Multiple NY Jets players spoke about the team’s struggles after their blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins
The 2023 season is effectively over for the New York Jets.
After a blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins and some non-beneficial results elsewhere, New York was officially eliminated from playoff contention. It marks the 13th straight year that the Jets will not appear in the postseason.
On Sunday, head coach Robert Saleh and various players spoke about the team’s struggles and issues in the postgame media media availability.
Saleh said it was “embarrassing” and “doesn’t feel good” when asked about the offensive performance, mentioning that Miami “obviously won the battle up front.”
The team’s head coach also spoke about the nature of the team’s season.
“It’s disappointing. Starting from the first series of the year all the way to now, it’s just been a constant battle. I do appreciate the heck out of our guys. We still have three games left to finish strong,” said Saleh.
“As bad as we feel now, we got to remember we felt pretty good last week, too. We got a good Washington team coming in that’s going to be licking their chops, so we got to go and take care of business and get ourselves ready to play that one.”
Cornerback Sauce Gardner said it’s “definitely frustrating” to be eliminated from the playoffs in 2023.
“At the beginning of the season, that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to be able to compete in the playoffs. I don’t know what to say for real,” Gardner said.
D.J. Reed echoed a similar sentiment, saying he is “just frustrated” with the team being eliminated and his play. The cornerback also spoke about the message resonating with the team.
“I mean, he really said what we all know is just like, we got three given games, so we’ve got to go out there and put what we want on tape. But like I said, when guys hear that, it’s still mentally easy to throw in the towel, knowing that we’re not going to playoffs,” said Reed.
“So I think it resonated to guys, but I also think that there’s a human side, which is like, ‘OK, I want to take care of myself and make sure I’m healthy,’ but I feel like we got the right guys in a locker room to go about these games, take them like a championship week and finish the season out strong.”
Wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard also commented about the team’s struggles.
Lazard bluntly assessed the team’s performance, saying the Jets were “out-schemed” and “out-efforted” by the Dolphins. He also said the team has “fallen far short of the standard.”
Wilson agreed with Lazard’s sentiment and spoke about why he hasn’t been able to get schemed open in the Jets’ offense.
“I think they have a lot of pieces in their favor that make it easier to scheme. Tyreek goes down, they put Waddle in there, and he goes for 150. And that’s the ball I grew up loving. But that’s not how it’s going to be. I gotta figure out how to be better, run better routes, be better in the meeting rooms, figure out how I can be involved early.”
Garrett Wilson was asked about watching the Dolphins scheme Jaylen Waddle open and why the #Jets aren't able to do that for him:
"I think they have a lot of pieces in their favor that make it easier to scheme. Tyreek goes down, they put Waddle in there and he goes for 150. And…
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) December 17, 2023
It is no secret that this has been a rough season for every aspect of the Jets’ offense. After star quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down, it has been a struggle for New York to put points on the board.
The blame falls on everyone, from the playmakers to the quarterback(s) to the play-caller. All areas of the offense have failed to produce at an acceptable level, let alone a high level.
The focus should now shift toward fixing the Jets’ offense, which will not be easy. Playmakers need to be added, specifically one or two difference-making wideouts. There needs to be a revamp done to the offensive line unit and the quarterback room.
Arguably, the most important change needs to come at the play-calling position. While it may not be addressed, it seems clear the Jets need a significant upgrade in this category.
A pivotal offseason awaits for the Jets once again. Anything less than sweeping personnel changes will be disappointing, as the Jets’ offense needs a complete facelift to elevate the team to actual contender status.
