MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — All together now: “Same Old Jets.”
Just when you were about to buy in, just when you were thinking maybe these Jets are for real, they choke away a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and lose 31-28 to the Dolphins in brutal fashion at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
There were plenty of culprits in the fourth-quarter collapse, but none bigger than quarterback Josh McCown, who threw an interception with 39 seconds left in the game. The pick by Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain set Miami up at the Jets’ 27 after a penalty was enforced.
Cody Parkey kicked a 39-yard field goal four plays later with 26 seconds remaining on the clock to drop the Jets to 3-4.
“If you’re part of turning the ball over like I was, it’s a sick feeling because guys work so hard,” McCown said. “To not give us an opportunity to finish that game and win, it hurts.”
It was the second straight week the Jets blew a 14-point lead, but this one was much more brutal than last week’s gradual loss to the Patriots.
This was as unexpected as a punch to the gut. The Jets were leading the Dolphins 28-14 at the start of the fourth quarter. They had played well on both sides of the ball. McCown had three passing touchdowns and one rushing score. The defense had two interceptions that led to 14 points.
But the Jets self-destructed in the fourth quarter. They had -4 total yards in the quarter. They committed seven penalties (two were declined) in the period. The defense let backup quarterback
Matt Moore march the Dolphins down the field twice for touchdowns.
The Jets had a chance to close out the Dolphins and sweep the season series. Instead, they let them back into the game and now have lost two division games in a row.
“It’s frustrating,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We had a chance to finish. We didn’t finish. There were too many mistakes, too many blunders. At some point, we have to develop a killer instinct to finish ballgames.”
After the game, the tension in the Jets’ locker room was palpable. Normally affable players were short with the media. Some had to be coerced to talk by Jets staffers. Before the media entered the locker room, screaming could be heard. Players later said Muhammad Wilkerson exhorted his teammates to fix what ails this team.
“I said every man, including myself, we’ve all got to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out what type of team, what type of player we want to be,” Wilkerson said. “Do we want to finish guys when we’re up or do we want to be complacent and let games slip away like this?”
The biggest issue the Jets will be talking about after this one is penalties. They committed 12 for 124 yards in the game. The Jets have been called for 67 penalties (10 declined), the second-most in the league.
“It was big. It’s frustrating,” Bowles said of the flags. “Twelve penalties, you ain’t going to win the ballgame. There were too many untimely penalties. There were too many penalties, period. Until we learn that lesson, it’s going to be tough sledding.”
The Jets started out fast. They scored on their opening drive and McCown looked like he was in a groove. The 38-year-old quarterback completed 10-of-15 passes for 163 yards in the first half and was part of three touchdowns.
Unlike last week against the Patriots when the Jets limped into the locker room, they grabbed the momentum before halftime Sunday. Wilkerson intercepted Cutler at the Dolphins 1-yard line after Jamal Adams batted the pass in the air. McCown scored from the 1 to make it 21-14 at the half.
McCown found Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a 10-yard touchdown with 1:41 left in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 28-14. Cutler left the game in the third quarter after suffering what is believed to be cracked ribs from a hit by Jordan Jenkins.
When the fourth quarter began, the Jets unraveled. On their first possession, a false-start penalty on right tackle Brent Qvale on the first play backed them up. They wound up punting and the Dolphins got the ball on the Jets’ 42. Four plays later, Moore found Kenny Stills for a 28-yard touchdown to cut the Jets lead to 28-21 with 11:21 left in the game.
The next Jets series again had a false start, this time by left guard James Carpenter. McCown was sacked for a 10-yard loss on third down, and the Dolphins again wound up with good field position, starting at their own 46.
Moore led them on a six-play, 54-yard drive to tie the game. Buster Skrine was penalized twice for defensive holding on the drive, helping the Dolphins along. Skrine had a terrible game. He gave up the 2-yard touchdown pass to Stills that made it 28-28.
The two teams then traded punts. The Jets got the ball at their own 15 with 47 seconds left and three timeouts. Bowles decided to go for the win rather than play for overtime.
On the first play, McCown saw Jermaine Kearse open along the sideline, but did not see McCain underneath, who picked it off.
“It was one of those where I tried to stop as I was throwing because I saw him late,” McCown said. “So I didn’t get enough on the ball. I don’t even want to think about it. It makes you sick. It’s just something that can’t happen.”