EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Finish. Finish. Finish. It was the mantra throughout the week. After blowing 14-point leads in back-to-back losses, the New York Jets placed such an emphasis on winning the fourth quarter that it became the theme in every aspect of their game prep -- on the practice field, in the meeting rooms and in the weight room.
No matter. It was the Same (Not So) Old Jets.
They still stunk it up in the fourth quarter Sunday and fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 25-20, in the driving rain at MetLife Stadium. It was their third straight loss, dropping them to 3-5. Their feel-good story is officially over; the Jets are in a tailspin, and now they have a quick turnaround against the surprising Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
Each week, the tension in the postgame locker room intensifies. Running back Matt Forte, one of the team leaders, questioned the playcalling -- the first crack in coach Todd Bowles' new wall of solidarity. Others expressed a sense of urgency.
"It's alarming that we're losing games and giving up leads," tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins said. "It pisses me off that we lost those games and I'm sure everyone else is pissed off. Yeah, it's frustrating. It just sucks. You see flashes and you're like, 'Wow.' We just need to keep those flashes [going]."
Bowles, ever the stoic, claimed he was "frustrated, but not discouraged." His team has enough talent to compete with the NFL's top teams, yet they fall apart on cue in the fourth quarter.
"We have to stop taking body blows and start delivering them," Bowles said.
This was a classic meltdown, with offense, defense and specials teams contributing in rapid-fire succession. At least they went down as a team.
With a one-point lead, the Jets began the fourth quarter by allowing a sack, missing a field goal and surrendering a 54-yard run after a missed tackle by cornerback Juston Burris -- on three consecutive plays, mind you. With under seven minutes left, the sure-handed Jeremy Kerley muffed a punt at his own 13-yard line, handing the Falcons three points.
The game ended in fitting fashion, with a false start on quarterback Josh McCown -- a 10-second runoff that ended the Jets' last-minute, desperate drive.
So typical.
"[We have to] figure out what the heck we’re doing in the second half that’s not allowing us to play the same way," McCown said. "[We've] got to fix that."
In torrential rain, offensive coordinator John Morton got too pass-happy (again), calling passes on eight of the first 10 plays of the fourth quarter. Obviously, it bothered Forte, who ran a season-low four times. The Falcons, with reigning league MVP Matt Ryan and star receiver Julio Jones, stayed balanced on offense in the monsoon-like conditions. The Jets? No, they were slinging in the rain.
The Jets continued the maddening trend of finding ways to lose. They played hard -- they always do -- but their DNA lacks the "killer-instinct" gene. You can excuse it once, maybe twice, but three lousy fourth quarters in a row? It's inexcusable. It could be a fatal flaw for this team, and it could be fatal for Bowles if he doesn't get it fixed.
At the season's midpoint, the Jets have been outscored in the fourth quarter, 76-20. The NFL is all about the fourth quarter. If you shrink in crunch time, you have no chance.
Offensively, the Jets slipped into their weekly second-half funk, managing only a field goal after halftime. McCown, who threw two touchdown passes to give them a 17-10 halftime lead, was under pressure and lost his spark. It's a broken record: Their pass protection always falls apart late in the game.
The Jets wasted so many opportunities. Benefiting from terrific field position and two takeaways, they started four drives in Atlanta territory, but they converted those chances into only 10 points. The Falcons (4-3) practically begged them to take the game, especially with Ryan fumbling three snaps.
No matter. The Jets choked it away. Again.