Minkah Fitzpatrick didn’t exactly sugarcoat the New York Jets’ latest mess, and the team’s attempt to clean up his words only made it look worse.
After the Jets dropped a 38-33 decision to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8, Fitzpatrick pointed straight at the sloppiness that helped sink the defense. He said the team made "bad mistakes, bad penalties" and called it "Jets being Jets." That was the line that set off the awkward follow-up from the team’s PR staff, which tried to insist Fitzpatrick had actually said "Jets beating Jets" instead of "being."
The correction landed like a bad joke. The phrase "only the Jets" can get overused when people are taking shots at this franchise, but in this case it fit the moment pretty well.
Fitzpatrick has been a useful player when he’s been on the field this season. He also owns the only interception of the 25-game Aaron Glenn era. But even with that on his résumé, he hasn’t been able to rescue a defense that keeps giving away games, and the rest of the unit hasn’t helped him much either.
That showed up again against Las Vegas. Fitzpatrick wasn’t at his best, and the Jets’ secondary got picked apart while Brock Bowers put together one of the best performances of his career. Kirk Cousins also shredded the coverage, and New York’s defense offered little resistance in a game the team had put itself in position to win.
The frustration is only growing because the offense is starting to look functional. For once, the Jets are moving the ball, and they still can’t cash in because the defense keeps dragging them back down.
New York scored 33 points in this one, even though breakout rookie Omar Cooper Jr. was not targeted. Frank Reich’s red-zone issues kept the Jets from getting to 40 in what should have been a home win, but the defense still had to do its part and didn’t.
Instead, the Jets are back in the same place they were when Glenn arrived. They’re 2-6, they’ve lost back-to-back home games against beatable opponents, and the whole operation feels stuck in the same old rut.
Over the last 25 games, the team has won five times, and the defense appears to be sliding deeper into the same old Jets gloom. Glenn is all but assured to be fired.
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Jets Fans Have A Growing Kenyon Sadiq Concern To Figure Out
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What makes the slump more notable is that the usage has not disappeared. Sadiq has still been on the field more often and has continued to draw looks, but the impact has not matched the opportunity, especially as the Jets sort through a broader offensive picture and compare his development with what other rookies are providing. For a team looking for any steady source of momentum, his next step feels like one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]