GLENDALE, Ariz. — All talk about the Jets playoffs can be scrapped. It's officially mock draft season for Gang Green.
On Sunday, the Cardinals humiliated the Jets 31-6 at State Farm Stadium, dropping them to 3-7 and erasing all the happy buzz surrounding the team after last week's win over the Texans.
It was a disaster in the desert.
The Jets know that the win over Houston was just a tease to restore hope and belief to Jets fans that this team can end a playoff drought that now seems destined for 14 straight seasons. Showed.
Sure, the Jets aren't mathematically eliminated, and they can push and pull schedule changes to make the Jets a playoff team, but who will leave behind this performance?
Should we start with an offense that is allergic to the end zone?
Or do you want to talk about an overrated, overconfident defense that gave up 70, 70, 70, 83-yard touchdown drives without being able to tackle them?
The Cardinals are currently 6-4 and have won four straight. They are a great team that is ranked number one in the NFC West. But the Jets made them look like the 1972 Dolphins.
Kyler Murray rushed for two touchdowns while throwing for 266 yards and one touchdown. The Jets were concerned all week about being able to stop James Conner's rushing attack, but Arizona went all out to attack the Jets' vaunted secondary. The Cardinals scored on their first five possessions but did not punt until the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals gained 239 yards and 18 first downs in the first half. The Cardinals finished the game with 406 total yards and 28 first downs.
The Jets, on the other hand, could barely move the ball, and even when they did, they stumbled in the red zone. He gained 85 yards and no touchdowns in the first half.
Aaron Rodgers threw for just 40 yards in the first half. Davante Adams had two targets and zero catches.
Rodgers completed 22-of-35 passes for 151 passing yards and no touchdowns. Whatever the Jets offense was thinking in the second half of the Houston game, it didn't extend to the trip out west.
It was clear from the beginning what this movie was going to be. The Cardinals moved the ball easily in the first series. The Cardinals scored a 45-yard touchdown on a short pass from Murray to Conner, running back down the sideline and seemingly avoiding a tackle by Jets safety Jalen Mills.
It was initially ruled a 45-yard touchdown, but replays showed Conner was down just short of the goal line. The overturned play only delayed the touchdown by a few minutes. Conner made it on the next two plays, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.
The Jets offense fought back with an 11-play drive but failed to reach the end zone. The game was stopped at the Cardinals 7-yard line, and new kicker Spencer Schrader kicked his first career 25-yard field goal.
An ugly first half continued for the Jets' defense, with Arizona going 70 yards in nine plays on the second series. With the help of a pass interference penalty on DJ Reed in the end zone, they made it to the 1-yard line. On his third goal from the 1, Murray faked a handoff and ran around the left side for a touchdown, giving him a 14-3 lead.
Schrader made his second field goal of the day, a 45-yard field goal, to cut the lead to 14-6 early in the second quarter.
The Jets defense didn't seem to have an answer against the Cardinals. Murray connected with Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 9-yard touchdown for a 21-3 lead with 5:44 left in the first half. This came after tight end Trey McBride had two third downs on the drive.
On the first shot, Sauce Gardner failed to tackle McBride, allowing McBride to gain another 15 yards and a first down. Murray then hit McBride on third-and-10 for a 13-yard gain, putting the ball at the Jets' nine. This happened after Jets linebacker Quincy Williams drilled Murray thoroughly as an unblocked blitzer, knocking Murray's helmet off. For some reason, the batted ball didn't faze him.
The Cardinals added a field goal just before halftime, leading 24-6 at halftime. Chad Ryland completed it for 37 yards.
Last week against the Texans, the Jets trailed at halftime, but found their magic at halftime and scored three touchdowns in the second half to win.
The Jets seemed to have found that same magic again at halftime, until it disappeared. The Jets started the second half with the ball and got help from the Cardinals when Garrett Williams was flagged for pass interference on third down, erasing the interception and allowing the Jets to get a first down at midfield. The Jets moved the ball to the Arizona 3.
Rodgers threw two incomplete passes on passes intended for Adams, then fumbled on fourth-and-goal and was sacked by Xavier Thomas. The fumble was recovered by Cardinals linebacker Kyzil White.
After getting the ball back, the Cardinals did what they had been doing all day and troubled the Jets defense. Murray moved the Cardinals 88 yards in 10 plays, including one outrageous pass to a wide-open McBride for a first down. Murray ran through the Jets' defense for a 12-yard touchdown, ending the game with an exclamation point on the Jets' poor performance.
The Jets return home to play the Colts before their bye week. They might win that game, but this time they won't fool anyone. Submit a mock draft.
