The Jets playoff hopes officially ended on Sunday after their overtime loss to the Dolphins.
Despite a disappointing 3-10 season, Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich believes the team will remain motivated and focused in their final four games of the year.
“I know I said this and I say it again, there is no context to tape,” Ulbrich said on Monday. “There is none, so the tape that you put on is you, it’s every player in this organization, it’s every coach in this organization, so that in itself keeps you motivated.
“You are demonstrating who you are every day when that tape goes on and you got to put your best foot forward because ultimately, no one cares what your record was, nobody cares what the score of the game was. When we get evaluated as players and coaches, the tape is all that matters so we got to keep it going.”
Entering the 2024 season, the Jets were the betting favorites to win the AFC East crown after Aaron Rodgers’ return from a season-ending Achilles tear. But after losing nine of their last 10 games, Gang Green is in the midst of one of its worst stretches in years.
In games decided by six points or less this season, the Jets are 0-7. Gang Green had an eight-point lead against Miami during the fourth quarter only to squander it late after Jason Sanders converted a 52-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining to force overtime.
In overtime, Gang Green’s defense, which has been ranked in the top 10 all season, allowed the Dolphins to win, 32-26, after Tua Tagovailoa completed a nine-yard pass to tight end Jonnu Smith in the end zone.
Now, the Jets have officially extended their playoff drought to 14 consecutive seasons. That is the longest in North American sports, barely edging out the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres by one season. Although this year has been challenging for Jets players, they remain motivated during the season’s final month.
“Obviously, losing hurts in general,” Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker said. “When you stack up those L’s, that’s not where anyone in this building wants to be and that’s not anyone’s standard at all.
“We got this Monday off to reflect on things that we need to fix and just get away from it a little bit and come in on Wednesday ready to work. At the end of the day, we are eliminated from the playoffs, but we still gotta play for each other.
“We have a great locker room and guys are going to do that.”
When Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8, Ulbrich was given 12 games to help turn the team around following a 2-3 start. But since Saleh was fired, the Jets have a 1-7 record, with that lone win coming against the Texans on Halloween.
While there’s a month left in the season, Johnson has already begun to turn the page towards 2025. He hired The 33rd Team to help him find a new coach and general manager after Johnson fired Joe Douglas on Nov. 19.
That means Ulbrich — and likely the entire Jets staff — will be out of work following the team’s season finale against the Dolphins on Jan. 5. Although the Jets have struggled since he took over, Ulbrich said he has learned a lot during his time as interim coach.
“I think it helps, interim, head coach, assistant coach, it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Just these are all amazing learning moments for everybody concerned, so I’ll take a lot from this. I will, learned a lot about coaching, but learned a lot about myself as well. Got a lot to learn with the remaining four games that we have.
“It’s actually some stuff I’d rather keep to myself, but there’s some things about my approach with the players and with the staff that I can improve for sure. I got lots of kryptonites, don’t get me wrong, but one of my superpowers is having honesty with myself and reflecting on what I’ve done well and more importantly, what I haven’t done well, so I’ll definitely reflect on all of that and grow from it, for sure.”
