While New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold took the blame for his team's 21-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, Jets head coach Todd Bowles naturally shifted the blame toward himself, according to Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post.
“I’m taking the whole ballgame,” Bowles said. “The whole ballgame is on me.”
New York looked to be well on its way to a 2-1 record after running out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. But the entrance of Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield energized Cleveland, and the Jets went into a shell. New York scored just three points the rest of the way as Mayfield badly outplayed Darnold.
The Jets employed a conservative game plan as Darnold completed just 15 of his 31 pass attempts for 169 yards and two interceptions. They also lost a fumble and racked up six penalties for 55 yards.
“Inexcusable,” Bowles called it, and that was being kind.
“We lost our composure,” he said. “Things we were doing right in the first half we didn’t do in the second half.”
Bowles insisted the Jets “will be a good team,” but they've taken two steps back after their dominant performance in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. New York managed just 12 points in its loss to the Miami Dolphins last week and now just gave Cleveland its first win since 2016.
Things won't be getting any easier for Bowles and the Jets in Week 4. They face a brutal matchup in Jacksonville against one of the best defenses in the league, which could lead to yet another ugly offensive showing.
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