No one is happier about losing a game than the New York Jets organization and its fans. They continue to find new ways to just blow games late to keep the worst record in the league and lead the race for the 1st overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft.
However, it seems like this time, they just outdid themselves. Their playcalling and defensive schemes in the final seconds of their game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders was just a shameless effort to lose, and the league should even look into it.
Surprisingly, the Jets were up 4 points on the Raiders with under 20 seconds to play in the game. Then, Gregg Williams sent 6 defenders blitzing with a cover-zero defense, thus giving up a wide-open 46-yard touchdown to lose the game.
HENRY RUGGS FOR THE GO-AHEAD TD!!!!#LVvsNYJ | CBS pic.twitter.com/82kLmV1e5a
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 6, 2020
New York Jets Shamelessly Tank With Unprecedented Play
And, according to ESPN Stats & Info and their research department, it was the first time that a team sends 6 pass-rushers when they have a4-8 point lead with 15 seconds or less to go and their rivals are 40+ yards away from the endzone.
The Jets made an unprecedented play call to end their game vs the Raiders
There were 252 pass plays meeting this criteria the last 15 seasons:
•Final 15 seconds
•Down 4-8 points
•40+ yards to the end zoneThey were the 1st defense to send 6+ pass rushers in ^ situation pic.twitter.com/mrk61E46ET
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 6, 2020
There had been 255 plays on that situation, yet no one had done it since they keep track of those stats. If that doesn’t tell you enough about their blatant desire to lose, then I don’t know what will.
New York Jets Safety Calls Out Coaching Staff
This has to be demoralizing for young players that are trying to prove their worth in the league. The team is obviously trying to put them in a position to fail and replace their starting quarterback at all costs:
“We just played the call that the coaches call and we’ve just got to execute. But you’ve got to help us out at the same time and just be in a better call in that spot. It’s a tough situation for our young guys, being out there on an island,” Jets safety Marcus Maye told the press after the game.
At the end of the day, the Jets are unlikely to win a single game this season and that’ll be for the best – assuming they fire their coaching staff at the end of the year – but this was just shameless and unsportsmanlike.
