New York Jets Coach Declares Lates Loss a ‘Moment of Darkness’

The New York Jets have now lost five straight games and are among the worst teams in the NFL after eight games.

Oct 27, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich watches from the sideline as they take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The New York Jets were in contention to claim a share of the AFC East lead just a few weeks ago. Now, they are 2-6 and would get the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sunday’s 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots (2-6) was, in many ways, an operational nightmare for New York. The Jets committed eight penalties. They averted a few others by taking timeouts to avoid delay of game penalties. In fact, the Jets were out of timeouts in the first half by the end of the first quarter.

The offense was, at times, disjointed, even after the play got away.

Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich — now 0-3 since the firing of Robert Saleh — said everything needs to be better.

“Every single human being out there has got to be better,” he said during post-game interviews. “Aaron's (Rodgers) got to be better, coaches got to be better."

The Jets’ defense only gave up 247 yards on Sunday. But, the unit didn’t force a turnover and when it really counted they failed to keep New England out of the end zone.

The Patriots converted two third-and-long opportunities on their game-winning drive, including a catch by wide receiver Kayshon Boutee who broke a tackle by the Jets’ Jamien Sherwood.

Four plays later Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson scored the game-winning touchdown.

Ulbrich said everything is on the table now — including giving up defensive play calling so he can focus on being the head coach.

But, with another loss, Ulbrich knows the outside noise will only get louder around this team, one that many expected to contend for a playoff berth. He called Sunday’s loss the team’s “moment of darkness.”

"This is a moment of darkness and we understand that the outside world is going to get really loud right now."

Jeff Ulbrich on his message to the locker room after the game: pic.twitter.com/rNa3jBmLYI

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 27, 2024

“This is a moment of darkness and we understand that the outside world is going to get really loud right now,” he said. “But the only thing I know in life is that when it gets dark and it gets hard that you work and you point the finger at yourself and you look inward and you figure out what can I do better in an individual standpoint? If we do that collectively, which I believe we will, that's your only opportunity get yourself out of this.”

The Jets don’t look like a playoff team right now. But there is a glimmer of hope. Three teams in the Super Bowl era have been in this deep a hole and made the playoffs.

Those teams are the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals,  the 2020 Washington Commanders and the 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars. None, however, had an interim head coach.

The Jets host the Houston Texans on Thursday.