Jets vibe quickly changing as offense teases potential and should only keep improving
The Jets had just defeated — no, dominated — the Patriots, 24-3, in their home opener Thursday night.And about 20 minutes after the game in the bowels of MetLife Stadium, there was a buzz around the entrance to the Jets locker room.Celebrities, such as Ice Spice and her entourage, milled in and out of the room to glad-hand the winners.Then Christopher Johnson, the co-owner and vice chairman of the Jets, emerged from the room to head home.
He had a relieved, not celebratory, look on his face.When I congratulated him, he indicated with a weary smile that he still had “some PTSD’’ from all the years of losing to the Patriots.Surely, there are many scarred Jets fans who feel the same way — unsure of whether to rejoice in having a team that may actually compete not only for a first playoff berth since 2010, but for more.It is, of course, early.And the Patriots, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick distant memories, are a young, rebuilding team that will likely finish in the bottom fifth of the league by year’s end.But there should be no apologies for winning, regardless of the strength of the opponent.“It was good to win a game like that,’’ coach Robert Saleh said after the win over New England.“Obviously, we know we’ve all been on the other side of it too, right?’’Right.The story at the moment as the Jets were off over the weekend before returning to work Monday to prepare for their Week 4 game against the Broncos on Sunday, is how they deftly navigated their way through the first three games in 11 days and won two of them.Two is what the Jets were supposed to win among those three.
They were not expected to go to San Francisco and knock off the defending NFC champion 49ers.They were, however, expected to take care of business against the Titans, with shaky second-year quarterback Will Levis a liability, and against the talent-challenged Patriots.And they did.That’s what good teams do.
They take care of the games they’re supposed to win.�...