The NFL season is officially in full swing. There have been 76 games with 4,560 minutes of live action so far this season. The New York Jets sit at a 2-3 record, but this has not come without adversity.
The Jets had so much promise over the offseason. General Manager Joe Douglas knew this team could go far in the coming year, despite going 1-7 in their last eight games. On the injury side, Aaron Rodgers’ season with the New York Jets only lasted four snaps. A torn Achilles is one of the toughest, which is what Rodgers went down with that night.
“When I saw him go down, I literally could not believe it”, says broadcasting teacher Casey DeWaal. “I mean it was the most Jets thing I have ever seen in my life, I still cannot believe it and we are a month after the injury.” DeWaal has been a Jets fan for years and even holds season tickets. Despite the Jets’ struggles, he will be present at almost every game this year.
The Jets robbed the Buffalo Bills in a 22-16 week one win, highlighted by undrafted rookie Xavier Gibson’s punt return touchdown in overtime. It was a great team win in which Breece Hall shined. It was great to see Hall, who is coming off a torn ACL, shine in his first game back.
“I loved seeing Breece back on the field,” says senior Derek Smith. “He is so electrifying when he runs. I even am a Bills fan, but Breece ran like he was shot out of a cannon that night. Hall is an elite runner in football, and he has continued this even to week five, where he ran for 177 yards with a touchdown.”
Despite their week one heroics, the Jets dropped their next three games. They were quickly brought back to reality after their week 2 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons tore apart the Jets’ offensive line, with two sacks, six quarterback pressures, and three tackles for loss, and Parsons was nearly unstoppable.
“Coming into this season, the offensive line was always going to be an issue,” says physical education teacher Nino Capra. “We had some guys who have battled injuries and it is starting to show. We lost AVT(Alijah-Vera-Tucker) for the season with a torn Achilles so it has been rough”.
In week three, the Jets suffered a gut-wrenching loss to the New England Patriots. In a game in which the Jets’ defense played phenomenally, the offense simply could not get anything going. Quarterback Zach Wilson looked very off throughout most of the game, which had many doubting his ability.
The following week was a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. “Going into this game, I just had a terrible feeling,” says junior Alex Csigo. “Despite the loss, Zach Wilson looked excellent which I think ultimately brought this team back together. It was nice to see the guys having fun again.”
The Jets beat the Denver Broncos in week five and now sit at a 2-3 record. With a matchup looming with the Super Bowl runner-ups, only time will tell if the Jets have what it takes to go all the way. The majority of the season is still ahead, and all fans can do is enjoy every second of it.
