The New York Jets are now on a four-game losing streak after the Black Friday meltdown against the Miami Dolphins. Benching Zach Wilson didn't do anything for Nathaniel Hackett's offense, and the seats should be getting warmer each week. It's not all on the former second-overall pick, as New York's offense is outright terrible. Aaron Rodgers is looking to return mid-December this season, but it might not be ideal to do with everything spiraling out of control.
New York is averaging only 291 yards on offense per game, which ranks last in the entire NFL. The Jets rank 31st in passing yards, on top of being ranked 28th in rushing yards this season. Hackett's offense is the worst at converting third downs this season, as they convert 24.1% of the time.
Offensively, the Jets are lost. It's unfortunate, considering how talented their defense is. They've picked off Tua Taagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes multiple times when they faced them this season.
As great as their defense is, it doesn't matter. Head coach Robert Saleh can't win without a competent offense, and he hasn't had one since he was hired three seasons ago. Hackett was supposed to elevate the Jets offense this season, but without Rodgers, his scheme isn't pretty.
With that being said, changes need to happen. New York is a long shot to make the postseason this season, but they still have Rodgers aiming for a return. They would likely need to win out the rest of the way, but for that to happen, the Jets need to shake things up.
3. Bench Tim Boyle
Almost the entire Jets fanbase thought that Wilson was the problem, and they are right on that. Does Boyle's terrible Week 12 performance help his case? Of course, but Boyle is a journeyman QB who no one expected to light it up.
In his first start with the Jets, Boyle completed 27/38 passes for 179 yards. He threw a touchdown to Garrett Wilson, but he also had two interceptions, and two fumbles, on top of taking seven sacks. Boyle also looked lost trying to stop Dolphins safety Jevon Holland from returning an interception to the endzone.
New York doesn't have to turn to Boyle or Wilson, as they have another QB they can give the ball to. Trevor Siemian isn't a Pro Bowler, but he might be the best option until the 4x MVP is ready to go. Looking back on it, they probably should've given him the nod earlier in the season.
In five seasons, Boyle has only started three games going into the Black Friday game. Including yesterday's game, the journeyman QB has just four career passing touchdowns. Siemian, on the other hand, has started 30 games and thrown 42 passing touchdowns throughout his career.
Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but they're much better than both Boyle's and Wilson's numbers. With six games left to go the Jets don't have much time to turn things around, and they likely won't.
In the past New York might look to tank the rest of the way, but they want to set themselves up to win next year. Getting a high draft pick is nice, but establishing a winning culture is what the Jets should be focused on right now. Even though Boyle just got his opportunity, it might be best to put him back on the bench for the remainder of the season.
2. Fire Nathaniel Hackett
How does Nathaniel Hackett still have his job? His offense ranks at the bottom in almost every single offensive statistical category. Even last season when he was the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos, his offense was one of the worst in the NFL.
Last season Russell Wilson completed 60.5% of his passes and threw 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Without Hackett, the former MVP looks like his normal self again. This season, Wilson has already thrown for 19 touchdowns, and he's completed 69% of his passes.
The only reason the Jets offensive coordinator is still around is because of his good friend Aaron Rodgers. It seems that New York wants to see the 4x MVP in Hackett's system, but it's a risk.
It's not like the Jets don't have talent on the offensive side of the ball. Garrett Wilson is one of the most talented receivers in football. They also have Breece Hall, Tyler Conklin, and a few other solid pieces to work with. We see backup QBs step in for other teams around the league and find success, but Hackett and the Jets can't seem to do the same. Gardner Minshew and Joshua Dobbs are two examples of just that.
Even in the Jets four wins this year, the offense wasn't anything special. Against the Dolphins on Black Friday, the defense did the scoring, and the offense allowed a touchdown.
I understand Rodgers is one of the best passers in the history of the sport, but he shouldn't be able to influence the Jets decision to keep him around. New York hasn't been able to move the ball all year. Injuries have hurt them, but injuries are part of the game. If the offense doesn't show signs of life in the next coming weeks, the Jets might need to part ways with Hackett, even though they already should've.
1. Fire Robert Saleh
Robert Saleh is on pace for his third consecutive losing season as the Jets Head Coach. His career record through the three seasons so far is sitting at 15-30. Defensively, the Jets are among the best teams in the league. He's not a defensive coordinator anymore though. He's the guy in charge of both sides of the ball, and only one side is doing its job.
Numerous times this season he's defended bad quarterback play and was hesitant to make a change earlier on in the season. It was the same situation the Jets were in a season ago. Last season, Wilson was replaced by Mike White a little too late in the season, and history repeated itself this season.
From Week 5 to Week 11, the quarterback in question disappointingly found the endzone only twice. Considering Wilson's high potential as the second overall pick, it's understandable that the team wanted to provide him ample chances to showcase his abilities. But despite Saleh repeatedly offering opportunities, there hasn't been any improvement.
Losing Rodgers certainly dwindled the Jets playoff chances, but they were 4-3 after seven games. Last season the Jets were 5-2 after seven games. They missed the playoffs last season, and it's likely going to be another miss this season. Even without the four-time MVP, he still had three years to get this team ready for a playoff race. The best coaches find ways to win without their best players, and Saleh doesn't seem like that type of coach.
