MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Any delusions about the Jets bringing Aaron Rodgers back to make a late-season playoff push ended here Sunday in an utterly embarrassing, no-show performance against the Dolphins.
The Jets were outplayed and outcoached in every aspect of the game and suffered a humiliating 30-0 defeat at Hard Rock Stadium.
“I think they just played a better game,” wide receiver Allen Lazard said. “They out-schemed us, out-efforted us.”
The loss eliminated the Jets from playoff contention. The team’s playoff drought is now 13 years old, officially a teenager.
It is the longest playoff drought in North American sports.
At 5-9, a season that began with Super Bowl dreams is now just another in a long line of dismal seasons.
The team has now had a losing record in eight consecutive years.
“It’s disappointing,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “Starting from the first series of the year all the way to now, it’s just been a constant battle.”
It is the first time the Jets have been shut out since Sept. 26, 2021 when the Broncos beat them 26-0.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was the head coach of Denver that day. This was the largest margin of defeat for the Jets since Oct. 24, 2021 when the Patriots beat them 54-13.
“It’s a good old ass whoopin’,” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed said. “Sometimes you get your ass whooped to simply put it.”
The Jets have now lost in Miami eight straight times.
Their last victory here was in the 2014 season finale, which was Rex Ryan’s final game as Jets coach.
Quarterback Zach Wilson was under siege in the first half behind an offensive line that played an atrocious game. He exited the game just before halftime with a concussion.
Wilson had no chance to duplicate his performance against the Texans last week as he was under pressure every time he dropped back, getting sacked four times and hit seven times.
Wilson was 4-of-11 passing for 26 yards and had a fumble.
The Jets managed a pathetic 103 total yards, tied for the fourth-lowest total in franchise history.
Three of the worst five offensive performances have come under Saleh.
The Jets had 23 rushing yards, their lowest total since 2005.
“Credit to them,” Saleh said. “They obviously won the battle up front and right from the get just made it hard on us to get anything going both run game and the passing game.”
Trevor Siemian replaced Wilson with 1:03 left in the first half, trailing 24-0. He did not fare any better, getting sacked two times and going 14 of 25 for 110 yards with two interceptions.
The game was over in the first half when the Jets had 4 total yards and minus-10 yards passing. They did not cross the 50 until midway through the third quarter.
Star receiver Garrett Wilson did not have a catch until the third quarter as he was blanketed by Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
“It’s very disappointing,” Wilson said. “You practice all week. You practice your whole life and you go out there and play like this. Disappointing. We’ve got to get to the drawing board and figure it out.”
While Zach Wilson and Siemian had their struggles on the field, the off-the-field speculation has all been on another quarterback — Rodgers.
The Jets have until Wednesday to add him to the active roster or his season is over.
The belief is that he will be medically cleared to return, but what is the point?
The Jets are now 5-9 and not making the playoffs and playing Rodgers behind this offensive line would be a terrible idea.
The Dolphins (10-4) came into this game with injury issues, most notably star receiver Tyreek Hill was missing with an ankle injury. It did not matter, though.
The Dolphins carved up the vaunted Jets defense with receiver Jaylen Waddle running free through the secondary and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completing his first 13 passes.
It is believed Saleh will return in 2024 but a performance like Sunday’s raises questions about whether owner Woody Johnson should make a change.
The Jets were noncompetitive against a division rival a week after they gained some momentum against the Texans. Saleh pinned the loss on the offensive line.
“Whenever you get beat up front, it doesn’t feel good,” Saleh said.
It was clear early that this would be a long day for the Jets.
On their first possession, Wilson was sacked by Bradley Chubb and Christian Wilkins and fumbled. Zach Sieler recovered and returned it to the Jets’ 1.
Three plays later, Raheem Mostert scored the first of his two touchdowns.
On their second possession, Saleh called a fake punt on fourth-and-4 from his own 42 and Ashtyn Davis failed to pick up the first down.
That led to a Dolphins field goal and a 10-0 lead.
The Dolphins added to the lead midway through the second quarter when Tagovailoa hit Waddle for a 60-yard touchdown.
Waddle beat Reed on the play and the rout was on.
“It was just one-on-one. It’s my fault,” Reed said. “I’ve just got to stay on top. … I’ve got to get him down. I’ve got to make the play. That’s on me. I’ve got to be better. It’s really that simple.”
Mostert scored again just before halftime to make it 24-0.
The Jets now are playing out the string with three games left in the season.
“Getting goose-egged,” Reed said, “and getting beat by 30 is definitely not the route that we thought was going to happen today.”
