Coaching Blunders Handcuff New York Jets in TNF Loss to Buffalo Bills

It was a sight that was all too familiar for fans of the New York Jets.

With nearly 20 minutes left in the game, Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan had burned both of his challenges and all but one of his time outs.

Yet, it was coaching blunders by Jets head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey that ultimately resulted in the team's 22-17 loss on Thursday Night Football.

The Jets had a chance to close the gap to two points with 3:02 left in the game, but facing 4th-and-4 from the Bills' 7-yard line, the Jets chose to go for the lead and the win right then and there. An ill-advised end-zone throw to tight end Kellen Davis was well off the mark, and the Bills got the ball back with a chance to put it away.

According to Bowles, however, the Jets didn't necessarily do exactly what they were supposed to do on that fateful play.

That being said, it doesn't change the fact that the blame should fall on the coaching staff, who should have done a better job of communicating the play with the team. It also doesn't change the fact that the Jets should have put the ball in the hands of one of their top playmakers like running back Chris Ivory or wide receivers Eric Decker or Brandon Marshall.

It also doesn't change the fact that the Jets shouldn't have tried for a touchdown at all; they should have gone for a field goal. 

The Jets had all three of their timeouts left, and with a few stops on defense, their offense could have had the ball with time to spare before driving downfield for a potential game-winning field goal. Instead, the Jets got the ball back with 24 seconds left. One play and one Ryan Fitzpatrick interception later, and the Jets were done.

NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci brought up an anecdote from Week 9, when the Atlanta Falcons faced the San Francisco 49ers. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn opted to kick a field goal in a similar situation, down by four points with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and with two timeouts. The Falcons never got the ball back, and lost 17-16.

In that sense, a field goal might have given the Jets the same result as no touchdown: a loss. It also would have given them a prayer to win, rather than a no-win situation at the end of the game.

That mistake could even be forgiven, but it was far from the only mistake the Jets made on the night.

Too many times in 3rd-and-short situations, the Jets were throwing the ball to wide receivers behind the line of scrimmage, asking them to pick up the extra yardage on their own. Every time they needed it late in the game, they didn't get it.

Make no mistake; the Jets' shortcomings were not all on the coaches.

Three turnovers? The coaches couldn't have prevented that. Heck, without wide receiver Devin Smith's fumble that was returned for a touchdown, the Jets might have won the game.

A whopping 148 yards on 33 carries (4.5 YPA)? That's not coaching, that's shedding blocks and making tackles. Shut down the running game, and the Bills offense would have been stagnant.

Sprinkle in a couple on dropped passes by wide receiver Brandon Marshall and more than a couple of inaccurate throws by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the list of missed opportunities only grows.

Those were huge factors in the outcome that were on the players, not coaches, for their failures to execute the plays that were called, not for calling the wrong plays.

These things happen to every team, but with the right coaching, teams can overcome some missed opportunities. When those missed opportunities are a direct result of the coaching, however, they become much harder to overcome.