Todd Bowles needs to be fired after 41-10 slashing to Buffalo

BILLS 41 - JETS 10 

Todd Bowles needs to be fired.

Immediately. Today. This second. At Halftime. After the game. As soon as Possible. 

Nobody likes to see anyone lose their job, but Todd Bowles and his entire coaching staff have earned pink slips as the Jets got totally outcoached, outplayed and outsmarted by the Buffalo Bills, who built a 31-0 lead at the half, en route to a 41-10 smackdown by the end of the day. 

How bad was the first half for the Jets? Dion Dawkins, an offensive lineman did his best Rob Gronkowski impression catching a wide open pass from Matt Barkley for a touchdown that blew the doors off MetLife Stadium.

The Jets offense was once again uncreative, managing only one yard through the first quarter, and 68 yards of offense in the entire first half. Compare that to the nearly 300 yards of offense put on display by the Bills, who came out hot as a fire cracker, and you have the results you see at the break.

Josh McCown struggled in his first start in almost an entire calendar, completing only seven of 14 passes for 68 yards and a costly interception in relief of a banged up Sam Darnold. He would throw two picks by the end of the day, and never ignited the Jets offense at all. And to think McCown is getting paid $10 million this season?

What is most troubling about this game is the mistakes and issues that have plagued the Jets all season have plagued them today. The Bills were pulling out all the stops. They played fast and loose, and Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott was willing to let his team play that way with trick plays all afternoon, including a fake punt pass by Logan Thomas.

The Jets? Well, they were the carbon copy of their head coach, Todd Bowles who looks like a disinterested pedestrian waiting for the bus to pick him up at six in the morning. The Jets looked flat, unmotivated and uninspired. That is a huge indictment of Bowles and his coaching staff.  

Moreover the offensive play calling was once again uncreative with bubble screens that went nowhere, and runs into the line scrimmage that accomplished absolutely nothing. This kind of play has become the staple of Jeremy Bates’ play calling, something that cannot be permitted to continue any longer.  If Bowles goes, so should Bates.

The biggest indictment of the day was the fact that the Jets allowed Matt Barkely to do whatever he wanted. The Former USC product was 9 of 15 for 146 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was his first since 2016 when he was a member of the Bears. This is not the first time that the Jets looked unprepared for an opposing quarterback.

In Week 3 the Jets had no answer for rookie Baker Mayfield who lit a fire under the Browns, who stormed back to beat the Jets. Bowles had no answer for Mayfield that night. He has had no answers for Barkley and the Bills today.

If Sean McDermott can motivate a team that is 2-7 and playing on its fourth quarterback to play inspired football, the Jets could and need to do better than this.  Their fans deserve it. The players who will be here beyond this season deserve it.

Should Bowles be fired this week, the Jets should also put General Manager Mike Maccagnan on notice. Most of the players that comprise this roster are his picks and signings. Are the Johnson brothers willing to give him $100 million in cap space to fix this?

There will be plenty of names out there including Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub. Anyone of them should be at the top of the Jets Christmas list. The Jets need to begin their Black Friday shopping for a coach now, and bring Black Monday to Florham Park today.