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Let’s be completely forthright for a few paragraphs.
This is for Jets supporters who are just as infatuated with Gang Green during the slow football months of late spring and early summer as they are during the regular season’s 17 games.
Who has less than a therapeutic dependence on the New York Jets? They are examining the television listings for options. They will spend a cool but bright day strolling through Central Park, watching a matinee, and exploring a museum.
What is the purpose? Joe Flacco and Skyler Thompson, the third-string quarterbacks, will compete in this matchup. It will be a duel between two teams who had far greater aspirations a month and a half ago — some even considered the Dolphins a dark horse to win the AFC and reach the Super Bowl — but are now on identical five-game losing streaks.
Only the Bears (nine consecutive losses), Cardinals (six consecutive losses), and Colts (six consecutive losses) are performing worse.
Before Tua Tagovailoa sustained his final concussion of the season, the Dolphins were already trembling. Mike White’s ribs were broken in a storm of broken hopes for the Jets to receive solid quarterback play. Zach Wilson will play on Sunday, but if something were to happen to Joe Flacco, the Jets would prefer to use Quinnen Williams at quarterback.
Joe Flacco will start for the Jets against the Dolphins in the season finale.
AP
Because even if you are the most patient fan, the most resilient fan, the most optimistic fan, the most unflappable fan, you have reached the end of your patience, resilience, optimism, and… well, flappability.
Twelve full seasons have passed without a playoff appearance, the longest gap in the whole league. It has been seven complete seasons since the Jets had a serious run at a playoff game (no, this season does not count, even though the Jets still controlled their destiny through 16 weeks and had a realistic shot through 17).
When the Jets left Buffalo following the Rex Bowl on January 3, 2016, it was impossible to predict that they would dump everything in Lake Erie on the way back to New York. quarterback for the Bills that day? Tyrod Taylor will participate in another meaningless game on Sunday, but this one will be for the Giants in Philadelphia.
Seven years and five days after a 22-17 loss to the Bills kept the Jets out of the playoffs despite a 10-6 record, the Jets face a situation they are more familiar with than any other NFL team: another meaningless last Sunday of the regular season.
It had to cease. Must immediately stop.
Next year, Week 18 must be unique. Has to have significance. No, let’s take it a step further: it must imply something beyond still in the hunt and win and you’re in. It should be used for seeding. It should be for home field, dare we say it? It should be for a genuine purpose.
It must be so.
Even though the Jets have gone from two wins to four wins to seven wins — meaning that if they win on Sunday in Miami, they will have doubled their win totals in successive seasons, which should indicate development – it doesn’t seem like it. The euphoria of seven consecutive victories has been diminished by five consecutive defeats.
Even the most optimistic and unflappable Jets supporters do not have a limitless supply of “wait until next year” in them. And they should not be required to re-enlist. Next year must be different at this time. Having must be the case This must be the final weekend that Jets supporters will have to spend doing nothing.
»This must be the Jets’ final meaningless weekend in a long drought«