The New York Jets came within one play of their first win of the season Sunday, as they led the Las Vegas Raiders 28-24 in the final seconds.
But then Gregg Williams happened.
The Jets defensive coordinator, for whatever reason, dialed up an all-out blitz near midfield, which allowed Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to find Henry Ruggs for a game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass. Ruggs, the rookie speedster, had no issue beating single coverage.
And the Jets fell to 0-12 as a result.
Any theory on why Williams would call an all-out blitz in that situation?
“Yeah, my theory is that’s what he does, and he’s always been someone who takes chances and attacks and goes after it, and it’s not always rational,” NFL Network NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on The DA Show. “But to be completely frank, Gregg Williams has been the defensive coordinator on a lot of bad teams. He’s a guy who is definitely a character, definitely knows his defense. But has he had a lot of actual success? I’m not so sure. It’s been a little while. So I think the answer is that’s what he does.”
Williams has been pilloried in the press, but his reckless call may have helped the Jets long-term. They still have the worst record in the league, and they still lead in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes.
Rapoport, however, doesn’t think Williams was thinking about Lawrence on Sunday.
“I don’t think he was tanking,” Rapoport said. “He’s not going to be around next year, I don’t think. So would that make sense that he would play for next year’s draft pick? Probably not. I think the answer is probably because he attacks when you don’t need to, and that was inexplicable.”
The Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, could become the third team in NFL history to go 0-16. The Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns “accomplished” that feat in 2008 and 2017, respectively.
Still, all will be forgiven if the Jets land Lawrence.
“I think for the organization, [yesterday was] probably not a terrible thing,” Rapoport said. “It keeps the Trevor Lawrence thing alive, and whatever happens this year, it’s all worth it if you get Trevor Lawrence. That’s it. To go 0-16, yes, it’s bad; yes, it’s stigma; life is terrible. However, you get Trevor Lawrence. So therefore, everything else is okay.”
The Jets play three of their final four games on the road, all against non-losing teams. They finish the season at Seahawks (8-4), at Rams (8-4), against Browns (9-3), and at Patriots (6-6).
Kickoff against Seattle is slated for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.