The dumbest N.F.L. play call ever? Some people think it came on Sunday, and it seems to have cost the Jets’ defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, his job.
The Jets were looking to get the first win of their season against the Las Vegas Raiders at home. They were leading the game, 28-24, with 13 seconds left and the Raiders in possession of the ball 46 yards away from the end zone.
What happened next was almost universally blasted by fans, commentators and Jets players, and seemed to sum up the team’s horrific 2020 season.
Needing to hold the Raiders off just once or twice more, on third-and-10, the Jets did not drop nickel and dime backs into coverage or merely protect against a deep pass, like the one Derek Carr had attempted on second-and-10 when he barely missed Nelson Agholor in the back of the end zone.