What will the Mets do with Mickey Callaway?

With the season now complete, teams around Major League Baseball made swift decisions on a number of managers. Heck, even the Cubs parted ways with World Series winning skipper Joe Madden. The question is what will the Mets do? While teams were taking their first steps of the off-season, the Mets will meet this week to decide the fate of their embattled manager, Mickey Callaway.

Some thoughts ...

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Attention Turns to Yankees and Pitching Staff as Playoffs Begin

The Yankees won 103 games this year, basically captured the AL East title in early August, and have found ways to win games despite suffering several injuries to everyday players seemingly every week of the season, yet they have to be on upset alert when the playoffs begin.

Why? Because this version of the Minnesota Twins that they will see next week is no pushover. The Yankees have long used the Twins are their personal whipping boys whenever the franchises have met in the postseason, but this time it could be different. And if the Yankees find a way to lose this series -- as unlikely as it may seem on paper, the reason why will have a lot to do with the Yankees pitching.

Starting pitching has been an issue all year for the Bronx Bombers, starting with Luis Severino missing most of the season with rotator cuff inflammation and a lat injury, to the inconsistency of JA Happ, Mashairo Tanaka, the end of CC Sabathia's career in Pinstripes, and the bizarre glute injury to James Paxton in the seasons' final week.

Let us not forget the legal trouble that surrounds starter Domingo German, who has been placed on administrative leave as MLB continues to investigate into allegations of domestic assault.

This is a big problem.

Manager Aaron Boone hasn't announced a rotation yet for the Best-of-Five series, and he is going to need all the time to think about how to line his starters up. The best guess is that Tanaka will get the ball Game 1. Aside from Sabathia, who likely won't make the postseason roster, Tanaka has the most postseason experience of an starter in this patch-work rotation.

It was an average year for Tanaka, who went 11-9 with a 4.45 ERA. Some nights he was dominant. Other nights, he was lit up. In the season finale he gave up a couple of runs over three innings against Texas, a 6-1 loss as a warmup for the postseason. While giving him the ball to start the ALDS could be considered iffy, especially if Paxton's glute injury, reputation alone gives him the edge.

And that takes to the aforementioned Paxton. Over the last two months of the season, nobody was better than Paxton in this rotation. Posting a 10-0 record with an ERA just above three, Paxton has earned the right to get the trust of the Yankees for multiple starts in this postseason. Don't be shocked if we don't see Paxton until Game Three in Minnesota, since he has yielded only four earned runs in his last four starts away from the Bronx.

Of course the lack of postseason experience will get drummed up a bit here with Paxton, but once he's on the rubber it's just another start. Of all the starters in the Yankees rotation, he's the most likely to go six or more innings.

After Paxton the Yankees have a mess on their hands. Severino made only three starts since coming off the Injured List. His best outing came against Toronto, when he three-hit the Blue Jays on September 22. Is that enough of a sample size to give him the ball in Game 2 or Game 3?  There is no telling what kind of impact if any he can have on this time in a critical postseason contest.

Finally JA Happ is going to get some looks here. Yes, I know Happ had his fair share of issues this season, but in a short series like this against a powerful Twins lineup, you can damn well expect to see Happ at some point, especially out of the pen in any game that Severino starts where he doesn't go at least five.

The Yankees hope they don't have to go to Happ, who got hit hard against the Twins twice this year, but again, they may have no other choice.

One thing the Yankees will have to protect against is Twins ace Jose Berrios, whose 3.68 ERA was the best on a club that owned a 4.18 team ERA. Outside of Berrios the Twins are hittable in the pitching department, which is why many believe this series will see its fair share of home runs and lead changes.

It's going to be fascinating, but if the Yankees are to advance to LCS for the second time in three years, they need Tanaka, Paxton and Severino to step up and save the day.

Danny Dimes Impressive Again As G-Men Romp Skins

GIANTS 24 - REDSKINS 3 

Daniel Jones is no one-week wonder. The Giants rookie quarterback impressed again, this time in his MetLife Stadium debut, tossing for 225 yards and a touchdown as the Giants thumped the hapless Washington Redskins 24-3.

It didn't take long for Jones to get the Giants into the end zone. Following a interception by Redskins quarterback Case Keenum, Jones got the Giants to pay dirt on a snappy eight-pay 32-yard drive to take the lead. Pass plays of 15-yards to Wayne Gallman and 13-yards to Sterling Shepherd set up shot at the Skins' six-yard line, before Jones went back to Gallman for the score to put the Giants up 7-0.

After a Washington three-and-out, Jones displayed some nice patience picking apart the Skins from underneath with short throws to Gallman, Evan Engram and Darius Slayton as the Giants ate up chunks of yards on what would turn into a 94-yard drive.

Perhaps the biggest play of the drive came on first down at the Giants 32, when Jones found Shepherd uncovered in the middle of the field for a 23-yard gain to march into Washington territory.

Six plays later, Gallman cut through the Skins defense for 22-yards to the Washington three to set up a goal-to-go scenerio. Gillman capped off the the drive with a one-yard plunge to give the Giants a commanding 14-0 lead.

For his part, Gallman did a fine job filling in for injured Pro Bowler Saquon Barkley. Proving to be shifty on the run, and critical in the passing game, Gallman amassed 118 all purpose yards in the victory. It was exactly what the Giants were hoping for from him in the pinch.

Defensively the Giants dominated the Redskins at the line of scrimmage all afternoon. Case Keenum was dreadful for the Skins, completing only six passes before being removed for rookie Dwayne Haskins Jr. Haskins gave the Skins a slight jolt, leading them to a field goal, but that was all. The Giants picked off Haskins three times, including a 32-yard pick six by safety Jabrill Peppers in the third quarter to ice the scoring at 24-3.

Overall the Giants held Washington to only eight first downs and 176 yards of offense.

Back on Jones, he too had his issues with turnovers, tossing two bad picks early in the game. Fortunately for Jones, the Giants defense shutdown the Redskins from converting those turnovers into points. Look, let's be real, mistakes are going to happen for Jones. He is a rookie after all, so this is going to be a growing process.

The next two weeks against Minnesota and New England will be stiffer tests for Jones and the Giants. While fans should be giddy by the way he has performed so far, there will be some bad games coming. That's the process when working a rookie quarterback into the mix. The one thing he has going for him, he's got a veteran offensive line in front of him, a good running game, and solid foundation.

The Giants have a season folks.

Pete Alonso Becomes MLB Rookie Home Run King

Pete Alonso is now the All-Time Rookie Home Run King.

The Mets first baseman broke the home run rookie record previously held by Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, by blasting his 53^rd home run of the season in the Mets 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves, Saturday.

With New York already lead 2-0 in the bottom of the third, Alonso took a two-seam fastball from Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz and planted it over the wall in right-center field for the solo shot.

As he swung through the pitch, all 32,000 fans in attendance rose in excitement as the Mets first baseman extended his arms over his head as he reached first. As he rounded third for home, Alonso egged on the crowed to keep cheering, before embracing Robinson Cano at home plate and greeting the conga-line of teammates waiting at the top step of the dugout.

In a season full of disappointment and broken dreams, Alonso has been the one true bright spot for the Mets this year.

Not only did he shatter the Mets club and rookie record for home runs in a season to solidify his place as the NL Rookie of the Year, he became the face of the franchise and team leader virtually overnight.

If there is one player who personifies what the Mets want in its players, Alonso is that and more.  Much more in fact.

Alonso has also proven to be a true New Yorker; even donating his 9/11 tribute cleats that he wore on the 18^th Anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The donation will take place Tuesday, October 1 at 10 a.m. at the museum at the World Trade Center.

You can fault General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen for all of the mistakes he made this year, but the one thing he got right was promoting Alonso to the big leagues out of Spring Training.

It is easy to forget that seven months ago, there was a thought that Alonso would begin the season in Triple-A. That of course is laughable to think about now. Van Wagenen and manager Mickey Callaway gave the 24-year old Tampa native a shot in spring ball and he ran with it all the way to Rookie of the Year honors.

If the 2020 Mets are going to have World Series expectations next year, the reason why will be because of the guy wearing number 20.

Marlins Sink Mets Playoff Dreams

Well it’s official. The season is over for the 2019 New York Mets. And like they did in 2007 and 2008 the Miami Marlins played a major role in popping the Mets postseason hopes, delivering an 8-4 loss for New York on Monday night at Citi Field.

For the past two months the Mets have teased us with the hope that they could somehow find their way into one of the two National League wild card slots, but at the end of the day, it was just that … a tease.

Monday’s loss to the Marlins pushed the Mets to five games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the final wild card spot. The Mets would need to 6-0, while the Brewers go 0-6 just to get in.

In the words of John Franco: Fudgetaboutit!!

At least the Mets season lasted longer than the New York Jets.

All that is left for the Mets this year is to finish with a winning record, and see whether Pete Alonso can break Aaron Judge’s rookie record for home runs in a season. 

With the postseason dream dashed the clock will be ticking on Manager Mickey Callaway and possibly General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen over the next seven days. 

Most likely one, if not both could be fired by seasons end.

Then again, this is the Wilpon’s we are talking about, so who’s to say they won’t keep the embattled duo together?

On this night, it was Steven Matz who fell victim to the rare power of the Marlins. Miami tagged the lefty for six runs over five innings, including a grand slam by catcher Jorge Alfaro to put the game seemingly out of reach at 6-0.

Give the Mets credit, they did comeback when Amed Rosario answered with a grand slam home run of his own to cut the Marlin lead to 6-4, but it was not enough as the Marlins bullpen combined to blank the Mets over the final three innings of the contest.

To say this game against Miami was the sole reason why the Mets didn’t make the playoffs would be an injustice. The Mets were 11 games under .500 on July 12, before putting together a miraculous July and August run as they flipped the script, turning their record around to 67-60, and putting themselves in the thick of the wild card race.

Then the bottom fell out over six days in late August when the Mets lost six in a row to the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. Had the Mets won even a couple of those games, they could have pulled to within a game or even. Instead they remained about four or five back, and never really regained the momentum they had in late July and early August.

Of course the ills of the Mets bullpen played a major part in the struggles this year. The bullpen blew a combined 32 games this year when the Mets had a lead after the sixth inning. 32! And closer Edwin Diaz became the poster boy for those struggles with a ERA near six and seven blown saves.

The fact that the Mets were this close to putting all those problems behind them with a playoff berth is a credit to the players as much as it is to Callaway for keeping the team focused.

Will that matter to the Wilpons in a few days when they make their final decision on Callaway? We’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, six games are left.

Daniel Jones Leads Giants to "W" in First NFL Start

GIANTS 32 - BUCCANEERS 31 

The Giants have their new quarterback. Any questions? Any more doubts? The New York Giants indeed have their quarterback of the future, and his name is Daniel Jones.

The same Daniel Jones who was ridiculed by Giants fans and pundits alike when General Manager David Gettleman used the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to select him, have egg all over their face this evening, as Jones, in his first career NFL start, led the Giants all the way back to a thrilling 32-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jones was impressive early. He gave the Giants the kind of mobility from the pocket the team had longed for from Eli Manning as the veteran quarterback's skills set diminished over the past few seasons.

From extending plays to making plays, Jones was doing it all Sunday, and the Bucs had no answer to stop him.

With the Giants down 12-3 in the second quarter, and facing a critical third and five, Jones scrambled to his right for an 11 yard gain and a first down at the Giants 41. After completing his new two passes, Jones hit Saquon Barkley in the flat for a 19-yard gain to move the ball into a goal-to-go situation. Jones capped off the drive by running the naked bootleg into the end zone to cut the Bucs lead to 12-10.

Things weren't always perfect for the young quarterback. He had a critical fumble late in the quarter that the Bucs turned into a touchdown to extend their lead to 25-10. Jones even lost his best playmaker in Barkley who left the game with a high ankle sprain.

Amazingly enough, even with his team down 18-points, Jones put the Giants on his back. On the first play of the second half, Jones connected with tight end Even Engram on a 75-yard touchdown pass, and capped the score off with a two-point conversion to Sterling Shepherd to stun Tampa Bay. Suddenly the Giants were only down 10.

After a Buccaneers three-and-out, Jones went right back to work, guiding the Giants on an 80-yard scoring drive, with his 46-yard completion to D Slayton being the critical play of the drive. Finally on third and goal, the rookie found Shepherd again in the end zone, this time for a touchdown to cut the Tampa lead to three points, 28-25.

Over the next quarter and half, both the Bucs and Giants traded three and outs, before Tampa finally broke the ice by turning a Jones fumble into three more points to extend their lead to 31-25 with six minutes to go.

Now it was up to Jones to do the unthinkable, especially for a rookie. His predecessor had led the Giants to 37-come-from behind victories in his career. Would Jones finally get his? The young quarterback's ear was tethered to Manning's every word on the sideline before strolling out to the field for the Giants last shot with 3:16 to play.

And, boy, did the kid deliver.

On the first play, Jones hit Shepherd on a short screen pass for five yards to get things started. Then he dropped a dime into the hands of Slayton for 21yards to midfield. Two plays later, Jones found a wide open Shepherd underneath and hit him for what turned into a 36-yard gain to the Buccaneers 12 yard line with two minutes to go.

After a pair of incompletions, the Giants had one last play on fourth and five at the Tampa Bay seven. Jones took the snap out of the shotgun, and stepped back to throw. Suddenly he noticed that nobody was in front of him and took off for the end zone, untouched for the score.

The Giants sideline exploded in excitement as Jones was mobbed by his teammates in the end zone. The Giants led for the first time all day, 32-31 with 1:16 to play.

Still too much time for Tampa. Too much time for Jamies Winston to find Mike Evans for a 44-yard gain to the Giants' own nine yard line. When Evans came down with the catch, it looked the Giants were destined for a heartbreaking loss. Then Matt Gay missed a 34-yard field goal wide right as the Giants celebrated their first victory of the season.

On the day, Jones completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards and two touchdown passes. He was responsible for all four of the Giants touchdowns on Sunday.

To all the naysayers. To the Mike Francesa's of the world who blasted the Giants for drafting Jones, and for benching Manning, Pat Shurmur and David Gettleman -- at least for one week -- get the last laugh.

The Giants found their quarterback.

Another Putrid Effort Sends Gase, Jets to 0-3

PATRIOTS 30 - JETS 14 

For the second consecutive week, the Jets were uncompetitive. For the third consecutive week, the Jets were uncreative offensively. Blame injuries all you want, the fact is it wouldn't have mattered if the Jets had a healthy Sam Darnold under center against Cleveland on Monday night, and against New England on Sunday, because the Jets would still be in the same predicament.

0 and 3 with the season all but over!

The Jets were nonexistent against the Patriots from the word go. It was like the Jets had listened to all the pundits and decided to literally not get off the bus when it arrived at the doorsteps of Gillette Stadium.

By games end, the Jets managed only six first downs; 105 yards of offense; were 0-for-12 on third down, and whose longest play of the entire game was 23 yards. That was it. It was humiliating, embarrassing, ridiculous.

Many compared Luke Falk to Tom Brady during the week because both were drafted with the 199th pick in the sixth round, (granted some 19 years apart), but that is where the comparisons start and end. Falk had no chance Sunday. He was under duress all day, completing only 12 passes for 98 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times.

Almost every pass that Falk threw was of the underneath variety, as once again Head Coach Adam Gase, the so-called quarterback whisper hid behind his play sheet as he refused to extend plays, refused to gamble with a third string quarterback and a battered offensive line, and refused to show any confidence in the players he had on the field.

Meanwhile, the Patriots did whatever they wanted. With 13:34 to go in the second quarter, the Patriots scored their third touchdown of the day to build a 20-0 lead, before taking their foot off the pedal. If the Patriots wanted to score 50 points, or even challenge the NFL record for points in a game, they could have done so easily. The Jets were not stopping them.

Bill Belichick took pity on the Jets, and you know it's bad when the head coach who has hated the Jets for over 20 years, is taking pity on the sorry state of Adam Gase's ball club. Heck the Patriots didn't even have all their weapons, as Julian Edelman left the game with an apparent chest injury after hauling in a three-yard touchdown from Tom Brady in the second quarter. And of course Antonio Brown was released by New England on Friday ending his stay.

Hence the problem with the Jets. They just flat out stink. Yes, they are missing key pieces on both sides of the ball, it a good team that is well coached can overcome injuries. The Jets are neither. They are bad team, and they are not well coached.

When Sam Darnold returns to the lineup in two weeks (assuming he does) does anyone in their right mind think it will get any better? The Eagles are not going to be pushovers for the Jets. Neither will the Cowboys, or the Patriots in the rematch. This team is destined for 0-6. Heck 2-14 seems likely with the effort this team gives on a weekly basis.

With all of the bad coaches the Jets have had over the years, it is not unreasonable to think that Adam Gase could be on the hot seat after three weeks. The team is unprepared, unmotivated, and there has already been rumblings of ranker in the ranks with Jamal Adams supposedly demanding a trade with his antics after the Browns game.

This team is a fiasco.

And we thought the Giants and Mets were the biggest messes in New York City?

Eli Manning Era Ends, Daniel Jones Now the Starter

16 years ago, the New York Giants were 5-4 when then Head Coach Tom Coughlin decided it was time to bench Kurt Warner and start a young kid from an SEC school, who's namesake was made famous by his Hall of Fame brother.

That kid, Eli Manning, lived through all the trials and tribulations of that rookie season, and those early years. He was chastised by his teammates -- especially running back Tiki Barber and tight end Jeremy Shockey, who used the quarterback as a doormat, and had to live with the ever daunting comparisons to his brother Peyton, his father Archie, and the demands of the City that never sleeps.

In 2005, the Giants were 3-2 heading into a Week 7 matchup with the Denver Broncos at Giants Stadium. The Giants trailed for much of the day, and were at one point down 23-10 in the fourth quarter when Manning led Big Blue back in a comeback that would both define his career, and serve as a preview of coming attractions. Manning won that game on a two-yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer with five seconds left.

The Giants would go 11-5 that year, win the NFC East before bowing out in the playoffs 23-0 to the Carolina Panthers in the wild card.

And, boy, did Eli get ripped apart by the fans and media for that game against the Panthers. Little did anyone know he would comeback with vengeance two years later when he took an unlikely wild team past the best competition in the NFC to Super Bowl XLII where he beat back the undefeated New England Patriots, 17-14.

18-1 will always carry meaning in the minds of Giants and NFL fans forever.

Manning won one more Super Bowl four years later, again against those Patriots, cementing his place in Giants and New York sports history forever.

However the last six to seven seasons have not been as kind to Manning. His skills slowly diminished along with the talent that was built around him. The Giants didn't do him any favors the last few years. From Ben McAdoo's anti-Eli antics, to Odell Beckham Jr. creating on-field and off-field distractions. To playing behind a horrible offensive line, and playing with a bad team constructed by a soon-to-be-fired General Manager in David Gettleman, it hasn't been fun.

And it isn't all Eli's fault.

On Tuesday with the Giants at 0-2 for the fifth time in the last six years, Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur had to make the decision to formally end the Manning era, benching him for rookie Daniel Jones.

Jones played extremely well in training camp and in preseason games. A rookie out of Duke, Jones has a lot of attributes that remind people of a younger Eli Manning. Whether that actually translates on the field it anyone's guess right now. The fact is when you have a 38-year old quarterback who is regressing, and a young quarterback who was taken sixth overall in the draft sitting on the bench, eventually the kid is going to play.

Now is the time at 0-2 and with a team likely heading nowhere this year, it makes sense to give Jones the opportunity. Will it be the last time we see Manning on the field for the Giants? Not likely, he will play again at some point this year, but it likely won't be as a starter.

So 16 years after taking the job from veteran Kurt Warner, Eli Manning gets to watch his football life come full circle, ironically, with a young quarterback taking his job.

If this is the end of the line for Manning, he leaves a lasting legacy in New York that can not be questioned. The day will come his name joins the likes of LT, Phil Simms, Bill Parcells, Harry Carson and many others in the Giants Hall of Fame. His number 10 will one day get retired. Pro Football Hall of Fame? Maybe, one day.

Did Jamal Adams Seek a Trade From The Jets?

And a day after the Jets 23-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, their defensive captain made some waves. 

Jamal Adams unfollowed the Jets on Instagram and removed any reference of the franchise from his biography. Why is this a big deal? Who really cares? Well, when this kind of social media subterfuge happens, people begin to speculate that it could be a message ... a message that Adams wants to be traded out of town. 

While the evidence to suggest that Adams is pushing for a trade is flimsy at best, many are reading into the recent trend that has taken the league by storm for players to hold a teams feet to the fire and request a trade. 

From Antonio Brown, who did everything he could get out of Pittsburgh and Oakland to former Dolphins corner back Minkah Fitzpatrick, who demanded a trade out of South Florida -- players are getting their way in unprecedented fashion.

 Brown pouted enough that he got his release, and wound up where he wanted to be -- New England. Fitzpatrick got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday. Now Jaguars safety Jalen Ramsey is requesting a trade fro the Jags after getting into a spat with head coach Doug Marrone. 

If the rumors are true and Adams joins this list of petty and pouty players, he has failed to live up to the C that is on his chest. For a player who has spent most of his time in New York talking about how good he is, and how good the Jets could be in the future, it would be the ultimate cop-out to tuck, tail and run out of town. 

New York Daily News known conspiracy theorist Manish Mehta wrote that perhaps Adams' issues with the Jets trace to Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams. Adams told WFAN in New York that he was benched by Williams in the waning minutes of last nights disaster against the Browns. 

Of course leave it to Mehta and the Twitterverse to trace a connection between the benching and Adams erasing the Jets from his social media platforms as a sign that the safety has had enough. 

The truth is nobody really knows what is going on here. 

If Adams requested a trade because his coach gave him what amounts to a time out in a lost game, then Adams would really need to check himself at the door. Williams has every right to bench Adams if he feels he hasn't been playing well. There is no reason for Adams to lose his cool over it IF that is indeed what happened.

 And honestly it would be totally out of character for Adams, who is one of the more passionate players on the team to suddenly throw up his hands and demand a trade because his "feelings were hurt." Adams is too strong, and too smart to let that happen. 

Jets fans should hope the trade talk is nothing more than speculation. 

Siemian Lost for the Year, Jets Turn to Luke Falk

As if this season couldn't get any worse for the New York Jets, Gang Green lost its back-up quarterback for the season.

Trevor Siemian suffered ligament damage in his left ankle after rolling over his foot when he was sacked by Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in Cleveland's 23-3 victory Monday night.

Garrett was all over the Jets backfield Monday thanks in major part to the Jets faulty offensive line, recording three sacks on the night. The hit on Siemian outside the pocket when he tried to roll out and throw the ball deep. Garrett dropped his weight on Siemian as the ball went up in the air, Seimian's foot buckled underneath and contorted in an odd direction making it clear something was damaged.

Seimian reached for his foot almost immediately.

Luke Falk, the Jets third string quarterback will now lead the team. For his part, Falk wasn't bad against Cleveland. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 198 yards, and led New York's lone scoring drive.

Falk will get the start Sunday when the Jets travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots. He will remain the starter until Sam Darnold returns which could come as early as Week 5 at Philadelphia. Mostly likely though we won't see Darnold until Week 8 at Jacksonville.

Reports are Darnold is feeling better and was seen at the Jets training facility on Tuesday.

Mets? Playoffs? Fudgetaboutit After Loss to Dodgers

DODGERS 3 - METS 2 

It was a night that we have so many times in so many different ways. The New York Mets clung to a 2-1 lead virtually the entire game – until – in the late stages, the bullpen -- blew it again.

Rinse and repeat.

If the Mets, who are now four games behind the surging Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers for the National League’s final Wild Card slot, don’t make the playoffs, the Shakespearian tragedy that is the bullpen will be the reason why.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that with 13 games to go that the Mets can somehow rally off enough victories to get in. It’s not happening. Not with a bullpen built by General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen, and poorly executed by Manager Mickey Callaway. 

Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the LA Dodgers was just another stark reminder that the Mets are not even close to being a legitimate playoff contender.

After getting two early runs on a two-run triple by Brandon Nimmo on a ball that appeared to go foul, but was called fair in the second inning, the Mets offense disappeared the rest of the night.

The Mets didn’t get a hit again until the seventh inning when Robinson Cano singled to left center with one out. Cano would be the last person to reach second base on the night when the next hitter JD Davis was hit in the back. Of course the Mets didn’t score as Nimmo and Amed Rosario both struck out.

Still the Mets held a 2-1 lead through seven innings, thanks in major part to a stellar effort by Zach Wheeler. Wheeler held the Dodgers to a run on six hits, while recording nine strikeouts. He walked none.

It was the fourth straight solid outing for Wheeler, and perhaps his best to date; and that is including the eight innings of shutout ball that he tossed against Miami on August 6.

So here the Mets were leading 2-1 in the eighth inning and the bullpen was at it again. This time it was Justin Wilson, the former Chicago Cub whom Van Wagenen brought in in the offseason.

After missing a large part of the year with injuries, Wilson has been fairly solid all season, until tonight.

After walking Jed Gyroko, Wilson balked, allowing Gyroko to move to second, and later threw a wild pitch allowing the runner to advance to third.

Finally Chris Taylor, a NLCS hero from two years ago for the Dodgers made the Mets pay, lining a double to right-center to tie it at two.

After walking Cody Bellinger intentionally, Wilson came back to strikeout Corey Seager, before Callaway removed him for Seth Lugo.

Lugo retired the side on a fly ball by Will Smith, but couldn’t keep the game tied in the ninth.

A double off the top of the wall in left by Kike Hernandez set the table for Gyroko who singled to center to drive in Hernandez to make it 3-2.

The Mets and their playoff chances were dead and buried.

Once again the Mets have teased their fans into thinking the playoffs were a legitimate possibility. The truth is this team is too flawed, and too poorly managed to be a playoff team. The Dodgers reminded them of that fact.

Giant Disaster: Big Blue A No Show Against Surging Bills

BILLS 28 - GIANTS 14 

Maybe the Buffalo Bills should play all of their games at MetLife Stadium from now on. The Bills moved to 2-0 on the year, and 2-0 at MetLife Stadium with a thunderous 28-14 victory over the listless Giants, Sunday afternoon.

For the second consecutive week the Giants got off to a fast start, scoring on their opening possession, then falling into a complete malaise as the Bills steamrolled a Giants defense that has no idea what the concept of tackling is.

In a game where the Giants had to feed the football to running back Saquon Barkley, head coach Pat Shrmur tossed the game-plan out the window as soon as Buffalo scored on Josh Allen's six-yard caper into the corner of the end zone to tie it at seven with 3:43 to go in the first quarter.

In short it was a total disaster.

As for Allen and the Bills, they thrashed the Giants for 388 yards of offense, including 151 yards on the ground as Buffalo scored on three straight possessions to all but put the game on ice before halftime.

All three of Buffalo's scoring drives in the first half were longer than 75 yards, as Allen cut the Giants defense to shreds, and Frank Gore and Devin Singletary ate large chunks of yards. Perhaps the most impressive drive of the day for Buffalo came mid-way through the second quarter, when Allen guided the Bills on a 98 yard scoring drive to make it 21-7.

After a 17-yard scramble by Allen was erased on a holding penalty, the Bills quarterback connected with Cole Beasley on a 51-yard bomb down the sideline to move the ball to the Giants 14. On the ensuing play Buffalo hit pay dirt when Allen found Isaiah McKenzie in the back of the end zone for the score.

After a scoreless third quarter, Eli Manning and the Giants finally put together something offensively when the former Super Bowl MVP found TJ Jones in the back of the end zone for a score to cut the Bills lead to 21-14.

Unfortunately for Big Blue they would never get that close again.

The Bills answered almost immediately as Allen guided Buffalo on a 12-play, 75 yard scoring drive to put the game away for good.  A 17-yard Allen completion to John Brown, combined with a 20-yard run by Singletary moved the ball to the Giants three. The Bills offense would eventually stall before settling for a field goal, however an unnecessary roughness penalty was called on the Giants during the field goal that gave the Bills renewed life at the two-yard line.

Buffalo ran it up the gut twice with Gore, the second attempt proving enough for the touchdown as the Bills built a 28-14 advantage.

While Saquon Barkley ran for 107 yards on the afternoon, it wasn't nearly enough. Not when Manning was having extreme difficulty passing the football. Manning was under duress almost all afternoon, with a number of his passes getting batted down at the line of scrimmage. Overall, Manning finished 26 of 45 for 250 with two interceptions. The performance is not going to quiet the calls for Daniel Jones anytime soon.

At 0-2 you can feel that the 2019 season is turning into another lost year for the Giants. They have no help for the quarterback at wide receiver, and no answer on defense as the team can't generate any pass rush or cover any receiver in the secondary. The Giants are on the clock and its only September.

Podcast: Is the Jets 2019 Season Now Over After Darnold News?

Sam Darnold to Miss "Weeks" with Mono Adds to Jets Meltdown

It is amazing how quickly the Jets 2019 season has gone down the drain. It all started Sunday when New York blew a 16-0 lead to the Buffalo Bills.

In the ensuing days since we have seen:

Head Coach Adam Gase publicly rip the Jets receiving corps.

We have seen wide out Quincy Enunwa suffer another neck injury that will cost him another season on Injured Reserve.

We have seen the Jets trade with the Patriots for washed up wide receiver Demarious Thomas for a 2021 sixth round pick, because Gase knows the player from his days in Denver. 

We have seen both linebacker CJ Mosley and defensive end Quinnen Williams miss extended time since Sunday due to injury; their status for Monday night, uncertain. 

We have seen the Jets release a kicker, Karee Vedvick, and sign another, in Sam Sicken. 

We have even seen a semi-pro kicker, Josh Hemsworth camp outside the Jets training facility, begging for the kicking job. 

Now we have this: Sam Darnold is out for several weeks after contracting mono. 

Only to the Jets could such a series of absurd and ridiculous misfortune happen.

Gase made the announcement official Thursday, saying the medical staff confirmed the news to the Jets head coach Wednesday. Darnold left the Jets training complex Wednesday with what was believed to be Strep Throat; it turns out the diagnosis was much worse.

It is not known how Darnold contracted mono, which can also spread through the sharing of utensils, but the sickness could keep the Jets quarterback out for quiet a while. People who contract mono feel fatigued and lose weight for several weeks.

The Jets are entering the toughest part of their schedule with the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys all coming up. There is a good chance Darnold won't be active until after the Dallas game in Week 6, although Gase said he was hopeful to have Darnold back by Week 5 at Philadelphia.

Trevor Siemian will now be the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future (roll your eyes Jets fans, roll your eyes). Siemian, 13-11 as a starter when he was the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos a few years ago,  is best known for being mediocre.

With a team already missing key pieces on both sides of the ball, and with a patchwork offensive line, this season has a chance to spiral out of control into a total disaster. Let's just say that an 0-6 start to the season is certainly not out of the question.

Not to mention the loss of Darnold disrupts the quarterback's development. There is a good chance we won't see him again until late October at the earliest. How can we get a good gauge of Darnold's progress in a year where he contracted mono and played behind a dreadful offensive line.

If the Jets turn into a flaming disaster, Gase could use the stack of injuries as an excuse to convince the Johnson Brothers that he should be the coach next season.

The last time a Jets season felt over this quickly was 1999 when Vinny Testaverde ruptured his Achillies Tendon in week 1 of that season. While Darnold is expected to return this year, it might be too late. The Jets are a mess and it is only going to get worse. 

Same Ole Jets: Disastrous Finish Dooms Gang Green

BILLS 17 - JETS 16 

You can change the uniform. You can change the head coach. You can sell your fans on a new identity and branding, but at the end of the day, what Jets fans saw on Opening Day of the 2019 season was the Same Old Jets.

The Jets lost a game where they held a 16-0 lead; lost a game where they were plus-4 in the turnover margin. Lost a game where Le'Veon Bell bailed them out on a nice touchdown grab and two point conversion. Lost a game because their newest kicker couldn't convert on a field goal and extra point. And lost a game because linebacker losing CJ Mosely proved to be a pill they couldn't swallow.

It was an out and out disaster on Sunday for the Jets.

Everything that the Jets had talked about came crashing down in a heap of disappointment, as the major flaws of this team were magnified to the highest degree possible.

Where to begin?

Let's start with the fact that kicker Karee Vedvik missed a crucial extra point after Mosely picked off a Josh Allen pass and ran it back 17-yards for a touchdown. Vedvick who is the third kicker the Jets have tried this summer, was a total mess. In addition to missing the extra point, he missed wide on a field goal that would have given the Jets a 9-0 lead. The kicking was so bad, the Jets never again attempted another field goal or extra point the rest of the day.

What was even more painful about Sunday's brutal loss was the fact that New York managed only six points off the four turnovers committed by the Bills.

Why you ask? Because in addition to the horrid special teams, the Jets offense was undoubtedly rusty. Sam Darnold had little to no time to set his feet to throw as the offensive line was out of sync for much of the afternoon. Of the 11 possessions the Jets had Sunday, eight of them resulted in a three-and-out. Only one resulted in a touchdown.

And that is what makes Sunday's loss even crueler. The Jets were leading all day. Even though Josh Allen was putting up respectable numbers in the first half, the Jets defense was making plays on the football, and held Buffalo scoreless for three quarters. Heck Jamal Adams and company even forced a safety of Frank Gore to give New York an 8-0 lead with 11:52 to go in the third quarter.

The Jets parlayed that burst of momentum into eight more points, when quarterback Sam Darnold engineered the best drive of the day, a nine-play, 60-yard drive that culminated in a nine yard screen pass to Le'Veon Bell that the former Steeler caught off his shoe laces and scored to give the Jets a 14-0 lead.

Next Darnold did his best Brett Favre impression, rolling in and out of trouble and finding Bell in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion to make it 16-0.

Game over right?

It looked it. The defense continued to dominate the game, especially C.J. Mosley, who addition to the pick-six, had five tackles, a blocked pass in the end zone, a fumble recovery, and nearly had a second interception in the second quarter. It was the Mosely show and the Bills had no answer to stop him from taking over the game.

Then something bizarre happened. Before the start of the fourth quarter, word came down that Mosely had suffered a groin injury, and would not play for the rest of the day. Suddenly a Jets defense that was already without Avery Williamson (out for the season ACL) and Brandon Copeland (suspension) were without their defensive captain. And just like that they Jets came apart. It was like someone substituted the 2018 Jets defense as Allen ripped apart the Gang Green in the final stanza.

The Bills even found a running back in the process when Devin Singletary contributed 70 yards on four carries to spur the Buffalo comeback.

Singeltary's 23-yard run set up a new set of downs at the Bills 41-yard line, before Allen found receiver John Brown for 14-yards to move into Jets territory. From there Singletary continued his mastery of the Jets defense, gashing them for gains of 12 and 15 yards, to set up a Josh Allen touchdown to cut the Jets lead to 16-10.

After the Jets gained only 19-yards on six plays on their next drive, the Bills took over. Allen hit a wide open tight end Zay Jones for 20 yards to push into Jets territory. Three plays later, Allen hit Singletary for 12 more yards to the Jets 38. Finally, John Brown broke containment from the corner, hauling in a 38-yard pass for the game winning score with three minutes to go.

The Jets response? Nothing. They barely converted a fourth and one to keep their fleeting hopes alive, but it was all for not as Darnold threw up three straight lollypops to all but ice a horrifying 17-16 loss.

Whose to blame? Everyone. Blame the kicker for being bad. Blame head coach Adam Gase for not finding a good kicker to begin with. Blame USA Soccer for taking over MetLife Stadium, preventing Vedvik from practicing at the Stadium over the weekend. Blame Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams for not adjusting his scheme when Mosely left. And by god what about that offensive line?

It's hard to fathom where the Jets go from here. They were exposed by a team they should have beaten, and with a tougher schedule on the horizon, there is no telling when the Jets are going to get that first 'W'.

Take Flight? Not now. Flight's canceled till further notice.