The New York Jets came into the 2023 season with high hopes. After acquiring Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in an offseason trade, there were Super Bowl talks in New York for the first time in a long time. Alas, those dreams were quickly dashed, as Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury on his fourth play from scrimmage.

That sent the Jets into a tailspin, as they lost three straight games with Zach Wilson leading the offense. They were able to battle back, winning three games in a row to get to 4-3, but all of that progress looks to have been for naught.

A loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football to close Week 9 was crippling. ESPN now has their projections to make the playoffs at eight percent. For the second season in a row, the Jets look like they are going to waste the efforts of a championship-caliber defense.

For how dominant that unit has been this season, the offense has been inept. Their performance, led mostly by Wilson, is the one statistic that Rich Cimini of ESPN believes defines their first half of the season.

“Only eight offensive touchdowns in eight games. Sobering context: The Dolphins scored 10 in one game. Wait, it gets worse: The Jets have gone four straight games without a TD drive longer than one play. Their past two TDs were on a checkdown pass that sprung for 50 yards and an 8-yard run in which the defense appeared to let them score in an end-game situation. Their offense is as bad as it’s ever been,” Cimini wrote.

The Jets are currently 30th in the NFL in points per game, ahead of only the New England Patriots, who they lost to, and the New York Giants, who they beat in Week 8. There is no light at the end of the tunnel either to provide hope that things will get better.

The only thing the Jets and their fans have to cling onto at this point is a potential late December return from Rodgers. However, it is fair to question if he will be coming back to anything worthwhile. 

Given the current situation, it is more likely the Jets are out of the playoff hunt before the calendar flips to December than Rodgers is in a position to come back and lead a playoff contender. The front office and ownership deserve a lot of the blame for how this season has turned out.

Wilson has proven time and time again he is not an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. For whatever reason, the Jets opted to stick with him despite mounting evidence that it was a bad idea. They have made their bed and it is now time to lie in it, again.

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