HOUSTON -- In a must-win game, the New York Jets were outplayed, out-coached and outlasted by a third-string quarterback, an embarrassing meltdown that exposed serious flaws in the Jets.
Everything went wrong for the Jets, who damaged their playoff hopes with a 24-17 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Brandon Marshall and Devin Smith committed killer drops. Chris Ivory was invisible. Darrelle Revis played his worst game in years.
For most of the game, the Jets played soft. They played dumb.
Coach Todd Bowles deserves plenty of blame, too.
There was no sense of urgency at the outset and they were ill-prepared for the Texans' trickery. Bowles had to know the Texans (5-5), with recently unemployed quarterback T.J. Yates starting for the injured Brian Hoyer, would try different ways to move the football. And they did, but the Jets were clueless against Houston's Wildcat formation (seven plays for 48 yards) and they allowed a 21-yard touchdown on a double pass. On the latter play, linebacker Demario Davis fell asleep in coverage on running back Alfred Blue, who caught a pass from wide receiver Cecil Shorts.
Once again, Bowles made a questionable fourth-down decision late in the game, going for it on fourth-and-5 at his 46 instead of punting and playing defense with two timeouts and the two-minute warning.
The Jets (5-5) have dropped four of their past five, triggering a full-blown crisis. Their once-promising season is in shambles because their offense is one-dimensional and their defense is overrated. They should've dominated Yates, who made his first start in four years, but they generated little pressure and their $150 million secondary couldn't handle DeAndre Hopkins.
The crazy part? The Jets had nine days to prepare for the game, the Texans only five.
Shame on the Jets.
What were they thinking? Here's a novel concept: How about using two players to block J.J. Watt, the best defensive player in the NFL? For some crazy reason, the Jets decided to use one player in key situations. As a result, Watt recorded two sacks, beating Breno Giacomini and D'Brickashaw Ferguson on separate plays. That's just bad coaching.
One reason to panic: Revis' aura of invincibility was stripped away by Hopkins, who ate the star cornerback's lunch -- and dinner, too. In his worst game of the season, probably several seasons, Revis allowed a 61-yard touchdown pass. It was single coverage, no deep help. He used to be automatic in those situations (Revis Island, anyone?), but he was toasted by one of the top receivers in the game. Unofficially, Revis allowed four receptions for 97 yards to Hopkins. Antonio Cromartie also had a bad game, allowing a 35-yard catch.
One reason to get excited: Running back Bilal Powell, returning from an ankle injury, gained 89 yards from scrimmage and he made a key block on Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass to Marshall.
Fantasy watch: Marshall scored once, his seventh touchdown of the season. He should've had more.
Ouch: A couple of big injuries. Revis left in the third quarter with a head injury and didn't return. His replacement, Marcus Williams, who had a strip sack and recovery earlier in the game, was promptly burned for a 20-yard touchdown. Center Nick Mangold suffered a right-hand injury in the second quarter. He, too, stayed out -- a big blow to the offensive line. It's unclear if it's the same hand that was hurt in the previous game. He was replaced by Wesley Johnson. Ivory was bothered by an undisclosed leg injury from his very first touch -- shades of the New England game in Week 7. He wasn't right, and the running attack fell apart.
What's next: The Jets return home to face the Miami Dolphins. They beat the Dolphins on foreign soil in Week 4, a 27-14 win in London -- the game that prompted Miami to fire Joe Philbin.