It’s Another ‘Wait Till Next Year’ Season for the Jets and Giants

This was meant to be the year when New York’s Jets and Giants re-established themselves as valid contenders for a Super Bowl championship. Instead, it’s another wasted New York football season that will end with more questions than answers. The last grains of optimism preserved by inspiring performances last week from unsung quarterbacks Zach Wilson for the Jets and Tommy DeVito for the Giants are gone. Any hope of playing meaningful football the rest of December and into January vanished at Miami and New Orleans on Sunday. The Jets were embarrassed 30-0 by the Dolphins, and the Giants lost 24-7 to the Saints, ending a three-game winning streak. At 5-9, the Jets are mathematically eliminated from postseason play for the 13th consecutive year, the longest such drought across all four major professional sports in North America. “Starting from the first series of the year to now it’s been a constant battle,” the Jets head coach, Robert Saleh, said at Miami, exuding resignation. “We’ve still got three games left to finish strong. As bad as we feel now, we have to remember we felt pretty good last week.”The scene was similar at New Orleans, where the Giants dropped to 5-9, all but mathematically ending their playoff hopes. “Nothing was where it needed to be,” the Giants head coach, Brian Daboll, allowed. “Overall, it wasn’t good enough.”Now comes the hard part — trying to salvage something positive out of the final three games of the regular season. Here’s the checklist for the Jets: 1) Decide if Mr. Saleh should remain the head coach. 2) Decide whether Mr. Wilson is worth keeping for another year. 3) Focus on what players are worth retaining. 4) Evaluate the coaching staff. 5) Create some positive energy to take into the offseason.A four-time NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers, went down with a torn Achilles on the Jets’ first offensive series of the season. His replacement, Mr. Wilson, a former top pick, has been inconsistent and left Sunday’s game against the Dolphins with a concussion. He completed just 4 of 11 passes for 26 yards and wasn’t getting much help from an unreliable offensive line. “They obviously won the battle up front right from the get (go) and made it hard for us to get anything going both in the run game and in the passing game,” Mr. Saleh said. “Whenever you get beat up front, it doesn’t feel good.”Except for scoring 30 points in the second half of a 30-6 win over the Falcons last week, the Jets’ offense has struggled. Offensive weapons like running back Breece Hall (637 yards, 2 TDs on the season) and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (882 yards, 3 TDs) are underutilized. The Jets did not target Mr. Wilson until the third quarter Sunday. Meanwhile, the quarterback Mr. Wilson has thrown almost as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns (8) and endured 46 sacks.Rumors swirl that Mr. Rodgers, who has made a seemingly miraculous recovery, might be able to play the final games of the regular season if the Jets were in playoff contention. Yet that seems a useless exercise at this point. Mr. Rodgers, 40, is not yet cleared to play, and it seems more prudent to allow Mr. Wilson one final chance to prove he’s worthy of being a Jet in 2024. Mr. Saleh figures to return for a fourth season unless he somehow loses the team in its final games against the Washington Commanders, the Cleveland Browns, and the New England Patriots. Wins against the lowly Commanders (4-10) and Patriots (3-11) would create some much-needed positive energy going into an important off-season. The Giants face a similar to-do list over their final three games, though their head coach is safe after leading the franchise to the playoffs last year, his first with the team. The hoopla, though, surrounding quarterback Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito took a hit at New Orleans. Mr. DeVito, an undrafted rookie and former third-string quarterback who lives at home with his parents, never had a chance. The New Jersey native was sacked seven times as the Saints defenders mocked the quarterback’s Italian hand gesture. It was as if they were taunting the Giants playoff hopes by saying, “Fogetaboutit.” The lack of protection made the Giants rely on a short passing game, with Mr. DeVito completing 20 of 34 passes for just 177 yards. He threw no touchdowns or interceptions.The Giants close with two games against the Philadelphia Eagles sandwiched around a home game with the Los Angeles Rams on New Year’s Eve. Mr. DeVito deserves the chance to solidify his role as the backup quarterback heading into the offseason. He could even be a valid candidate to compete with Daniel Jones for the starting job next year. Like the Jets, the Giants also must fortify their offensive line, which has been terrible for much of the season.Ending the year on a positive note, though, could be difficult for the Giants. With two games against an Eagles team looking to reassert its dominance in the NFC, the Giants face a potentially disastrous finish, adding more frustration to an already disappointing New York football season.“We’re all pros,” Mr. Daboll said. “You get ready to play next week. That’s our job.”

It’s Another ‘Wait Till Next Year’ Season for the Jets and Giants

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