The New York Jets had a tough night against the Indianapolis Colts, so much so that the broadcasters even had some fun at their expense.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman notoriously stay above the belt. They’re company men, and very rarely fire shots that aren’t warranted.
So, when they took the New York Jets out back on Thursday night, you know they earned it. The Jets gave up 40-plus points to the Colts on national television. While Indianapolis is a formidable offense — it was the fourth straight games the Colts have scored more than 30 points — their defensive effort was questionable to say the least.
Just after Colts running back Jonathan Taylor scored via a 78-yard touchdown run, Buck and Aikman had enough.
Someone has to say it, right? Surely, Robert Saleh will let the Jets have it in the locker room, but what New York fans were subject to on Thursday night was, uh, not pristine football.
New York Jets screwed from the start
The Jets had high hopes entering Thursday night, as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals the previous week with Mike White at the helm. White set an NFL record for most completions in his debut, and with it sent his jersey to Canton.
Then, in the first quarter on Thursday, he got hurt. The Jets didn’t have a reliable backup despite trading for Joe Flacco, so they went with XFL legend Josh Johnson, who has seemingly played for every football organization north of Mexico. That includes semi-pro, CFL and XFL. Johnson has seen it all.
Saleh has a lot of fine-tuning to do in the film room this week, but he knew he had a long leash when he took the Jets job in the first place. It was never going to be easy.