Justin Fields proved that out of his depth as an NFL quarterback. In what may have been the single worst performance anyone has ever witnessed at the position, Fields produced minus-10 yards of passing on offense. And yes, the team did complete all four quarters of football. The game was not called because of rain, lightning or natural disaster. In fact, the only disaster on the field was wearing number seven for the Jets.
It was statistically the worst performance in the history of a franchise known for bad performances. Worse than Zach Wilson. Worse than Brooks Bollinger, Kellen Clemens, Trever Siemian or Luke Falk. On this day, Fields stands alone.
Those who support Fields will tout the fact that he didn’t throw any interceptions. Problem is, he didn’t throw any touchdowns either. A tough task when you refuse to let go of the football once it’s snapped. Time and time again, Fields held on to the football for what amounts to an eternity in the NFL. This, despite those in attendance pointing out the fact that receivers were running open.
Fields would finish the game 9-17 for 45 yards, but the nine sacks he took, mostly his own doing, dropped the Jets passing total to the aforementioned minus-10.
The only thing worse than Fields performance between the lines may have been head coach Aaron Glenn’s performance at the podium. Asked if Fields would be his quarterback next week, Glenn said it was ridiculous to ask such a question and the Fields would be his guy again next week.
In case you forgot, this might be a good time to remind you that of Fields’ four touchdown passes this year, three have come in garbage time with the team trailing by at least two touchdowns. If Glenn were serious about winning football games, he’d sit Fields and play any other QB on the roster. But he has made it clear at this point that evaluating Fields trumps everything else the Jets are doing right now.
Making the loss even tougher was the performance put on by the defense today. In their first quality game of the season, the Jets missed tackles were few and far between, the penalties were cleaned up and they held Denver to just thirteen points. But when your offense produces negative passing yards on the day, that’s too much to overcome.
