What’s next for the New York Jets? Well, it’s not the playoffs. In what was a crushing 32-26 loss (OT) to the Miami Dolphins despite managing a lead in the fourth quarter—something they’ve fumbled five times this season, a franchise record of the worst kind spanning 65 years since its inception—the Jets couldn’t stop Tua Tagovailoa from sealing their fate. Week-13 game loss against the Seahawks too was no different: Good start, lead in the final, albeit one aspect. Only this time, they were able to sustain the lead much longer. At 3-10, it’s a season to forget for Gang Green.

The Dolphins held a 15-13 lead at halftime but New York made a comeback to snag a 23-15 lead. Trailing 26-23 with 52 seconds left in regulation, the Dolphins would tie it with a four-yard strike to Tyreek Hill followed by a clutch two-point conversion to Jaylen Waddle. The team’s then traded field goals to force overtime. QB Tua Tagovailoa connected with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill for gains of six and 14 yards to set up Jason Sanders’s fourth field goal of the day, a 52-yard one.

In overtime, eight plays, 70-yard drive, and a 10-yard touchdown pass to TE Jonnu Smith later, Tagovailoa ended the afternoon on a sweet note: completed 33-of-47 passes (70.2 pct.) for 331 yards and two touchdowns. On the other hand, The Jets’ interim HC, Jeff Ulbrich, was feeling it in the 80-degree heat at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon and didn’t hold back a tad at the post-game press conference, calling it “frustrating and just maddening” that would keep him up for several nights:

“We got to find a way to finish and close these things out, we got to be at our best and our best required … and we’re not getting that accomplished,” Ulbrich said. “And I got to look at myself first. So, yeah, that last drive is, it’s interesting.

“I’m gonna stay up some nights thinking about that last drive because the instinct is to be ultra-aggressive. But I think it was three or four screens on it. So he [Tagovailoa] was definitely playing this for pressure, trying to get after him. So got to provide a better answer for our players.”

Rodgers, however, had a rare bright spot. He surpassed 300 passing yards for the first time as a Jet, connecting with Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams for a combined 223 yards. One dazzling fourth-quarter touchdown to Adams marked their 79th career connection, sliding them past Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown into fourth place on the all-time QB-WR duo list.

“Rodgers to Adams—pure magic, even in a nightmare season,” fans mused online. But not even that historic moment could save the New York Jets. Now staring at a potential top NFL Draft pick, Rodgers and the Jets must regroup for Week 15 against the Jaguars. With playoff hopes gone, all that’s left is pride and maybe a few more records for Rodgers to chase.

Aaron Rodgers contemplates: “That’s why we’re sitting here with the record we’ve got”

It’s difficult to celebrate a personal record, one that took Aaron Rodgers nearly three years to replicate, when your team has been eliminated from playoff contention for the 14 straight season – the longest active streak in the league – following Sunday’s defeat. All he could muster to say was “Got that behind us. Got that behind us.”

“The expectations were high. We didn’t reach them. We weren’t close,” Rodgers said of the season. “It felt good three weeks in. The weekend off, everybody felt real good. Since then, it’s been a lot of difficult games with opportunities to win. We just didn’t figure out how to win enough games. I didn’t play good enough in some crunch times.” The time Rodgers is referring to here is when Jets had registered their first regular season victory against the New England Patriots in Week 3, the only time they have been over .500 this season.

“That’s why we’re sitting here with the record we’ve got,” Rodgers added.

For now, there’s certainly a lot to contemplate for Rodgers and Co. But looking at Tagovailoa’s poise under pressure, subsequently solidifying his recent hot streak of 300-yard games, one can only say this much: Texans, beware—Tua is rolling!