I’m sure most people have heard of that old term, “two steps forward and three steps back” by now and I am beginning to wonder if that phrase was created by a Jets fan. The self-destructive phrase does seem to fit the New York Jets and their ability to implode just when things start to move in the right direction.
For last Thursday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts on national television, things looked at first like a step forward and then all of a sudden . . .well, you know the drill by now. Numbers don’t lie and when the Colts were able to destroy the Jets defense on the ground the result was all too familiar – another big Jets loss. In all honesty, things by the latter part of the first quarter didn’t look so bleak as new hero MIke White threw a 19 yard TD reception to rookie Elijah Moore (hist first TD reception as a pro and rightful congratulations to him on a nice catch) which tied the game up 7-7 and then everything began to fall apart. White couldn’t grip the ball which is a major occupational hazard for an NFL quarterback and then the Jets defense seemed to pack it up and head home early. Jonathan Taylor led the Colts ground assault with 172 yards and two TD’s while Nyheim Hines also had 74 additional yards on six carries and an additional ground TD. Carson Wentz looked like his old self and also threw for 172 yards and two more passing TD’s just to add insult to injury to the Jets defense. The Colts were able to move the ball on the ground to the tune of 8.7 yards per carry which means they literally were gashing the Jets run defense at will all night long.
Mike White looked to start out on another great night with 7 passes for 95 yards and an equalizing TD in the first quarter (only the second Jets TD in a first quarter this season) and then it happened – or whatever happened to White’s foream spelled doom for the Jets almost immediately. Well, QB #2 goes down and veteran journeyman Josh Johnson got his night to shine and shine he did. Johnson kept a hemmoraging Jets team in this game by throwing for no less than 317 yards and three TD’s in an 18 minute span and was trying to get the Jets to move to a one possession game when a tipped pass ended Johnson’s valiant effort to make this a competitve ball game. Although the Jets defense looked like they put up the white flag by halftime, Johnson did everything he could to keep the Jets in this game and the final score of 45-30 could have even been closer so hats off to QB #3 who looked like a true, seasoned veteran and threw his first TD pass since December of 2018.
What will Robert Saleh do this coming Sunday? Who will be the starting QB? I doubt Zach Wilson will be ready to come back and right now do you really want him jumping back in? Will Mike White’s forearm be healed up in time for Sunday? Or do the Jets let Josh Johnson keep going after that strong effort last Thursday? I sat watching the end of the game and reading Johnson’s body language after that tipped ball at the end and realized this man wasn’t just filling in at QB, he was genuinely trying to win the football game and pull a huge come-from-behind upset. Whatever happens and whoever takes the snaps this coming Sunday, my hat is off to Mike White for trying to keep this mid-season rally going and especially to Josh Johnson who played like a warrior last Thursday night.
