Make that 0-4 on the West Coast this year.
Maurice Morris rushed for 116 yards, Seneca Wallace passed for a productive 175 yards and a touchdown and Olindo Mare connected on two field goals as the
Seahawks downed the Jets 13-3 on a snowy afternoon in Seattle. Gang Green came out of the blocks clicking and Jay Feely put the Jets up 3-0 with a 20-yard field on the game's opening drive, but it was all downhill from there. Penalties, turnovers and just an overall lack of efficiency doomed the Jets and sent their playoff hopes into serious jeopardy.
The Jets played like they were "Snowblind" so I'm putting up some Black Sabbath. Just because.
This drama had a few "twists" in it, but the tone could probably best be crystallized with the Jets' first possession of the second half and the following Seattle series.
Here's what happened.
The Jets began at their own 23-yard line and Brett Favre and Thomas Jones helped push the ball down the field. Gang Green eventually faced a 3rd-and-1 from their own 46-yard line. The Jets raced to the line and Leon Washington ripped off a five-yard run. First down, right? No! The Jets were called for an illegal formation. The first down was wiped out, the Jets couldn't convert on the 3rd-and-6 and were forced to punt.
The Seahawks took over at their own 13-yard line and put together a 13 play, 74 yard drive that ate up 6:58 and ended in a Mare field goal to put them up 10-3.
There was still over two minutes left in the third quarter, but the game was essentially decided right there.
REASONS TO GET UP ON MONDAY:Jay Feely. Once again I was tempted to leave this place blank (a la the San Fransisco fiasco), but I'll give a nod to Feely since he was responsible for the Jets offense. How pitiful. Feely booted his field goal early in the first quarter and also nailed a 45-yard field goal with 13:22 left in the fourth. But that three-pointer was negated by a delay of game penalty. Feely didn't get an opportunity to try for the 50 yarder. More about that in the "sleep in" portion.
REASONS TO SLEEP IN ON MONDAY:Pushed around. The weather was sloppy, but that's no excuse for the Jets suddenly struggling rush defense. Seattle was going with a makeshift offensive line on Sunday -- not one of the them was a starter when the season began. You would have never guessed that with the way they played. The Jets were held sackless and gave up over 100 yards on the ground for the fourth straight week. What's the story?
The old man. The past four weeks have been rough for Brett Favre and if I didn't know any better I would swear that he has aged about 20 years during that time. Favre looked sharp on the Jets first possession, but he never quite reached that level for the rest of the game. And that's me being kind. Favre consistently underthrew receivers all afternoon and looked hesitant in the pocket. Father Time catches up with everyone eventually, and it looks like it's finally caught up with No. 4. Favre finished 18 of 31 for 187 yards, 0 TD, and 2 INT. He was also sacked four times.
Mangenius no more. It was believed that Eric Mangini's job was on the hot seat before the season started, but that talk cooled after the Jets raced to an 8-3 record. I think it's safe to say that those talks will be back. Mangini has taken some heat during the Jets past four games, but he might burst into flames after Sunday's loss in Seattle. Here's the skinny. The Jets faced a 4th-and-1 at the Seahawks 2-yard line on their first possession of the game. Mangini elected to kick the field goal. I'll go on record and say that I agreed with the coach's call on this one. It wasn't 4th and inches, it was a solid yard. Plus, with the weather being what it was, it's always important to take the points when you can. Good call. But I will not (and cannot) agree with Mangini's decisions on the other two controversial plays. Play one: Feely was not given a chance to hit a 50 yarder. Yes, a 50-yard field goal attempt in the snow isn't a gimmie, but Feely already drilled the 45 yarder with at least five yards to spare. Why not give him another shot? Sometimes you have to take a gamble (especially with the playoffs on the line) and that seemed like a good time to take a chance. The second strange decision came with 2:21 remaining in the game and Seattle up 10-3. The Jets faced a 4th-and-2 from their own 20-yard line. Gang Green decided to go for it. Laveranues Coles almost came down with a spectacular grab, but the long pass fell incomplete. Seattle took over and eventually scored the game-clinching field goal. Two things: Why go for it from your own 20 when you have all three timeouts and the two-minute warning remaining? Why not punt, hold the Seahawks down and then try again to score the game-tying touchdown? Dumb. Also, why, if your plan was to go for it on fourth down, are you also throwing on third down? And the fourth-down play call was terrible. Coles was also double-covered on the play. It's very easy to second-guess, but these decisions just don't make sense to me.
This was a painful, painful game to watch and I may have broken my personal record for most expletives uttered in a three-hour period. Santa just dropped a big, fat turd into the Jets' playoff stocking and it'll take a minor miracle for the guys in green to make it to the second season. Gang Green will need a win against the Dolphins next week at the Meadowlands and a Patriots loss at the Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs. Or a win and a Baltimore Ravens loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It shouldn't have come down to this. The Jets controlled their destiny for weeks and now they'll have to rely on others to make the post-season. And beat a streaking Miami team.
Right now, I just don't see that happening.
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I've said it for some time now. I don't care how the Jets and Dolphins are playing at any time during the season but the Jets always seem to have their number.