With McCown injured, it's Petty's turn for Jets

Dec 12, 2017 - 2:16 AM FLORHAM PARK, N.J.-- Let's start today with a joke: The New York Jets still aren't eliminated from postseason contention.

Well, actually that's not a joke, it's a fact. It just sounds funny when you consider how poorly the Jets played Sunday in Denver.

Josh McCown is out for the season with a broken left hand, head coach Todd Bowles announced Monday, and it's time for the Jets to say goodbye to the 38-year-old quarterback.

Everyone involved knew his time with the Jets would be short, and McCown's tearful press conference after Sunday's 23-0 loss felt more like a retirement announcement anyway.

And if that's the case, Jets fans should tell McCown to fare thee well after he gave them some unexpected moments of jubilation this season. As crazy as this sounds after the Jets were shut out for the first time since Oct. 5, 2014, a case could have been made just last week for McCown to be an AFC Pro Bowler.

He was also their leader, as Bowles articulated on Monday.

"From the time he walked in the door, just always doing the right thing, saying the right things and helping everybody on the team, not just offensively, but defensively, as well," Bowles said about McCown. "Not to mention the fact that he made some plays out there on the field that have helped us out."

Alas, McCown's time has been cut short. As has the Jets' opportunity for a playoff run after failing to hold leads in three straight games against the Patriots, Dolphins and Falcons, and with their inability to even beat bad teams on the road, where they are now 1-5.

But here's the good news for the Jets after their bleakest Sunday of the season: They actually have a second chance to tank.

Even with McCown healthy, winning any of their final three games would have been difficult. The Jets (5-8) play in New Orleans this week, with the Saints (9-4) coming off a nine-day break. Then they will play host to the Chargers (7-6), who have won four in a row and seven out of nine, before closing out with the Patriots (10-2) in New England, possibly with home field in the AFC playoffs still on the line.

New starter Bryce Petty has completed 52 percent of his passes in his career with two touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Asking Petty or Christian Hackenberg (who may make his NFL debut before the season is over) to beat Drew Brees, Philip Rivers or Tom Brady is laughable. So, 5-11 is a very real possibility for the Jets.

Now, the Browns (0-13) and Giants (2-11) are the only teams guaranteed to have worse records than the Jets. Of the six other teams with less than five wins, only the Broncos would be in the quarterback market in the draft. The 49ers (3-10) seem to have their guy in Jimmy Garoppolo. The Colts (3-10) will be getting Andrew Luck back next season, same with the Texans (4-9) and Deshaun Watson. Mitchell Trubisky seems to be getting better every game for the Bears (4-9) and the Bucs (4-9) will ride with Jameis Winston in 2018, the last year of his rookie deal.

Cleveland and the Giants will likely be in play for USC's Sam Darnold or UCLA's Josh Rosen, but if the Jets keep moving up the draft order, would it be possible for them to swing a trade into the top two like the Bears did earlier this year to get Trubisky?

With the Giants, the answer would be a resounding no. The last thing the Giants want is a quarterback they could have drafted become a star for a different team in the same stadium.

With the Browns, the answer is maybe. It would be extremely expensive, but it's possible the Jets could make a massive draft-day deal with them to get their man, especially because Cleveland's strategy in recent years has been to stockpile as many draft picks as it can. Of course, that might change with John Dorsey being the new general manager.



REPORT CARD VS. BRONCOS

--PASSING OFFENSE: F -- The Jets had one first down from a pass play. That's the lowest total in an NFL game since 2010, when the Steelers didn't have any, but still beat the Titans, 19-11, behind the immortal QB duo of Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon, who were playing in place of a suspended Ben Roethlisberger. On Sunday, Josh McCown had 46 yards passing (his lowest total since 2013) after two straight 300-yard games at home, and turned the ball over twice. Bryce Petty was 2 of 9 for 14 yards in relief.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D -- Since the passing game wasn't working, the Jets ran the ball 23 times despite trailing by more than two scores for 52 minutes of the game. But they had only 59 yards, led by Bilal Powell's 35 yards on 13 carries. Adding injury to insult was rookie Elijah McGuire, who hurt his ankle in the first half and did not return. The Jets had 100 total yards, which was their second lowest output in franchise history. In Joe Namath's last game, on Dec. 12, 1976, the Jets had 72 yards ... but at least they scored in a 42-3 loss to the Bengals.

--PASS DEFENSE: D -- If they were playing against good offense, the numbers wouldn't have been terrible, but this was Trevor Siemian, who only regained his starting spot because Paxton Lynch got injured and Brock Osweiler is somehow even worse than he is. Siemian was 19 of 31 for 200 yards and a touchdown. During the Broncos' eight-game losing streak, their quarterbacks threw 14 interceptions, including nine for Siemian. But the Jets couldn't get one on Sunday, and they have now failed to force a turnover the last three games. One tiny bright spot was that Muhammad Wilkerson got his first full sack since Week 9 against Buffalo. Demaryius Thomas torched the Jets (mostly Morris Claiborne) for 93 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B -- The Jets held C.J. Anderson to 48 yards on 22 carries and backup Devontae Booker to 22 yards on nine carries, and the Broncos' longest run of the game was Siemian's 9-yard scramble. But fullback Andy Janovich plunged in from a yard out for the Broncos' second touchdown.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: D -- Punter Lachlan Edwards averaged nearly 46 yards on his eight punts, but the coverage was terrible, as Jordan Taylor had five returns for 62 yards, including a 24-yarder that led to a touchdown. JoJo Natson had a 27-yard kickoff return, and Chandler Catanzaro didn't attempt a field goal or an extra point for the first time in his four-year career.

--COACHING: F -- All year, Todd Bowles has received credit for his team's fight, often against superior opponents, and often at home. Well, it's time for him to take a knock for having his team lay down against inferior opponents on the road. The Jets are 1-5 away from home, with the only win against the winless Browns by three points. They have lost to the Dolphins (5-7), Bucs (4-9) and Broncos (4-9) on the road, and while the first two were at least close, Sunday was a laugher against a team that had lost eight in a row.