Robert Saleh among New York Jets most to blame for pathetic Week 15 loss to Dolphins
It looks like there’s no need for Aaron Rodgers to rush his Jets return…
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.
But 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.
