Woody Johnson's Robert Saleh, Jeff Ulbrich gamble sunk Jets season

Some New York Jets players reportedly feared that team owner Woody Johnson firing head coach Robert Saleh and having defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich serve as the club's interim head coach "would stretch the staff thin and hurt a defense that was the strength" of a side that was 2-3 back on the evening of Oct. 6. 

Shortly after the Jets fell to 3-7 via Sunday's embarrassing 31-6 loss at the Arizona Cardinals, Ulbrich sounded like an overwhelmed coach unable to save what's become yet another lost season for Gang Green. 

"Overall after a long layoff there, they were not prepared to play," Ulbrich said about his players following the defeat, as shared by David Suggs of The Sporting News. "We didn't execute even close to our standard and that falls on my shoulders, 100 percent. I didn't do a good enough job getting these guys ready."

Under Ulbrich, the Jets seemed to flip a switch in the second half of what became a 21-13 win over the Houston Texans on Halloween night. New York then managed to erase any momentum gained by that victory with a complete no-show performance against Arizona. 

According to Connor Hughes of SNY, the Jets missed a whopping 20 tackles en route to getting blown out at State Farm Stadium. The visitors made Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray look like a Most Valuable Player Award candidate, as Murray completed 22-of-24 passes for 266 yards with one touchdown to go along with two scores on the ground. His second rushing touchdown with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter essentially put the game to bed. 

The Jets aren't yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but also seem no closer to turning things around than they were when Johnson dismissed Saleh. New York's defense isn't elite this fall without its former coach, and quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Todd Downing replacing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as the team's offensive play-caller hasn't resulted in future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers reclaiming his best form. 

Of course, there is no way of knowing if Saleh would've righted the ship or at least prevented the club from losing five straight games before the win against Houston. Still, one can't help but wonder if Johnson regrets his decision with the Jets looking like afterthoughts regarding postseason conversations ahead of Thanksgiving. 

"In all honesty, the playoffs should be the last thing on our mind right now. We've just got to play better football," Ulbrich added during his post-game comments on Sunday, per Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. 

The Jets will try to play better football when they host the 4-6 Indianapolis Colts this coming Sunday. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed New York as a three-point favorite for that contest.