Well, this one hurts, especially considering that at one point the Jets were up by 11 but ended up losing 17-30 and shut out in the second half. QB Mark Sanchez probably played the best game of his NFL career - 17 of 30 for 257 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. The loss of RB Shonn Greene surely hurt the Jets, as did the loss of CB Donald Strickland and the blatant roughing the passer non-call, but let's face it the Colts were just the better team today...
The season is over and despite the sad ending, it sure went better than we had hoped. Did many of us expect the Jets reach the AFC Championship Game? I am sure the answer is no. This Jets team surprised many, and hopefully, with some additions on the defense we can make another run next year.
So, why did the Jets lose today?
1). As I already said, the Colts were just the better team.
2). The Jets can't run the football without Shonn Greene. RB Thomas Jones is as good as done. He most likely played his last game as a Jets today.
3). The Jets can't pressure the quarterback without throwing an all out blitz, which leaves them open for big gains. Yes, DE Shaun Ellis was playing hurt, but this was the case even before the previous game where Ellis got injured.
4). We don't have enough quality in the secondary.
5). Finally, the decision to kick that 52-yard field goal wasn't a smart one. The Jets should have punted and played the field position game.
This one hurts but not as much as the one against the Broncos in 1999. Back then I was sure the Jets were the better team, but that wasn't the case today. Oh well, as they say, there's always another year...