The Jets became the first team to lose to the Browns since 2016 when they wound up on the wrong end of Thursday night’s 21-17 final score after leading 14-0 in the first half.
When you lose a game like that, there is going to be plenty of finger pointing and blame assessment. Two key members of the organization were pointing the finger at themselves.
Quarterback Sam Darnold was 15-of-31 for 169 yards and two interceptions, which he called “not acceptable” while pinning blame for the “stagnant offense” on his shoulders. The offense was unimpressive, but the Jets loss featured mind-numbing penalties, defensive breakdowns once Baker Mayfield entered the game and the generally poor end of game management that’s been a hallmark of recent seasons.
“I’m taking the whole ballgame,” head coach Todd Bowles said, via the New York Post. “The whole ballgame is on me.”
Bowles went 10-6 in his first season with the Jets and has gone 11-24 since that point. Much of that record can be explained away by the roster renovations that went on over the last two years and Bowles got a contract extension in December that represented that point of view. One loss isn’t likely to reverse that, but more losses like Thursday’s won’t make for comfortable footing.