Adam Gase on Jets' Victory over Rams: Our Job Is to Try to Win Every Week

The New York Jets won their first game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams, 23-20, on Sunday, and head coach Adam Gase had a message for fans who were hoping they would continue their losing streak in an effort to secure the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

"Our job is to go out and try to win every week," he said, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic. 

The Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars are the teams most likely to get the first pick, which would allow them to take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence—assuming the junior declares for the draft. Both teams are now 1-13, but the Jaguars have the advantage for the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. 

The team with the worse opponent winning percentage gets the better draft slot in the event multiple franchises have the same record. Jacksonville's .554 opponent winning percentage is worse than New York's .595. 

But for Gase, a win against anyone—let alone a win against the league's top defense—was worth celebrating. 

"I'm just happy for our guys," Gase said. "They've done such a great job of how they've worked. They've been through a lot of adversity. It's been too long for us to even remember what a win feels like, almost. It's great to see those guys that excited." 

The Jets managed to shut out the Rams in the first quarter and went into the final frame up 23-10, but the Rams nearly pulled ahead. They came within three points of the Jets and got the ball with five minutes left before the defense—namely Marcus Maye—stepped up to take back possession. From there, New York got two first downs to set up victory formation. 

With the first pick in the draft likely lost, the Jets will host the Cleveland Browns next week before closing the season with a visit to the New England Patriots.