Robert Saleh, Garrett Wilson offer blunt assessment of Jets' offensive woes after ugly loss to Patriots
FOXBORO -- In 60 minutes of football, the New York Jets mustered just 103 yards of offense and three points.
No matter the opponent, no matter the location, no matter anything, an offensive performance like that one is going to sting for everyone involved at any level. Zach Wilson completed just nine of his 22 passes for 77 yards, while taking four sacks. The three Jets running backs combined for 33 yards on 19 carries. In total, the Jets picked up just six first downs all game.
It didn't take long for Jets head coach Robert Saleh to sum up the offensive performance from his team after Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Patriots.
"It was dog s---," Saleh said.
With that assessment noted, Saleh was later asked if he ever felt that an offensive spark was coming for his team.
"At any point? No," he answered.
While Saleh's answers were quite terse, receiver Garrett Wilson had a bit more to say about the Jets' offense in the losing locker room.
"We gotta be detailed, you know, all of us. It started during the week in practice -- coaching, all of that. Man we gotta be more detailed. We all got to have a better plan. This s---'s not OK. Straight up, it's not OK," said Wilson, who caught two passes for 12 yards in the loss. "How many total yards did we have? Yeah, that s--- is not gonna fly. We got the dudes. It's time. It's time to be consistent. It's time to start winning the games we should win. It's time to do all that."
Though Wilson is only a rookie, he was asked what the Jets need to do to fix their offensive issues.
"It starts in the practice week, man. It's got to be better. Things that we see and don't call out, s---'s gotta start getting called out," Wilson said. "This is unnacceptable and no one wants to feel like this, but that's not enough. You gotta do something about it. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for some people in the facility, for us in the facility to get on our details. All of us. All of us."
Wilson added: "You gotta come the right way, come ready to work, but have a plan, though. We can't just be passively working, you can't just be in the facility and not know what we're there for. We gotta find something ot get better at, especially in the passing game. I mean, call it like it is. We gotta get better in the passing game if we want to be where we want to be, and we know we can be there. So that's the most frustrating part. We ain't gotta be in these games like this. I mean, [the Patriots didn't] even score on offense, and we lost the game. So for me personally, I mean, s---, me personally, I just feel like we gotta use this as 'take it for what it is.' We got our ass beat on offense, and the result shows. We had 100 yards, so I take it for what it is."
Though Wilson initially said he only had a minute to talk to reporters, he ended up speaking for closer to five. He was asked what was going through his mind when he was coming off the field visibly frustrated.
"This s--- is sorry. We're out here looking sorry," Wilson answered. "We know that we're not sorry. So that's why it really hurts. We know that we're better than that. That's why it hurts. That's why it's frustrating for me. Because we can do more. Honestly, I feel like they gotta put some more trust in the receiver room. I feel like we can go up and make plays and do things and I don't know if everyone feels that way. But hopefully by the time it gets around to next week, hopefuly everyone will feel that way."
Wilson -- who had just played in his 10th NFL game -- was asked if he believed the game plan was "too cautious."
"I mean, personally I play receiver and I want the ball to be in my hands, and I know my boys feel the same way. I want the ball to be in my hands when the pressure get on the line," Wilson said. "We feel like we can make every play and that's kind of how receivers think. And, you know, I can't say I know what the best plan was to go out and beat them today, but s---, I mean, whatever it was we were doing, it wasn't working."
The stats -- which had the Jets gaining just two yards total in the second half -- obviously told a story of a troubled offense. The postgame commentary indicated that the Patriots inflicted an extra level of damage on all involved with that New York offense.
The Jets entered Sunday ranked 19th in the NFL in points and 18th in offensive yards. They've had some rough games but some brighter spots as well.
Yet now at 6-4 and suddenly in last place in the AFC East, they'll be facing a crossroads of sorts on the offensive side of the ball. And if it doesn't turn around for them, this showing in Gillette Stadium will be remembered as the moment that a lot of things went very, very wrong for the Jets.