The Jets’ final defensive play call in their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was so bad, even Gang Green's own players didn’t hold back with their disapproval.
With the Jets ahead 28-24 with 13 seconds left and the Raiders at Gang Green's 46-yard line, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams opted to rush seven despite the obvious Hail Mary situation. That left Vegas speedster Henry Ruggs alone one-on-one against Lamar Jackson with no safety help, and Ruggs beat the cornerback for a 46-yard go-ahead touchdown.
After the game, even Jets players weren’t shy about making their feelings about Williams’ play call clear. Quarterback Sam Darnold, when asked about the play call and then whether Jets players were angry with Williams over it, gave the same response both times, via Connor Hughes of The Athletic: “It is what it is.”
Veteran safety Marcus Maye took things a step further. Maye told reporters four times that the defense “should have been in a better call,” and openly criticized Williams for putting players in a bad spot.
“We have to execute, but you have to help us out at the same time,” Maye said of Williams.
You cannot blame the players for being so upset about the call. This is a winless team that likely would have pulled off the victory had Williams called for a more conventional coverage scheme in that situation. You can really only sympathize with the players in that situation who knew how stupid the call was but couldn’t do anything but try to execute it.
How bad was Williams’ decision? It was bad enough that these respected voices actually accused him of trying to throw the game with it.
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