they can do all year long. The Jets will now face two first-place teams over the next two weeks: the Rams and Bills. Before we evaluate where the Jets currently stand, let’s take a look at how they look against those teams.
3. Aaron Rodgers went out of his way to praise the offensive line after Sunday’s game. They did a great job protecting Rodgers, who was sacked once and only hit three times. The Jaguars have two good edge rushers in Josh Hines-Allen and Trayvon Walker, and both were quiet throughout the game. Run blocking was not good. Most of the Jets’ rushing yards came from Rodgers’ scrambles, but their pass protection was really strong. Tackles Olu Fashanu and Morgan Moses especially had really strong games.
The Jets have been looking for answers on the offensive line for years. It looks like Joe Douglas has basically found some of his last actions as Jets GM. Fashanu, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson should all return next season and Moses will probably be re-signed. It’s been a while since the Jets had that kind of stability.
4. We often use the expression ‘meaningless game’ during this period when teams that qualified for the playoffs are eliminated. But it was a reminder that while Sunday’s game may be meaningless to fans and media, it is still very meaningful to players and coaches.
Jacksonville’s postgame interview room is located right next to the locker room. There was a door leading to the locker room not far from where interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was speaking with reporters Sunday. I could hear the players celebrating through the door. As we entered the locker room, the players were joking and yelling. There hasn’t been a lot of happiness around the Jets this season. But Sunday’s win brought celebration for the Jets. This is something to keep in mind when people talk about tanking for draft picks. No one in uniform wants to hear that. All of these games mean something to players and coaches.
Statistical disclosure
According to ESPN, Davante Adams had 135 receiving yards in the final four minutes of the game, the most in the NFL this century.
Amazing snap count
Malachi Corley was inactive again and the Jets promoted Brandon Smith from the practice squad for the game. I thought Smith was getting the nod because he plays on special teams more than Corley. However, Smith did not play a special teams snap. He played only one snap on offense in the game. This tells me the coaches really have a problem with Corley. It’s been a disappointing year for third-round picks.
game ball
The 198 receiving yards are the seventh-most in franchise history and the most since Eric Decker had 221 against the Dolphins in 2014, and can’t be attributed to anyone other than Adams.
