Carolina and Seattle’s losses allowed the Jets to salvage a brutal weekend
It’s not often you claim gridiron progress on a weekend where you fall in a 54-13 decision and lose your franchise quarterback. But when you’re the New York Jets, you learn to take what you can get.
At the conclusion of Week 7 action, the lone solace of Joe Douglas and the Jets (1-5) comes from the trades of their former franchise faces.
Gang Green would own four of the first 45 picks of the 2022 NFL draft if the season ended today. Two of those selections land in the top eight. The team’s regularly scheduled picks fall at fourth and 37th overall while picks acquired from Seattle (2-5) and Carolina (3-4) respectively place in the eighth and 45th slots.
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Seattle fell by a 13-10 final in an ugly Monday night conclusion to Week 7, as they mustered only 219 yards in their prime time loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks have been forced to turn to the services of ex-Jet Geno Smith at quarterback with franchise man Russell Wilson injured.
Smith got off to a strong start, finding D.K. Metcalf for an 84-yard score on his first attempt of the game, but earned only 83 yards on 21 further throws. Seattle also let up five sacks in defeat while Jamal Adams (the Jets’ export from the deal that netted them the current eighth pick) had just two tackles.
The Seahawks are now 0-3 at home this season. They will welcome in the Jacksonville Jaguars, fresh off their bye week, on Sunday afternoon (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).
Meanwhile, the Sam Darnold redemption tour faced a full-on cancellation at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Carolina dropped its fourth straight after a 3-0 start, their freefall hitting new depths after a 25-3 defeat at the hands of the New York Giants. Darnold earned only 111 yards on 25 attempts and a crucial interception at the cusp of the red zone more or less permanently put momentum on the side of the lowly Giants.
Darnold was benched early in the fourth quarter (with the team still down only 12 points) for backup P.J. Walker, best known for his endeavors in the rebooted XFL.
As questions linger about Darnold’s future – the team is reportedly entrenched in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes – Carolina will seek to curb the carnage against the resurgent Atlanta Falcons on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
As for the Jets, their originally scheduled first-round draft pick has the potential to only rise higher with quarterback Zach Wilson out for at least the next two weeks. The newly acquired Joe Flacco will attempt to hold the fort down in Wilson’s absence.
New York will battle the AFC-leading Cincinnati Bengals in their return to East Rutherford on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
