:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65921709/1194014647.jpg.0.jpg)
The New York Jets were humbled by the Baltimore Ravens, 42 - 21, on Sunday. The Ravens are probably the best team in the NFL right now, so losing to them in Baltimore was to be expected. You only wish the Jets had been capable of being a little more competitive. This one was a complete annihilation, with the Jets vaunted run defense getting steamrolled. The Ravens game was the first of three games against AFC playoff contenders to close the 2019 season, so we may have already seen the Jets last victory until the 2020 season.
What effect did the loss have on the Jets in the power rankings? Let’s find out.
26. Jets (Last week: 24)
Thursday night’s game against Baltimore went exactly as expected. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the likely NFL Most Valuable Player, threw for 212 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for 86 yards. That’s no surprise, since Jackson has put up huge numbers all season. What is surprising, and concerning, is that the Jets suddenly seem to be a team in turmoil. During Sunday’s game, coach Adam Gase and quarterback Sam Darnold had a heated exchange on the sideline. They downplayed the incident after the game, but it still wasn’t a good sign. Running back Le’Veon Bell, the source of controversy in Week 14 when he supposedly missed the game with the flu but was seen bowling the previous night, returned and rushed for a season-high 87 yards. Maybe Bell should go bowling more often. The Jets also clinched their fourth straight losing season. That’s their longest such streak in the Super Bowl era.
23. New York Jets (5-9) | Last Week’s Rank: 21
The loss Thursday night in Baltimore clinched a losing season for the Jets. Stunning, isn’t it?
27. New York Jets (5-9) (Last Week’s Rank: 27)
Offseason in two words: Think big
We’re talking about the big fellas -- offensive linemen. The Jets, who haven’t drafted a lineman in the first round since 2006 (D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold), must overhaul their line in the offseason. They need a left tackle, two guards and quite possibly a center. They can buy one or two in free agency (guard Brandon Scherff?), then look for a franchise left tackle in the draft. Quarterback Sam Darnold’s future depends on it.
What do you think? Where should the Jets rank in the NFL power rankings?