NY Jets complete late-season collapse with an ugly Week 17 loss

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Mike White / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets season ended not with a bang but with a whimper following a sluggish, ugly loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.

With their postseason hopes on the line, the Jets came out flat and never recovered in what was inarguably one of their most disappointing performances of the season. There is no one person to blame either.

The defense had a disastrous start to the game allowing 193 yards in the first quarter as a result of numerous chunk plays. The Jets' safeties were consistently torched and Seattle quickly jumped out to a 17-3 lead just 16 minutes into the game.

The defense would put together a much better performance in the second half, but Mike White and the Jets' offense couldn't get anything going. White was inaccurate, gun-shy, and a complete mess for most of the game. It was easily his worst performance of the season.

It was a complete team loss as the Jets have now extended their playoff drought to 12 seasons. A fittingly disappointing end to a season that once showed so much promise.

Mike White and the NY Jets melted down in Week 17

This was a meltdown, through and through. There's no other way to describe what Jets fans bore witness to on Sunday.

The defense chose the worst time to have their worst quarter of the season. Mike White chose the worst time to put together his worst game of the season. There were few silver linings from what was a, quite frankly, embarrassing performance from the Jets.

White finished 23-of-46 for 240 yards and two interceptions, and if we're being honest, that stat line is flattering. The 27-year-old signal-caller was off on his ball placement, he was inconsistent with his decision-making, was consistently slow to process plays, and his footwork was a mess,

White looked eerily similar to how Zach Wilson had looked in each of the last few weeks. Ultimately, poor quarterback play played a large role in tanking this Jets season.

It's painfully clear that the Jets' 2023 Week 1 starting QB is not currently on the roster. Changes will be made at other positions like safety and offensive tackle, but the Jets aren't going to win anything until they find more consistent quarterback play.

Mike White isn't the answer.

This is a bitter pill to swallow. A disappointing conclusion to a season that could've been so much more.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.