New York Jets: Adam Rank selects season defining play

Adam Rank of NFL.com made his selection for the New York Jets defining play of the 2018 season. We analyze and discuss the choice and our opinion.

Typically we can boil an NFL season down to one moment. Analyze a team and you can pick one play that represents what that particular season was. The New York Jets have one. All of the teams have one.

But what play was it? What play defined the 2018 Jets? Adam Rank of NFL.com took on this topic regarding the Jets and every team in the league in his recent article for the site.

For Gang Green, he went early in the season. Week three the Jets faced off against the Browns in what became the debut of Baker Mayfield.

It was late in the game and the Jets were down 21-17. They were attempting to drive for a game-winning score.

The Jets hopes ended with a play on first and ten from their own 36 yard line. Sam Darnold forced a pass over the middle that was picked off by Joe Schobert, ending the threat.

Remind yourself of the play by clicking here.

Take a look at what Rank had to say about the play:

"The Browns went 635 days without a win. Guess who they would finally beat to end the skid? The Jets, of course. New York entered the game at 1-1, and things were looking great when Gang Green jumped out to a 14-0 lead. With the Jets being the Jets, though, they found themselves down late in the fourth quarter — but with a chance to rally! Then rookie Sam Darnold (who is going to be great, haters) was pressured and forced one into double-coverage with just over a minute remaining. Pick. The Jets dropped below .500 and never recovered, finishing 4-12."

That is one way to look at it. I mean, he is right that this game was the last time the Jets flirted with .500. It was another year of the Jets looking up at the rest of the division. This was the season defining moment, right?

But to me, the Jets season could be looked at in a completely different way. Looking at the Browns play points to a season that has no hope. That, to me, is more of a description of 2016 or 2017.

2018 was different. With Darnold’s arrival in New York there is hope. Despite only winning four games, the hope for the future is there. Hope is the best defining term of the past season.

So what would my choice be? I would take one of his deep throws to Robby Anderson from late in the season. Or maybe it was a fourth quarter throw to Chris Herndon on third down against the Texans (see game highlights below)

Sam’s ability to make plays on the move is pretty special. That throw on third down in the go-ahead drive is a sign of things to come. These two will be connecting on third down and every other down for a long time.

There are too many brilliant throws by Darnold to Anderson to highlight here. Yes, he made his mistakes and you could look at the season from that perspective.

But it’s also possible to look at it the other way and see plays of hope. Those SHOULD define the 2018 season.