The New York Jets came oh so close to winning their first game of the season on Sunday against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders — all they had to do was stop the opposing offense from driving 61 yards in 35 seconds without any timeouts available. They did not.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Henry Ruggs connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left in regulation, to hand the Jets their 12th loss of the season. Adding insult to injury was the defensive call by coordinator Gregg Williams, who called a Cover 0 blitz despite the Raiders having almost no time to work with.
The call backfired, leaving Ruggs one-on-one with cornerback Lamar Jackson:
The Raiders beat the Jets with this clutch TD pass with 13 seconds left
— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 6, 2020
lmaoooopic.twitter.com/OMMhPhAHBe
Williams’ call was criticized almost immediately by fans and analysts alike — and by the Jets.
“That situation, we could have been in a better call,” said Jets safety Marcus Maye. “A lot of emotions in the locker room right now. It’s tough… We fought hard to put ourselves in a position to win.”
One day after his decision to send an all-out blitz that lead directly to a Jets loss, the team has seen enough: as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Williams was fired by the organization on Monday. He is leaving behind a defense that has allowed 27.5 per game this year, ranking 28th in the league.
Head coach Adam Gase, meanwhile, remains atop the coaching staff for now. The New England Patriots will play the Jets in Week 17, possibly with New York fighting against becoming just the third team in league history to go 0-16.