Only a rerun of the NFL Draft of 2021 would have been more excruciating to observe.
Jets fans braving a wet and chilly night in New Jersey on Thursday were treated to a battle of that class’ top two overall picks, as Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence continued his ascent and New York’s Zach Wilson barely looked worthy of a backup in the Jets’ 19-3 loss, crushing their chances of ending the NFL’s longest playoff drought.
After a shocking 7-4 start to the season, the Jets have lost four consecutive games, so victories at Seattle and at Miami — along with a great deal of assistance — are required to reach the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. The Jaguars (7-8) could claim their division with wins in their final two games, giving Lawrence the first of many opportunities to torment the long-suffering Jets club, which could have had the generational talent if it had won a meaningless game two years ago.
Losing out on Lawrence, who finished with 229 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, and a score to lead the Jaguars to their fourth win in their last five games, resulted in the Jaguars drafting Wilson, who assumed the role of Ryan Leaf to Lawrence’s Peyton Manning.
Trevor Lawrence performed like a No. 1 draft pick in handing the Jets their fourth consecutive loss.
Wilson received boos before halftime at MetLife Stadium, where he completed 9-of-18 passes for 92 yards and an interception on 18 attempts.
Wilson displayed reluctance, outrageously inaccurate throws, and poor decision-making against the league’s 27th-ranked defense, whereas Lawrence played with confidence and composure.
After Wilson led the Jets to three first downs and 66 total yards in the first half while the playoff race hung in the balance, head coach Robert Saleh displayed poor decision-making by continuing to play him. Saleh immediately replaced Wilson with Chris Streveler, an undrafted former CFL quarterback making his Jets debut after being promoted from the practice squad earlier in the day.
Zach Wilson had completed nine passes in 18 attempts before being replaced by Chris Streveler, the backup quarterback.
Streveler’s five consecutive first downs as a dual-threat player temporarily energized the crowd. The Jets gained more yards on this drive (83 yards) than they did on any of the seven drives with Wilson (78 yards), but they scored no scores.
The game had ended. Wilson’s evening was over. How much longer does he have left with the Jets?
Today’s back page
New York Times
Read further:
VACCARO: Carlos Rodon is well aware of the stakes.
MLB reinstates Trevor Bauer after arbitrator lessens record suspension
Rangers rallied in the third period to defeat the Islanders.
MUSHNICK: James Dolan is persistent in getting things wrong; he always does.
The Giants can win in Minnesota.
The remainder of Week 16 will be played predominantly on Saturday, with only three games planned for Christmas.
Both cold weather and backup quarterbacks (Philadelphia’s Gardner Minshew, Tennessee’s Malik Willis, Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley, Arizona’s Trace McSorley, Indianapolis’ Nick Foles, and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy) will impact many games, but neither will impact the Giants’ visit to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota.
Daniel Jones and the Giants might clinch a playoff berth on Christmas Eve if they win on the road and receive assistance.
AP
With assistance, the Giants (8-5-1) can secure their first playoff berth in six years after winning a must-win game in Washington. In addition to a win over the Vikings (11-3), who have lost two of their last four games and required the greatest comeback in NFL history to defeat the Colts (4-9-1) last week, the Giants could clinch a playoff spot with losses by two of the following three teams: Washington (at San Francisco), Detroit (at Carolina), and Seattle (at Kansas City).
Saquon Barkley hasn’t rushed for more than 100 yards in five consecutive games, and he may struggle to end that trend against a Minnesota defense that hasn’t allowed any player to do so this season. The Vikings are third in the league in yards per carry allowed (3.8).
There is now a quintuple-header. Ho ho ho
Sunday is the NBA’s busiest day of the regular season, and NFL games are snatching fans from the league’s marquee day. However, the NBA has more intriguing matchups:
RJ Barrett and the resurgent New York Knicks will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA’s annual Christmas Day national television showcase.
Two of the league’s hottest teams meet for the second time this season: the 76ers and the Knicks. On November 6, the Knicks won 106-104, but the NBA’s top scorer (Joel Embiid) will be eligible for Round 2. The Philadelphia big man scored 37 points in a losing effort in his most recent visit to Madison Square Garden.
LeBron James will get closer to the NBA’s all-time scoring record when the Lakers take on the Mavericks at 2:30 p.m. Luka Doncic, 23 years old, will aim to bolster his case for league MVP.
Bucks at Celtics (5 p.m.): The NBA’s top two teams meet in a rematch of last year’s seven-game playoff series, with two of the league’s top five scorers (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum). I wager that one of these clubs will win the NBA championship. Oh, wait, I already did.
Instead of facing Steph Curry in primetime, Ja Morant will face gravity.
AP
Grizzlies against. Warriors (8 p.m.): The reigning — and failing — champions may not have must-see status with Steph Curry’s injury, but Ja Morant’s presence makes every possession potentially unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed.
Suns vs. Nuggets (10:30 p.m.): If the Warriors cannot recover from their title hangover and Curry’s shoulder injury, one of these two teams might end up winning the wide-open Western Conference. The Suns’ Devin Booker will be one week removed from scoring 58 points, while the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is making a strong case for a third consecutive MVP award by nearly averaging a triple-double (24.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 9.0 assists).
Fans of the New York Mets are prepared to send Steve Cohen down the Canyon of Heroes. Given Cohen’s history as a fellow Mets fan and his willingness to take on an extraordinary payroll and luxury-tax bill, no owner in sports is currently more revered by his or her particular fandom. Cohen’s emergence as a savior from the tight-fisted Wilpon era has only increased this adoration.
Cohen is doing everything he can to win the Mets their first World Series championship since 1986, spending so much money this offseason to lift the team into a four-way tie for the 2023 World Series crown with the Astros, Yankees, and Dodgers.
The estimated cost of $489.832 million ($380.98 million in salary for luxury-tax purposes and $108.852 million in luxury tax) for Cohen during the upcoming MLB season is greater than what ten teams (A’s, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Marlins, Nationals, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, and Royals) are projected to spend collectively.
However, money can only go so far.
Last season, the Mets had the second-highest payroll and did not win a single playoff series. Six of the previous nine World Series champions were not among the top ten in payroll on Opening Day. Since 2010, only one team that topped the majors in payroll has won the World Series (2018 Red Sox). Before reloading with free agents CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett and adding their 27th title, the Yankees led the majors in payroll from 2001 to 2008 without adding to their championship collection.
When the Mets upped their payroll by 22.7% en route to winning 108 games and the 1986 World Series, they still placed tenth in payroll. Future spending sprees for the franchise never came close to delivering the same results. Since then, the Mets have had a payroll in the top five in 17 separate seasons, but have never reached the World Series. They were ranked sixth when they won the National League in 2000, and twenty-first during their 2015 championship run.
Bobby Bonilla, Bret Saberhagen, and Eddie Murray contributed to the formation of the worst possible team. Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, and Billy Wagner contributed to an unsuccessful competitor. Johan Santana did not bring the Mets any closer to their objective.
The Mets have had top payrolls in the past, notably as when they added Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran for the 2005 season, without success.
The additions/retaining of Justin Verlander (two years, $86.66 million), Carlos Correa (twelve years, $315 million), Edwin Diaz (five years, $102 million), Brandon Nimmo (eight years, $162 million), Kodai Senga (five years, $75 million), Jose Quintana (two years, $26 million), Omar Navarez (two years, $15 million), Adam Ottavino (two years, $14.5 million),
However, history suggests that money will not be decisive.
Bill Parcells was correct when he said, “You are what your record indicates you are,” with the exception of college basketball.
College coaches control their non-conference schedules, and Mike Anderson once again opted for the path of least resistance, ensuring a 21st consecutive season without a losing record while failing to prepare St. John’s for the toughest challenges ahead or provide the team with significant opportunities for notable victories before beginning play in the Big East, where only two teams are currently ranked (UConn, Marquette).
The St. John’s men’s basketball team’s 11-2 record is deceiving, as the Red Storm’s only two losses were against quality opponents.
The Red Storm’s 11-1 start was exposed as a sham during Wednesday’s 78-63 loss to Villanova’s (7-5) weakest team in 11 years. The two highest-ranked KenPom opponents St. John’s has faced, Iowa (45) and Villanova (53), have both delivered the Johnnies double-digit losses. The Red Storm have yet to defeat a team ranked in the top 80 in the nation by the analytics website.
Now in his fourth season at Queens, Anderson’s Big East record is 24-34 with no postseason appearances. This opportunity may be his last. The women’s basketball team at St. John’s is off to its best start in school history after winning its first 12 games and receiving its first ranking in seven years.
The Fordham men’s team has also made some buzz, starting the season with a 12-1 record that is tied for the greatest in school history and riding an 11-game winning streak for the first time since 1991. First-year coach Keith Urgo, 42, is getting the best out of his team, led by senior guard Darius Quisenberry, based on Kyle Neptune’s surprise 16-16 record in his lone season as coach, which included an appearance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals and the program’s most wins in 15 years. The Rams’ schedule hasn’t been a murderer’s row either, but expectations, quality, and experience are vastly different in The Bronx compared to Queens, and in the Big East compared to the Atlantic 10.
»Zach Wilson’s humiliation is not enough nightmare fuel for the Jets; there is also Trevor Lawrence«