The Jets were 6-3 after beating the Bills in Week Nine and their odds of making the playoffs were stronger than they had been in years, but the season took a turn for the worse once they returned from their bye in Week 11.
Quarterback Zach Wilson was benched after a loss to the Patriots that week and the Jets would go on to lose their final six games after Mike White led them to a Week 12 win over the Bears. The 7-10 finish left the Jets on the outside of the playoffs for the 12th straight season.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh said in September that he was “taking receipts” of those mocking the Jets, but he was left to offer an apology for the way things unfolded after Sunday’s 9-6 loss to Miami.
“You know, I say sorry to everybody . . . all the players, all the coaches, all the fans, because I know it’s been a long, long ride of not being in the playoffs and I know it was right in our fingertips and we’re not going,” Saleh said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com.
Rookies like Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner were bright spots for the Jets and they hope for the healthy returns of running back Breece Hall and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, but the offseason is going to be focused on finding better quarterback play. The Jets did not score a touchdown in the final three weeks of the season and they had three different starters — Wilson, White, and Joe Flacco — leading the offense in those losses.