Scientists do field experiments all the time. The purpose is to test out a possibility. They try it, study it, and then make a call. In New York, the Justin Fields experiment has yielded an answer: “It ain’t working.”
In contrast, the improbable Jaxson Dart experience seems to be working for the Giants. Dart engineered the Giants to two wins, giving fans reason to watch Big Blue. The same can’t be said for the Jets and Justin Fields.
Fields was incompetent in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The game brought back memories of the Jets’ 10-3 loss to the Patriots on Nov 20, 2022. The defense put the team in a position to win that game, but it didn’t happen because Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was terrible that day. Marcus Jones’ 84-yard punt return with 26 seconds in regulation put an exclamation point on NYJ’s futility.
In 2022, Wilson was 9-22 for 77 yards. On Sunday, Fields was 9-17 for 45 yards. Ouch!
In this loss to Denver, the Jets played well on defense and special teams, and despite offensive struggles, they had an opportunity to win in the end. Instead, Fields was sacked on two plays of the last possession, including the game’s final play. One reason is that he held on to the ball too long.
Photo courtesy ClutchPoints
In retrospect, it’s easy to say there should have been a quarterback change at halftime with Tyrod Taylor starting the second half. But it wouldn’t have been a stretch to make the call in real time. On the Jets’ first four possessions of the day, Fields went 2-for-4 with one passing yard, and the team had six rushing yards. It didn’t get any better; the NYJ didn’t get a first down until mid-second quarter, and it wasn’t because Mason Taylor and Arian Smith couldn’t get open. It was because Fields couldn’t get the ball to them.
Even after Kene Nwangwu’s 72-yard return after a Denver field goal late in the first quarter, all the Jets could do was counter with Nick Folk’s 46-yard field goal that gave the Jets a short-lived 6-3 lead. After Denver scored a TD as the first quarter wound down to take a 10-6 lead, the Jets scored five points in the third quarter on Folk’s field goal and a safety to go back on top, 11-10, going into the fourth quarter.
New York had the ball four times in the final stanza, and this is how it performed: three plays, -4 yards; five plays, 20 yards; three plays, -7 yards; and six plays, 1 yard. That’s 17 plays for 10 yards, which is less than one yard per play.
Fields has started 49 games in his career, and that should be more than a large enough sample size to show that he is not a starting quarterback. He lost his job with the Chicago Bears and in Pittsburgh, and it’s clear the reason why. Three strikes and you’re out.
I said it was worth the risk to sign him because there were no other good choices. It turned out this has been a waste of $40 million. This isn’t going to get better. This season is already lost at 0-6. There’s no point playing him anymore. Moreover, there’s no point playing Taylor because he isn’t the long-term answer.
It’s time to give undrafted free agent Brady Cook a shot next week against the Carolina Panthers. He can’t be worse. Even if he is, so what? At least, he will get an opportunity, and maybe (like Dart with the Giants) he’ll give the Jets a spark.
To think the Jets’ braintrust let Aaron Rodgers go for this. For comparison, Rodgers has compiled over 1000 yards, thrown 10 TD passes, and been picked off only three times for the 4-1 AFC North-leading Steelers.
