ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the MLB should have a restart plan by the end of May if the coronavirus situation keeps improving at the rate that it currently is. He said that if a plan is in place by then, a regular-season start could be possible around the fourth of July.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has been pretty confident throughout the entire COVID-19 situation that baseball will return at some point in 2020. He just isn’t sure to what extent.
From what Passan has heard from league and team executives, a 100 or so game schedule is the most likely from July-October with the postseason taking place in November in warm weather locations. It still may be possible to play regular-season games in home stadiums, but they will have time to figure that out.
Whether it’s with fans or without fans, playing at home stadiums is the best-case scenario for everyone. Easier on the TV crews and media, and players would likely be able to live at home with family and not in hotels, isolated.
The postseason would likely be expanded to give more bubble teams a shot. The DS, CS, and World Series would likely remain the same, but a few more best of three or winner takes all games like the Wild Card game may be added earlier on in the postseason.
To make up for a lot of lost money, expect to see a lot more games on national television. Games would likely be scheduled into different TV slots so different carriers can pick up more games. That would be another win-win for teams, fans, and networks.
The MLB has a lot to figure out over the next month, but they have plenty of ideas that will work for all parties.
The last week or so has seen more optimism about the COVID-19 situation improving. Most states are slowly beginning to lift some restrictions, meaning that sports are nearing a return.
Right now, only NASCAR and the PGA Tour have set return dates. NASCAR will run at Darlington Speedway in South Carolina on the weekend of May 17th, and the PGA will be returning throughout June with different tours returning on different dates. The earliest is the PGA Tour Champions, playing June 5th-7th in Madison, Wisconsin, for the American Family Insurance Championship. Both events will be televised.
The NHL is working on a league restart in July, and the NBA is either looking to do the same or cancel the rest of the season outright. NBA players don’t want future seasons to be pushed back, hence the reason why an outright cancelation is possible. The MLB is working on proposals on how the season will be played all together. The NBA and the NHL are nearing the postseason, so the logistics aren’t as crazy as what the MLB’s might be.
The WNBA just recently postponed the start of their season, but there’s still optimism that they will play this year. As of right now, the NFL is scheduled to start as planned. The WWE will soon restart operations in Florida.
But, fans have been able to get their recent sports fix. The WNBA draft was last week, the Michael Jordan documentary aired its first two parts last Sunday, and the NFL is currently in the middle of their annual draft.
Sports can be held in each state with the clearance of governors. Golf is currently allowed in most states, and South Carolina has cleared a NASCAR return. Those events are a go assuming no new outbreak.
This is encouraging news, and I think that everyone will be happy to see new sports on TV soon.
The New York Rangers and the NHL are in a more unique position them some of their other league counterparts. Hockey is a sport that is more of a shared sport of nationality than most of the others as Canada plays a huge role in the NHL, and frankly, it is more their sport than ours. With that being said, A top Canadian medical official does not share the same optimism as our United States officials concerning the resumption of the NHL season or any other sports for that matter.
Dr. Allan Drummond says that sports not be considered “for quite a while”
TSN recently conducted an interview with Dr. Drummond, who represents the Association of Emergency Room Physicians in Canada. Dr. Drummond was asked about what it would take for pro sports to start up again, and in part of his response he emphatically replied that “this is not the time for sports, this is a time for saving lives.” Dr. Drummond went on to say that he understands that many people’s livelihood depends on the income from working in the sports industry, be also mentioned that everyone should be concerned about the players’ lives as well. “They may be icons, but they are not immortal.” He went on to question why “we would put so many young men and women’s lives in harm’s way, by making them travel, crowding into crowded locker rooms, playing against another team, and exposing them to a virus that could potentially kill them.”
Dr. Drummond questions whether the New York Rangers and the NHL should start even in October
While it was apparent that Dr. Drummond was not a fan of any sports starting this summer, he also questioned whether the NHL should start again in October of 2020. He explained his rationale by saying that “This being Canada, starting in October/November we start sneezing and getting runny noses, which makes it difficult to tell who has influenza and who has COVID since they mimic one another. So are we going to crowd hockey stadiums and run a risk of a second wave (of COVID-19)?” Sharing the sentiments of many California officials, he believes that sports should not be considered until 2021 at the earliest.
Dr. Drummond was even more direct when he responded to a question of leagues coming up with a plan to try to play this summer by sequestering players, etc, he responded by saying” “I think it is time for everyone to grow up.” He specifically addressed MLB who have floated out plans to start earlier than everyone else when he said “The boys of summer can wait” and again questioned those on how much they value the lives and well-being of their players. Dr. Drummond also believes that sequestering players would still put them at great risk.
The NHL has been suggesting one idea to resume its season by playing games in neutral sites that have had less impact from COVID-19, such as in North Dakota. Dr. Drummond does not see that as a good alternative, because he believes that the United States has not handled the pandemic well. “Are we going to risk Canadian athletes or any other athlete at risk which I think frankly America poses right now.”
This is a vastly different take then our own Dr. Fauci has stated earlier when he suggested that leagues could get up and running in some fashion this summer. However, both men agree that the virus is novel and that the virus will determine the direction that we and sports take in the future.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump and his staff unveiled a plan on criteria for reopening America from the COVID-19 crisis. There are three phases in the program, and states will enter each phase on their own. Where do sports fit into the entire equation?
Trump and his staff have said that sports should be safe enough to continue in a few months with guidelines. The most important guideline is that games and events will have no attendance, likely until a treatment or vaccine for coronavirus is discovered.
In phase one of Trump’s plan, large venues can “operate under strict physical distancing protocols.” For sports, this would likely mean just teams and staff are permitted at events. Gyms would also reopen during this phase.
Phase two says that large venues can “operate under moderate physical distancing protocols.” Maybe at this stage, teams could shift back to home cities instead of a centralized location and play games with limited attendance.
Phase three states that large venues can “operate under limited physical distancing protocols,” meaning a relatively full attendance at events would be permitted.
Again, each state has its discretion on when to transition into each phase. Many states are in alliances with other states and will put in protocols at the same time. For example, there is a mid-west alliance and a Northeast alliance.
To have fans be at games and teams return to their own stadiums, we would likely have to see all 50 states into phase two or three. Some states will enter the phases earlier than others, dependent on the COVID-19 situation in each state. California doesn’t expect large events to take place again this year, and its unlikely New York City allows fans to pack Yankee Stadium or MSG again this year.
But, we’ll have to see how the coming weeks play out and when each state will start to enter each phase.
Jason Collins has been one of several former athletes to have contracted COVID-19 in the last month. Collins played in the NBA for 15 seasons from 2001 – 2014, his most prominent years being with the New Jersey Nets. Collins recently opened up to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily Newsabout what it has been like for the former Brooklyn Nets center to deal with this virus.
Even as a recently retired professional athlete, Dealing with COVID-19 No Joke
Jason Collins believes he contracted the virus in early March during a trip to Barclays Center when he attended the Brooklyn Nets Pride Night Game. He first started experiencing symptoms on March 11th. Collins, along with Chris Cuomo, has been one of the public figures to address in detail what the side effects of the Coronavirus have been like.
He explained that even though he knew he had COVID-19, Collins didn’t start to worry until the ninth day when he began to feel severe chest pains. “It felt like I got punched by Mike Tyson,” Collins explained to Bondy. “Like Mike Tyson in his prime, right in the heart. And all the feeling that was associated with that.” Collins says it felt like he was having a heart attack, and checked himself into the hospital a day later. The doctors explained that is what the peak of the virus feels like and that his heart was just fine.
“It was definitely the sickest I’ve ever been in my life,” Collins relayed to Bondy. Hopefully, shared experiences from public figures such as Collins and Cuomo can help those who have been dealing with similar symptoms but have not yet been confirmed to have the virus.
To end this story on a positive note, Collins is “fully recovered and equipped with coronavirus antibodies,” according to Stefan Bondy and New York Daily News. We hope those dealing with the virus can find inspiration from his story and recover as soon as possible.
The New York Jets’ most recent first-round pick is giving back to the medical community fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Good job by #Jets DL Quinnen Williams, who donated $25,000 worth of healthy meals for medical professionals dealing with the coronavirus in New Jersey with the help of a celebrity private chef, Brianna’s Nutrition Kitchen. pic.twitter.com/j957l5siZR
The New York Jets brought Quinnen Williams in to strike fear in the hearts of opponents, to be an attacker of backfields. But today, he’s instead dispensing hope and charity to those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and giving thanks to a different kind of tri-state area defender.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared photos of Williams’ latest offseason endeavor on Tuesday. New York’s 2019 first-round pick is making sure those who keep the tri-state area healthy likewise stay healthy by providing them $25,000 worth of meals to medical professionals from Brianna’s Nutrition Kitchen. The Budd Lake, New Jersey-based food service is run by celebrity chef Brianna Sebasto.
The packages are labeled with stickers featuring a smiling Williams alongside the message “Thank you for your Service!”.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Williams is planning to duplicate the practice every week at a different hospital. The Jets’ home state of New Jersey has been particularly hit hard by the pandemic, as it is currently second in the nation in confirmed cases, according to The Guardian.
Williams, 21, was chosen with the third pick of last season’s draft out of Alabama. In 13 games (9 starts), the defensive tackle tallied 28 tackles including four for a loss. He also put up 2.5 sacks, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery.
New York will soon choose Williams’ first-round successor. They are slated to pick 11th in the upcoming NFL Draft, which will begin on April 23 (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/NFL Network).
Comparisons between the XFL and other football failures like its 2001 version and the AAF are misguided. The league was serving a purpose.
There appear to be four certainties in life…death, taxes, Giants-Cowboys on Sunday night, and spring football failing to last.
The XFL, a reboot of the 2001 league of the same name, more or less called it quits on Friday. Its 2020 season had already been called off to the COVID-19 pandemic but the cancellation statement expressed hope to return next year. That possibility was seemingly brought down by Friday’s proceedings, which laid off nearly all of the league’s employees.
Such an announcement immediately prompted endless waves of jokes and comparisons to the campy 2001 attempt and other short-lived football leagues like the Alliance of American Football. Some noted that even the horribly mismanaged AAF made it to eight weeks of action. Others unleashed waves of memes and cries of “I told you so” and prayed there would be no further attempt at spring football, which never really gained long-term traction outside of the World Football League/NFL Europe. Even the niche brand Arena Football League finally bid farewell in November after years of financial difficulties.
But, make no mistake. The XFL had a purpose. Its impact can even be traced beyond the players that have found new jobs in the NFL. Even disregarding the fact that it took a global pandemic to shut the new XFL down, the league did something other the other failed attempts at football didn’t: it made us think.
Much like the AAF, the XFL’s biggest problem was not, as commonly believed when it comes to spring leagues, a lack of viewers. While things were trending downward, they were still numbers hovering the seven-digit range. Viewers love to complain about ideas like Thursday Night Football and the Pro Bowl, but these events continue to be staged because there’s no denying the stranglehold football has on our imaginations. The XFL invited viewers to give into that grip, while at the same time, introducing and encouraging an open mind toward ideas and that made the experience even more enjoyable.
Subsequent new attempts at football have tried to bill itself as an NFL alternative, creating gimmicks for gimmicks’ sake. The old XFL, for example, tried to get by solely on shock value, glorifying big hits, shady wrestling-inspired kayfabe, and outright debauchery. It introduced concepts that would never sniff the NFL, like an opening coin toss replaced by “the scramble“. As any horror movie franchise will tell you, the concept of shock value can only get you so far before people tire of it. The AAF might’ve close to being the thinking fan’s spring football league, but its laughable financial strategies perhaps ensured that it was never going to have a lasting impact.
Feb 23, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; The St. Louis Battlehawks square off against the NY Guardians during the second half of an XFL game at The Dome at America’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
XFL brass, however, had firm strategies, ones that took, again, a global pandemic to overrule. The powers that be ensured that games would appear on major networks, including the main networks of ABC and Fox. Vince McMahon sold off $270 million of WWE stock to fund the league (the pandemic closing off all additional revenue sources).
In essence, the XFL was set up for the relative long-term. Would we be preparing for an XFL season in 2030? That probably would’ve been a stretch, but the league was able to build a legacy in a short amount of time. A combination of the population’s appetite for football and just enough rage against the NFL machine was enough to ensure that.
Instead of trying to steer fans away from the NFL, however, the XFL operated on a mantra of “For the Love of Football”. Comparisons were mostly unwelcome. Instead, it was a fun little attempt to carry on gridiron antics after the Super Bowl, to keep the momentum going. It was all about enjoying football for a few more weeks, if you were into that sort of thing.
The XFL’s lasting trait will be its transparency. AAF replay reviews got the ball rolling in that regard, but the XFL took it several steps further. It retained the live look-ins into the replay booth while also putting reporters on the sidelines for instant analysis from the playmakers. Interviewers were on the scene immediately after big plays both good and bad. It led to some awkward situations, like the Los Angeles Wildcats’ defense cursing up a storm after being asked not to by ESPN’s Molly McGrath. The league was perhaps never going to get by name-brand recognition (though several players, like quarterbacks P.J. Walker and Jordan Ta’amu, gained cult followings), but there’s no denying that the average television consumer will grow attached to someone on TV. They’ll root for their redemption or hope they fall in a sense of schadenfreude. Of course, adjustments may have to be made…interviewing the kicker who literally just missed a field goal could be a bad idea…but a step toward transparency makes for a more enjoyable game experience.
Wherever their rooting preferences were, the transparency was a stark contrast to the almost secretive operations of the NFL. Time will tell if some of the transparency innovations are adopted by football or other leagues. But when it came to getting fans involved in the game, the XFL was on the fast track to doing it best.
Other league legacies could lie in innovations that could keep the game safer and faster. While the AAF did away with kickoffs entirely, the XFL kept them in an attempt to make them safer. Rather than running starts creating the potential for devastating collisions, this system lined up competitors at five yards apart, with only the kicker and returner allowed to move in “lonely island”-like settings. Thus, the two vocal groups of football fans were satisfied: the purist who wants the kickoffs to stay and those who advocate for a safer game.
Rob Manfred, perhaps, would enjoy the idea of the XFL’s unseen overtime system, one designed to be done in a timely fashion. All 20 games of the new XFL’s tenure ended in regulation, denying the concept of their “shootout-style” overtime. Again, almost all groups of football fans would be satisfied in the sweetest of compromises: both teams would get a chance with the ball while the emphasis of a defensive stop remains intact.
Of course, the XFL wasn’t perfect. Typical pratfalls of spring football were surely on display, primarily a rollercoaster of quality play. But it was a thinking man’s spring league, a league that made far more of an impact than its “extreme” predecessor. We may never truly know how high the XFL was destined to fly. But to compare to the abject failures that came before is unnecessary at best and crass at worst.
A team of those who knew the game, led by commissioner Oliver Luck, had things going in the right direction. In a time period dominated by the exploits of basketball and hockey, we were talking about gridiron antics. It’s possible we’ll continue to do so as we try to inch back toward normalcy. Perhaps when there’s no spring football to fill the void. The XFL showed it could be done in a matter that was not condescending and could play a role in the sports spectrum beyond it’s February through April time period.
Not bad when you remember it was made simply for the fun of it…or for the love of football.
Despite initial plans to return for a second season in 2021, the XFL’s second attempt at spring football has suspended operations.
It comes under completely different circumstances, but the second attempt at XFL football appears to be destined for the same fate as the first.
The league has reportedly suspended operations and has laid off almost the entirety of its team and league employees. XFL officials informed employees in a conference call hosted by Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Pollack.
XFL social media manager Bailey Carlin confirmed the departures in a series of tweets. Under Carlin’s watch, the XFL Twitter account reached nearly 400,000 followers. Carlin kept his good spirits, posting a self-deprecating meme from the television series The Office.
The XFL just laid me off.
I really think I did some of the best work in social media this year, so this really hurts. If you need someone for social, written content, meme goofin’ or anything at all, I’m your guy.
This crushing blow comes just over a month after the XFL halted regular season games in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league canceled the remainder of the season (which had played five of its ten regular season games and was set for a four-team postseason) shortly after but was committed to returning in 2021. Players from the XFL’s eight teams were allowed to sign with NFL and CFL squads shortly after the cancellation.
Thus likely ends the era of the rebooted XFL, nearly two decades after another league under the same moniker lasted a single (full) season in 2001. This new XFL was similar in name only, eschewing the campy kayfabe techniques inspired by its World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) overseers. The new league nonetheless introduced several in-game innovations focused on pace of play and a sense of fun. For example, a tiered point-after-touchdown system allowed teams to score as many as nine points on offensive possessions. The league also showcased a shootout-style overtime system that never came to fruition (all games ended in regulation).
Oliver Luck served as the commissioner of the new XFL, whose resurrection was overseen by Vince McMahon. This marks the second year in a row that a spring football league has met an early demise, though the XFL was hardly at fault. The Alliance of American Football shutdown in April 2019 and later filed for bankruptcy.
On a local level, the New York Guardians likely end their brief history with a 3-2 record, good for a three-way tie for first in the XFL’s East division. The team played their home games at MetLife Stadium. New York won each of their two games in East Rutherford, the latter being a 17-14 triumph over the Los Angeles Wildcats on February 29. Los Angeles and New York were the only were two markets retained from the XFL’s original version. Back then, the New York/New Jersey Hitmen went 4-6 and played their home games at Giants Stadium.
Several Guardians have already found new homes in the NFL. Cornerback Dravon Askew-Henry was added by the Guardians’ MetLife Stadium co-tenants (the New York Giants), while offensive lineman Jarron Jones and defensive lineman Cavon Walker were each signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Walker led the XFL in sacks with 4.5.
The NFL announced yesterday that this year’s draft will also be functioning as a three-day fundraiser to assist those helping to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. The league’s foundation selected six charities that the benefits will go towards. The six charities are:
All of the charities are nonprofits and have been assisting during this time in many ways. Their services range from the American Red Cross making sure that there is a sufficient blood supply to the United Way’s foundation helping first responders get any resources they may need.
“As we face this global health crisis together, we are filled with gratitude for the extraordinary work of first responders, healthcare workers and many others who are helping those in need,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, as reported on NFL.com. “The Draft-a-Thon will deliver much-need funding to many who are suffering as well as those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The league has already donated roughly $40 million to assist national relief efforts. Fans can help add to this number by donating throughout the three days of the draft. The draft is scheduled for April 23-25 and will be televised on ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network.
More news regarding the Draft specifics should come out in the coming days.
Good things happen when you stay at home. Just ask the New York Jets, who are set to open their second decade at MetLife Stadium this fall.
Our (temporary) new reality has denied us the glory and love of sports. The concept has, rightfully, taken a backseat as we look out for each other and work towards a new common good of overcoming the grim isolation that the coronavirus has brought upon us.
Of course, there is a light at the end of our proverbial tunnel. We, as a nation, have overcome disasters of epic proportions before. With teamwork and unity, there’s little doubt we can do it again.
The fact of the matter is, it’s best for all of us if we stay at home at this point. The sooner we adhere to the guidelines posted by medical experts (which include staying indoors and social distancing, save for necessities like grocery shopping and attending to loved ones), the sooner we’ll be back to enjoying the sports and events we love, living and dying with our teams.
Good things happen when you stay at home. Just ask the New York Jets, who are about to enter their second decade within the friendly confines of MetLife Stadium. As encouragement, ESM takes a look at the ten best Jets moments to go down at the stadium so far…
Victories over the mighty New England Patriots have been relatively rare in the decade of MetLife. Tom Brady and Company did at least receive a rude welcome as victims of the first Jets victory at the stadium.
The Jets dropped their Monday night Metlife debut to Baltimore, but went on to shock the Patriots to the tune of a 28-14 triumph less than a week later. Tight end Dustin Keller took center stage with a career-best 115 yards in victory. 2008’s first-round selection also caught the last of Mark Sanchez’s three touchdown passes to help put the game away (Braylon Edwards and Jericho Cotchery caught the others). Defensively, Antonio Cromartie and Brodney Pool each victimized Brady for an interception. Jason Taylor put the tastiest cherry on top by ending New England’s final possession with a sack and forced fumble, recovered by Bryan Thomas.
10/11/10: Viking Conquest
The Jets’ kooky Brett Favre summited at an 8-3 ledger in November that had some Jets fans thinking Super Bowl. But a 1-4 finale had the Jets searching elsewhere for a quarterback (leading to the drafting of Mark Sanchez) and Favre destined for his umpteenth retirement. By late August, the Vikings made an offer he couldn’t refuse and he wound up taking them to the NFC title game.
When Favre returned to East Rutherford two seasons later, the Jets thanked the gunslinger for his services by having their defense constantly wrap Favre up in hugs…those under pressure, that is. Favre was sacked four times, but, true to form, managed to keep Minnesota in the game with three touchdown passes. One of those scores was of the 37-yard variety to Randy Moss, partaking in his first game in a Viking uniform since 2004.
MetLife braced for the worst when Minnesota forced a Jets punt immediately after the final two-minute warning and the home team struggling to hold a 22-20 lead. One year after Favre led the league in interceptions with the Jets, he threw one more in New Jersey. This one, however, brought Jets fans to their feet in the form of an interception returned for a touchdown by Dwight Lowery. The first touchdown of Lowery’s career put the game out of reach in the form of a 29-20 final.
The 2010 New York Jets were an exercise in waiting for the other shoe to drop. Everyone in football thought their 2009-10 trip to the AFC title game was a fluke, but they got rid of those notions with a 9-2 start to the season.
The penultimate win of that slate was a thrilling last-minute win over the Houston Texans, mere days before they demolished the Cincinnati Bengals in a Thanksgiving tilt. New York dealt with a challenge from the pesky Texans, who turned a 23-7 Jets lead into a 27-23 advantage, one they held with 55 seconds to go in the game. The detractors were certain that this would be the end of the Jets, the final blow to yet another magical season. But Sanchez worked some late-game magic, one that sent East Rutherford into hysterics. Things seemed dire with the Jets situated 48 yards away from the end zone with 24 seconds to go, but a 42-yard catch-and-run for Edwards allowed Sanchez to put the finishing touches on the victory.
In almost a reverse angle of his Super Bowl-winning catch for the Steelers, Santonio Holmes caught a six-yard Sanchez toss in the corner of the end zone with 16 seconds remaining to allow the Jets a 30-27 escape.
The 2011 NFL season’s first Sunday landed on the most solemn of occasions: the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001’s tragic events. After a day full of patriotic displays and tributes to the lives lost, the proceedings wrapped up at MetLife Stadium…just over 11 miles from where the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers once stood. Moments of remembrance, attended to by former United States President George W. Bush and many first responders, were followed by a highly anticipated tilt between the Jets and the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas led 24-10 at the onset of the fourth quarter, but the Jets soon began an unforgettable rally. Plaxico Burress got things started with a 26-yard touchdown catch from Mark Sanchez. The teams would then exchange fumbles before Isaiah Trufan took a punt blocked by Joe McKnight back for a touchdown. Dallas’ would-be game-winning was stifled by none other than Darelle Revis, who intercepted a Tony Romo pass intended for Dez Bryant and took it into opposing territory. Former Cowboy Nick Folk dealt the final blow to his former mates, booting a 50-yard field in the final minute to secure the 27-24 win.
11/27/11: J-E-T-S Spells Revenge
The Jets’ divisional rivalry with the Buffalo Bills hasn’t gotten drastically ugly in the new century, but an exception was made in their post-Thanksgiving showdown in East Rutherford.
With Burress still on the 2011 edition, Bills receiver Stevie Johnson celebrated a first-half touchdown by pretending to be shot, referencing the receivers nightclub incident in 2008. The dated, classless jab immediately backfired on Johnson when the Bills flubbed a surprise onside kick and immediately let up a 14-yard score to Burress himself.
Burress had actually saved his best for last. With the Bills up 24-21, Burress’ one-handed catch on a third down with 11 to go kept the Jets’ victorious final drive alive. Two plays after the catch, Holmes caught a pass on a Sanchez rollout to give the Jets a 28-24 win.
The saga of the 2015 Jets is a lot like watching Avengers: Infinity War: it was incredibly fun to watch, there are countless moments that make you stand up and cheer…it’s rewatch value, on the other hand, is completely ruined by its harrowing ending. If the Jets’ season-ending, playoff-costing loss to the Buffalo Bills served as Thanos’ infamous snap, their win over MetLife roommates was the closest thing they’ll get to an equivalent of Thor arriving with a new weapon via the Bifrost in Wakanda.
East Rutherford civil wars are routine in the preseason but are staged only once every four years. The 2015 edition featured both the Jets and New York Giants in the thick of their respective playoff races. New Jersey was set to be a blue state after the Giants put up 20 points in the second quarter. That haul seemed to be sustainable, so much so that the first interception of Rontez Miles’ career seemed with eight minutes left in regulation seemed like little reason to celebrate. The fact that the ensuing drive ended with a short Randy Bullock field goal wasn’t exactly inspiring either.
But optimism squeaked through after the Jets forced a punt down 20-13 in the final minutes. With just over a minute to go, Ryan Fitzpatrick channeled his inner Randall Cunningham, earning nine more yards than he needed to on a fateful fourth down with six to go. Two plays later, Fitzpatrick would send the game to overtime with a nine-yard scoring pass to Brandon Marshall.
In the extra session, Bullock booted a 31-yard field to give the Jets the lead. The defense then forced Josh Brown and the Giants into a deep 48-yard attempt, one that sailed wide left and gave the Jets the narrow win.
12/27/15: Boston OT Party
Knowing the terrors that awaited one week later in Buffalo, the penultimate game of the 2015-16 regular season may be the most bittersweet moment any team in NFL history has experienced. But, for one week, the turf of MetLife provided pure pigskin euphoria.
The Christmas season was no holiday for the Jets. They had exceeded expectations with a respectable record, but needed to top the Patriots in their home finale to keep a postseason dream alive. Their 9-5 ledger put them in a three-way tie for the AFC wild cards, but tiebreakers allotted the spots to Kansas City and Pittsburgh. New England had, predictably, wrapped the AFC East title, but was still battling Denver and Cincinnati for the AFC’s top playoff seed.
A pair of Ryan Fitzpatrick scoring hookups with Brandon Marshall built a 17-3 lead for the Jets. Typical Jets-Patriots antics of the new century ensued thereafter. New England narrowed things to one possession when Jamie Collins took a Fitzpatrick fumble back for a touchdown while the Jets only mustered a Bullock field goal to add to their lead. Brady made them pay with a nine-yard touchdown pass to James White that helped tie the score. The Jets nearly won in regulation, but a Fitzpatrick deep ball in the final minute sailed out of the reach of Quincy Enunwa.
New England opted for overtime after a Ryan Quigley punt. It was a rare decision that Bill Belichick would come to regret.
Winners of the overtime coin toss, the Jets wasted no time in the new life afforded to them. Fitzpatrick needed just five plays to go 80 yards for the victory. 48 of that tally came on a successful deep ball to Enunwa, while the final six were on Fitzpatrick’s game-winning toss to Eric Decker for the 26-20 victory. With that throw, Fitzpatrick tied Vinny Testaverde’s 1998 record for most touchdown passes in a single Jets season. Pittsburgh’s ensuing loss to Baltimore put the Jets in control of their playoff destiny moving forward
Nothing more needs to be written about the Jets’ eventual 22-17 loss to the Bills the week after. However, the memorable win at MetLife offered the Jets a quantum of solace weeks later. Thanks to their loss in East Rutherford, the Patriots lost control of the AFC’s top seed. That forced them to go to Mile High for the AFC title game, which the Broncos won in Denver en route to their Super Bowl 50 title.
10/1/17: A Special Victory
To say expectations were low for the 2017 New York Jets would be the understatement of the decade. The prognosticators that be at USA Today in fact pegged them for only a single win in their annual NFL preview.
The Jets immediately eclipsed that total in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars a team that would up reaching the AFC title game. 2017’s New York City Marathon was over a month away, but the Jets got things off to an early start with long scoring runs from Bilal Powell (75 yards) and Elijah McGuire (69 yards) to build a 20-10 lead. Jacksonville, however, reinserted themselves into the game with a 10-point fourth quarter rally. Myles Jack took a fumble back 81 yards for a score, and future Jets Pro Bowler Jason Myers kicked a field goal in the final minute to send things into overtime.
It was an extra session that, frankly, could’ve been avoided. In the dying stages of the first half, Lac Edwards set the Jets up in prime position for a bigger on a 31-yard pass via fake punt to Marcus Williams. However, Chandler Catanzaro missed a 45-yard field goal.
Redemption took a while to manifest, but it eventually came in the final stanzas of overtime. A tie seemed to be in the cards, but a Jeremy Kerley punt return earned 15 extra yards after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from Paul Posluszny. Catanzaro then came on for a 41-yard field goal he successfully converted for the 23-20 win.
10/7/18: Run With the Horses
Two Jets records, one unconventional, were set in their 34-16 win over Denver.
The Jets have several renowned rushers pass through their ledgers. But it’s not Curtis Martin, Freeman McNeil, Thomas Jones, or Emerson Boozer who hold the single-game rushing record. That honor instead goes to Isaiah Crowell, he of only 13 games in green. Crowell torched the Broncos for 219 yards, a majority of it coming on a 77-yard score that made up the Jets’ first points on the afternoon. Perhaps more shockingly, Crowell needed only 15 carries to do it. Sam Darnold completed only 10 passes, but three of them ended in touchdowns (two to Robby Anderson). That was enough to secure his first MetLife Stadium win.
With the outcome well in hand, Denver tried to make things respectable. On the final play, Case Keenum’s would-be touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton was intercepted by Marcus Maye. The safety ran it back 104 yards but he was stopped just short by Sutton, the one man to run longer than him. It was good for the longest return in Jets history, and the longest return in NFL history that didn’t end in a touchdown.
11/10/19: Back to the Future
The likenesses and jerseys of Darnold, Daniel Jones, Jamal Adams, and Saquon Barkley are expected to adorn the respective entrances and patrons of MetLife Stadium for years to come. Fans of both metropolitan sides got a glimpse of what this group of football stardom had to offer when they met last fall.
Darnold spotted the Jets an early 14-point lead through both the air and the ground, rushing for a two-yard score before finding Jamison Crowder for a 23-yard strike. While the Jets were able to hold Barkley to a single yard on 13 carries, but Jones showed what he could do in the form of four touchdown tosses. Even when Adams pried the ball away from him for a score, those passes allowed the Giants to take a slim lead into the fourth quarter.
But after a Giants three-and-out late in the third (capped off by a Nathan Shepard sack), the Jets took the lead for good on a one-yard run by Le’Veon Bell early in the fourth. Defenses mostly reigned from there on out, with the Jets earning a Sam Ficken field to provide insurance in what became a 34-27 win.
