Is Robert Saleh among New York Jets most to blamed for pathetic Week 15 loss to Dolphins…
The New York Jets were thoroughly embarrassed in a 30-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their Week 15 game Sunday. It was fitting that the Jets were eliminated from playoff contention with such a complete defeat.
It’s now 13 seasons and counting since the Jets last qualified for the NFL postseason. It is the longest such streak in the league. And this latest failure may be the most painful since it began with such high hopes and Super Bowl hype after Aaron Rodgers was acquired in an offseason trade.
ut we all know how that went. Rodgers was lost four plays into the season with a ruptured Achilles. And now even his incredibly fast recovery is moot with the Jets (5-9) again out of the playoffs.
As for being pummeled by their AFC East rivals Sunday, there are numerous Jets to blame for their 30-0 loss to the Dolphins, but let’s focus on this group:
The Jets were not only outclassed and dominated on each side of the ball Sunday. They looked unprepared and put up little resistance against the Dolphins.
It was a humiliating performance. That it came one week after the Jets’ feel-good 30-6 upset win against the Houston Texans just makes it that much worse.
And that falls on the coach’s shoulders.
Robert Saleh has two calling cards as a head coach in the NFL. He’s an excellent motivator and is one of the more brilliant defensive minds in the league.
Clearly his team, on the verge of playoff extinction, was not ready to play Sunday. They seemed shocked by how motivated the Dolphins were, coming off a 28-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans last week. The Jets simply did not come close to matching the Dolphins in any phase of the game, notably in their desire to win. That falls on Saleh.
And his beloved defense surrendered 30 points for the third time in the past five games, 24 before halftime against the Dolphins. And Miami was without MVP candidate Tyreek Hill, sidelined by an ankle injury.
Tua Tagovailoa completed his first 13 passes before throwing an incompletion late in the second quarter. The Jets defense had zero answers for stopping Tagovailoa, running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Dolphins coach and offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel ran circles around Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Oh, and McDaniel had the Dolphins ready to play.
Yes, Miami (10-5) is the far better team. But they were the more prepared team, too. That’s a devastating 1-2 punch, one that the Jets couldn’t come close to matching.
Coaches get fired all the time for losing seasons, of which Saleh has overseen three straight. And they get fired during losing seasons for performances like the one Sunday. Saleh is darn lucky to have Rodgers in his corner or else he’d be looking at a pink slip when this season ends.
The Jets cornerback and defensive coordinator share a spot here.
D.J. Reed was schooled by Waddle (eight catches, 142 yards). That included a 60-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, when a double move left Waddle wide open for the backbreaking TD that gave Miami a 17-0 lead.
Fair. That’s football. Reed is an excellent corner and Waddle is a terrific receiver. Waddle was better on this day.
Why Ulbrich didn’t let Sauce Gardner travel to cover Waddle when it became evident Reed couldn’t handle the tall wideout is unacceptable, especially with Hill out of the lineup.
McDaniel consistently lined Waddle up against Reed and Ulbrich didn’t move Gardner to that side to change up the defensive look. Instead, Waddle owned the Jets Sunday, in what was, perhaps, Reed’s worst game since signing with them in 2022.
OK, let’s be fair. The entire injury-ravaged offensive line for the Jets was putrid against the Dolphins. But it’s one thing when fourth-string guard Jake Hanson is terrible. It’s another when former first-round pick Mekhi Becton is.
Becton looked slow and simply overmatched against the Dolphins, particularly against Bradley Chubb. Miami’s game-wrecker had three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. It was his massive hit on New York’s first drive that forced a Zach Wilson fumble and led to the quarterback exiting the game later with a concussion, though that one was not on Becton.
Wilson was sacked four times and pressured on 80 percent of his dropbacks. That’s not all on Becton. But more is expected of the massive tackle. And he failed miserably Sunday.