Eternal Damnation and Hilarity
The New York Jets have been exceptionally awful this season, even by Jets standards. This is saying something considering this is a Jets franchise that has seen nothing but disappointment since Joe Namath walked off the Orange Bowl field in 1969. This is a team that has given us the Buttfumble, the original Fake Spike victim, and a surplus of terrible draft choices. Yet somehow, this season tops everything and has given us a new low for the Jets.
The Jets have been winless this season and with the trade deadline approaching this Tuesday, you wonder why the Jets have been silent in recent days. This is only a temporary thought as you then realize that the Jets have no assets left to trade. In theory, the Jets still could have dealt Sam Darnold or any defender left worth a dime. The rest of the NFL stayed put and it can only be assumed that the Jets received no further offers (maybe they will by Tuesday, one can hope).
The Jets did release Le’Veon Bell a few weeks ago, which almost makes this matchup against Kansas City to be all the more perfect. Bell going to the Chiefs ended one of the worst tenures for one of the best running backs in the league. For Bell, this was a revenge game. For the Jets ironically, Bell would be the most expensive player on the field for Sunday’s game (yeah the Jets still owe Bell dead money for releasing him).
The Chiefs were 19.5-point favorites
The Jets haven’t had a difficult opponent for a few weeks, which amplifies how bad the winless Jets are. Anyone who bet on this game didn’t hesitate with their pick. We all knew the one-loss Chiefs were going to beat the Jets. It was just a matter of how many points they were going to put up and if Kansas City wanted to run up the score. The bettors watched with bated breath.
Early on, the 19.5 spread looked concerning with the score being only 14-9 in favor of Kansas City. Watching this game, you would assume that the Jets game planned to beat the Bills from the week before. They were only making field goals but being oddly successful at the task (we’ll call 3 for 4 a success). This was not going to suffice against one of the best offenses in the NFL. Trading field goals for touchdowns is the definition of bringing a knife to a gunfight. The Chiefs touchdown to close out the half assured everyone that the game was all but over. Unfortunately, the 19.5-point spread still looked like a daunting task.
In case anyone feared this monumental spread being covered, the doubt was easily erased
These fears were immediately put to rest when you consider the futility of the Jets offense. This is an offense that aside from being the worst statistical offense in the league this season (12.1 points per game), hasn’t scored in the second half since Week 5. Sunday’s game was a reminder of the putrid offense as they once again fell flat in the second half. The already bad offense seemed to go above and beyond when they only mustered 63 yards in the second half. The Chiefs have an underrated defense. However, 63 yards in the second half is beyond embarrassing (and Adam Gase was meant to be an offensive-minded guy).
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid probably wanted to just run out the clock to end this game. But of course, the bettors were not going to be denied. Patrick Mahomes threw a third-quarter dime to Demarcus Robinson to give the Chiefs a 19-point lead. That wasn’t enough to cover the spread. So Patrick Mahomes erased all doubt with a 41-yard strike to Tyreek Hill in the fourth quarter. It was Mahomes’s 5th touchdown pass on the day and the dagger in a 35-9 victory.
So why is Adam Gase still coaching the Jets?
All those that bet on the Chiefs with the heavy 19.5-point spread rejoiced. They got to watch the Chiefs play football and the Jets watch the Chiefs do that. Those that are Jets fans, and still put themselves through this cruel and unusual weekly punishment, have to be either outraged that Adam Gase is still the head coach or just defeated by the fact that Gase let go of anyone worth anything, but still remains.
At this point, the only rational explanation for Gase still being the head coach is one of divine power. The Jets know that the only way to draft Trevor Lawrence is by landing the number one pick in this draft. If the Jets fire Gase now, they run the risk of winning a game. Of all the years to not win, the Jets know that this is the year to follow suit. I don’t know if Trevor Lawrence wants to go to this living Hell, but it appears Lawrence contracting Covid-19 won’t hinder the process of the Jets’ perfect spiral down to infamy.
