Syndication: Detroit Free Press
(Florham Park, NJ) – Things have not gone as expected here early on for the 2023-2024 New York Jets.
First, Aaron Rodgers was lost – presumably for the entire season, if not the vast majority of it. The devastating injury to Rodgers actually occurred during a game the team won in OT against the division rival Buffalo Bills, but Gang Green came crashing down to reality on Sunday, when the Dallas Cowboys blew them out on the road.
A major injury to a key player, and a discouraging week 2 loss will always be challenges for any team – but perhaps especially for this Jets squad that came in with Super Bowl hopes.
And for head coach Robert Saleh, the task doesn’t get any easier from here. Zach Wilson, now the starter once again following Rodgers’ injury, has struggled so far this year – failing to flash in relief during week 1, and putting up an ugly stat line vs. Dallas: under 200 yards, a completion rating below 45%, and 3 interceptions. The team has said it’s not looking to bring in a new QB to either start outright or compete with Wilson, but that could change.
Most immediately for Saleh, he must calm any dissension in the ranks. Two of the team’s best players took to social media following Sunday’s loss, adding to the drama surrounding the Jets (what else is new?). Standout CB Sauce Gardner defended his performance against Cowboys’ WR CeeDee Lamb before eventually deleting his account on X (formerly Twitter).
Running back Breece Hall (who is notably still working his way back from knee surgery) posted a message with four football emojis, calling attention to the fact he only received four carries in the loss. Hall told reporters, “I mean, I only got four touches. That’s why we struggled. It is what it is. We just got down early today and just abandoned the run. That type of stuff happens. You feel like you have to get back in the game and it just slips away.”
That’s after Hall ran roughshod over the Buffalo Bills defense in week 1, gaining 127 yards on 10 carries.
Enter Saleh, who has been the Jets’ head coach since 2021 and has been tasked with building a winning club – as well as rehabbing the franchise’s image.
Too often, the Jets have fallen prey to the “same old Jets” type of headlines, and that’s routinely in reference to off-the-field issues as well as a lack of winning seasons. If the Jets are going to overcome Rodgers’ injury and lean on their world class defense en route to the playoffs, it’s going to require mental toughness and a willingness to beat back adversity.
Running to social media over petty gripes after just two games isn’t necessarily a recipe for success. Saleh has to rein it in, and keep this team mission focused.
Up next: the reeling Patriots (0-2) who could be looking at their first 0 and 3 start since 1993. Who better than to deliver that type of blow than Robert Saleh’s “new look” Jets?
