EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's official: The New York Jets are an absolute mess, and the Adam Gase Watch is on.
After a stinker in Week 1, the Jets took it down another couple of notches, imploding in all phases in a 31-13 loss Sunday to the injury-ravaged San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Basically, they were cooked in 17 seconds -- the time it took for the 49ers' Raheem Mostert to run 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
"I'm pissed right now," Gase said. "That s--- is no fun, going out there and getting your ass beat. We need to get better fast."
From there, the Jets showed no fight, no clue, no tackling ability and no guts from their playcaller, Gase, who made a handful of head-scratching decisions. The biggest blunder came when he settled for a field goal when trailing by 21 points late in the third quarter. Really?
This is bad. The Jets have the look of 3-13, which almost certainly would mean another coaching change -- if Gase lasts that long. In two losses, they have been outscored 58-30, and that's not the worst part.
Forget the numbers; the most stinging indictment is they haven't been competitive in eight quarters of football. Yes, they were banged up, sans wide receiver Jamison Crowder and running back Le'Veon Bell, but their injury situation was nothing compared to that of the 49ers, who lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (knee), in addition to a handful of stars who didn't play at all.
Gase is 7-11 as the Jets' coach, with nine of the losses by double digits. His pet project, quarterback Sam Darnold, had another poor game, but you can hardly put the blame on him. Injuries to Breshad Perriman (ankle) and Chris Hogan (ribs) left them with two healthy wide receivers, as they opted to dress only four -- one of many curious decisions.
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson gave Gase a ringing endorsement last week, calling him a "brilliant offensive mind." He said he'd his base his evaluation of Gase on whether the team shows progress, suggesting it "won't be too hard" to show improvement after the season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Johnson overestimated his team. Right now, the Jets are the laughingstock of the NFL.
Troubling trend: A year ago, the defense was the main reason why the Jets won seven games. This season, it's invisible. Two awful plays pretty much summarized the day: Mostert's long touchdown, the first 80-yard rushing TD allowed by the Jets since 2014, and Jerick McKinnon's 55-yard run on a third-and-31 play. Who gives up a conversion on third-and-31? The Jets do, of course.
You know things are bad when your best player, safety Marcus Maye, has one of the worst days on the team. After a brilliant opener, Maye was victimized on two scoring catches by tight end Jordan Reed. Imagine if the 49ers had George Kittle (knee).
The lack of speed on defense was glaring, especially in the secondary. This was one of those games where they really missed safety Jamal Adams. Quite simply, the Jets have no difference-makers on defense. They couldn't even put pressure on a one-legged Garoppolo (14-for-16, 131 yards), who was a sitting duck before going out at halftime.
QB breakdown: Darnold had no turnovers and didn't make any brain-lock decisions (see: last week), but he provided no spark whatsoever. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 173 yards, a bunch coming in garbage time. Truth is, he struggled against a zone-based defense, continuing a careerlong trend. Darnold has regressed this season, a chilling thought because he's supposed to be their future.
How can they get a true evaluation of Darnold with a second-rate supporting cast? His top weapon, tight end Chris Herndon (one catch for five yards), was a ghost.