3 takeaways from the NY Jets Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks

The NY Jets’ playoff hopes went up in smoke following their 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Let's take a look at three takeaways from this week's disappointing loss.

Goodnight Mike White

Whether or not Mike White came into this game at 100 percent, the fact is the Jets’ offense once again looked anemic as it finished with 279 total yards and failed to record a single touchdown.

“There's a standard that those guys deserve and I did not play to that standard today,” White said. “I think we're at the point where we don't care about moral victories. We don't care that we're playing meaningful games because we know that we're capable of it. Now we need to win meaningful games.”

A week after Gang Gang (7-9) benched Zach Wilson for a second time, this matchup represented a perfect opportunity for White to showcase himself and prove to be a viable quarterback option for next season.

Now, the Jets find themselves right back at square one and head into an offseason where they will likely be searching for a new signal caller.

Another slow start from the NY Jets

With 10 days to prepare for a must-win game, Gang Green could not have gotten off to a worse start as the Seahawks (8-8) needed just three plays to take a 7-0 lead before finishing the first quarter with 193 yards and a 10-3 advantage.

“No one's hurting more than the people in the locker room, especially me,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “It stings big-time right now.”

Considering White’s injury and the Seahawks’ porous run defense, it is hard to imagine Mike LaFleur’s game plan did not feature a healthy dose of ground and pound. However, because of the slow start the Jets likely needed to scrap the script and, as a result, found themselves behind the eight ball the entire day.

Blame it on Saleh, LaFleur, or the QB, slow starts have become all too familiar for this regime and need to become a thing of the past if they hope to reverse their fortunes heading into a critical 2023 season.

The clock is ticking

Now that the Jets know they will once again be spending the postseason at home, the hourglass can be turned over for Saleh and Joe Douglas. Although the duo has done a lot to pull Gang Green out of the rut they were in before their arrival, there is still work to be done to get where they need to go and where their fanbase deserves.

“We feel like we blew the season,” Garrett Wilson said. “We wanted a chance at the playoffs and I’m pretty sure this means we’re not going and at the end of the day that’s what we wanted to do.”

It is hard not to come away from this season feeling like it was a giant missed opportunity for the Jets considering they started 6-3 before losing six of their next seven.

However, assuming they get improvement from the QB position and their young core continues to grow, there is no reason Gang Green should not be a playoff team next year and possibly make a little bit of noise.