Jets Week 17 Anti-Game Ball: The Whole Team

Usually I pick one player to give the anti-game ball after a loss. This week I am going to break the rule. The Week 17 game against the Bills was so big, and the team-wide performance was so poor that I have to give it to the entire team.

The coaching staff did a poor job with its gameplan. Chris Ivory getting less carries than Stevan Ridley did not make much sense. Neither did the refusal to give Darrelle Revis help on Sammy Watkins.

The defense promptly gave up a pair of touchdowns to put the Jets behind. They allowed four scoring drives of six minutes or longer. Two of these drives came immediately after the Jets had put up points to cut the Buffalo lead to a single score. Revis was torched by Watkins. Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams committed key penalties. It was not pretty.

On offense, Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled for long portions of the game. Then he threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. For their part, Jets receivers did not help him with drop after drop. Kenbrell Thompkins' failure to come up with a ball in the final half minute of the fourth quarter might not have been a drop, but it was still a chance to win the game.

Special teams was its typical poor self. A Ryan Quigley shanked punt set up a Bills touchdown early. Randy Bullock missed a field goal later.

In a game like this with so much on the line, it is difficult to single out one person so I give my anti-game ball to the entire team.