Lichtenstein: Jets Made Fans Suffer, Suffer And Then Suffer Some More
By Steve Lichtenstein
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It was death by 1,000 paper cuts.
That's what will be listed as the proximate cause on the Jets' autopsy report following their hideous 24-3 loss in Kansas City on Sunday.
It will also state that many of the wounds were self-inflicted. Eight Jets turnovers set up all 24 Chiefs points and nixed every possible comeback opportunity.
This wasn't the usual quick kill. You know, the late-game gaffes and/or big plays surrendered that turned so many sure Jets victories into defeats over the years, instances when they dominate all game but then give it away in the most unfathomable manner in the fourth quarter.
No, the Jets were bad in every phase on Sunday, from start to finish. Yet they were never really put out of their misery until Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson's pick-six with less than four minutes remaining.
I know the Jets have a long record of futility when it comes to second-half comebacks -- as a franchise they are now 0-63 on the road when trailing by at least 14 points at halftime, per a posted CBS graphic. But as poorly as they played, it wouldn't have been outrageous had they turned it around.
And it seemed they might, especially after the huge break they received when the refs reversed what looked like a Chiefs touchdown run by Spencer Ware five minutes into the third quarter. The official review instead overturned the call on the field, ruling that Ware fumbled out of the end zone and the Jets were awarded a touchback.
The momentum of many an NFL game has been altered by such a ruling.
Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick seemed to be poised to take advantage, immediately driving Gang Green to a first-and-goal at the Chiefs 5-yard line with more than a quarter of football still to be played to produce two touchdowns.
On second down, however, Fitzpatrick tried to force a throw to running back Bilal Powell in the end zone. The pass was deflected by Johnson and intercepted by safety Eric Berry.
Rinse, wash, repeat.
Berry's takeaway was the first of five consecutive second-half Jets possessions that culminated in a Fitzpatrick interception. Three of the five picks occurred in the red zone. Johnson's, the fourth in the sequence, put the final nail in the Jets' coffin.
What a waste.
The Jets' defense finally got its act together a bit in the second half, holding Kansas City off the scoreboard and getting off the field with only one first down allowed in the fourth quarter -- except Fitzpatrick squandered every potential lifesaver.
How best to describe Fitzpatrick's performance on Sunday? Geno Smith-esque.
He completed just 20 of 44 pass attempts for 188 yards. He also threw an interception in the first quarter that directly led to Kansas City's sole offensive touchdown. He was actually very fortunate that the Chiefs dropped a few passes or else he would have entered the NFL record book for most interceptions thrown (seven) in a game.
Many of Fitzpatrick's chucks were forced into tight coverage or grossly off target. Even on some of the hits, such as the downfield completions to wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Robbie Anderson (who, by the way, should be playing more -- all he does is catch the ball), Fitzpatrick's inaccuracy prevented bigger gains.
While Fitzpatrick deserves a large chunk of the blame, he was far from alone in bearing responsibility for this atrocity.
Jets coach Todd Bowles was appropriately in a foul mood in his post-game press conference. His team looked unprepared on both sides of the ball. And let's not forget that rookie Jalin Marshall gifted a special teams touchdown by fumbling a kickoff return directly into the hands of Demetrius Harris, who scampered 27 yards into the end zone to put Kansas City ahead 17-0.
The game plan seemed to call for a force-feeding of Brandon Marshall, even though he was clearly hindered by a knee injury he suffered in the Jets' 37-31 win at Buffalo 10 days ago. Eric Decker was conspicuously M-I-A, finishing with just a single reception, for 31 yards.
On defense, the Jets were powerless to stop the Chiefs' dink-and-dunk marches for most of the first half. Jets safety Calvin Pryor was no match for Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, who had six receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown.
As I noted last week, Kansas City's Alex Smith was the first of five straight accurate quarterbacks the Jets will be facing during this treacherous stretch. These guys don't miss open receivers in the short and intermediate zones as often as Buffalo's Tyrod Taylor did in Week 2.
Which brings me to this: Can everyone who dismisses the schedule as a factor please stop? Of course it matters.
The Jets reaped 10 wins last season mostly against subpar quarterbacks who couldn't throw a ball into an ocean from the edge of a pier. Do you think Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson's health (he will have on MRI on his injured left knee on Monday) won't affect the outcome of next week's game at MetLife Stadium?
The Jets have some serious issues in their defensive backfield. Add in a continuation of their NFL-worst giveaway/takeaway margin and it's not overly pessimistic to foresee that their current 1-2 mark might just spiral to 1-6.
If that happens, it won't be painless. It will be a quick end to the 2016 football season.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1