NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The New York Jets screwed up. They won.
They outlasted the equally inept Tennessee Titans on Sunday in the Mariota Bowl, 16-11, delivering a significant blow to the "Suck for the Duck" campaign. The Jets showed heart and fight, as Geno (Pro Bowl flashes) Smith rallied them with a fourth-quarter comeback -- his first in a calendar year.
Oh, they almost blew it in the final seconds, nearly surrendering a 2014 version of the Music City Miracle -- a cruel tease for the segment of their fan base that wanted them to lose to maintain their chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick. Dawan Landry saved (ruined?) the day, tackling Delanie Walker at the 9-yard line after a pass and three laterals covered 49 yards.
If the victory ends up costing them a chance to draft Oregon's Marcus Mariota, and he ends up as the NFL's Next Great Quarterback, masochistic Jets fans (is there another kind?) will remember the Landry tackle as one of those what-if moments that changed history. Like picking Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino in '83. Like getting blown off by Peyton Manning in '97. You know the history; no need to dredge it up.
"I just used the sideline as my friend, and I got him out of bounds," said Landry, happily recounting the play.
Those dreaming of a "Duck Dynasty" probably were rooting for the Stanford band to show up, hoping it would distract the Jets enough to allow Walker to find the end zone. Hoping the Jets would lose on the final play of the game for the second week in a row. No such luck. For a change, they actually made a play.
It was a costly win. Instead of moving up to third in the draft order, the Jets -- fourth at the start of the day -- dropped to sixth, behind three or four other teams that will be in the quarterback market. They have a 0.02 percent chance of getting the top pick, according to numberFire.com. If they lose out and finish 3-13, the only way to get Mariota -- or perhaps Jameis Winston, for that matter -- would be to pay a huge price to trade up.
"Tough you-know-what," said Rex Ryan, commenting on the paradox of having fans root for them to lose. "A real Jets fan wants to win. It doesn't matter what pick you get or whatever. If it were Peyton Manning out there, I could understand it, but I don't think Peyton Manning is out there."
Ryan is right about that. The early consensus on Mariota is that he's not among the bluest of blue-chip prospects, a la Andrew Luck. Mariota is talented, yes, but he's not a plug-and-play quarterback. Winston is a bigger question mark because of his off-the-field baggage.
Then again, when you're hurting at quarterback -- when you haven't had a franchise player at the position since Joe Namath -- every possibility looks good. Heck, two years ago, the fans were clamoring for Smith to replace Mark Sanchez. Desperation makes an 8 look like a perfect 10. In bar-room vernacular, the Jets are wearing beer goggles.
Smith admitted last week he was offended by the Mariota chatter. He also caught major flak for saying he has "shown flashes of being a Pro Bowl quarterback" -- an ill-advised comment. But you know what? He played a solid game, overcoming an early safety and finishing with his sixth turnover-free game in 27 career starts. He rallied the Jets to two touchdowns in the second half, showing mettle after a literal punch to the face, courtesy of Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey.
Then again, it took Smith & Co. 40 minutes to reach the end zone against the NFL's 30th-ranked defense, so let's hold the parade.
"I thought Geno was poised and made some great plays," said Ryan, almost giddy in his postgame news conference.
Smith is trying to stay in the Jets' quarterback plans for 2015. Of course, the people who will be making the decisions might not be on the payroll yet. There will be big changes in the offseason, starting with Ryan, who doesn't give a hoot about a draft pick. Neither do his players.
"We're paid to win games," center Nick Mangold said. "Unfortunately, we haven't been doing a good job of that this year, but there's nothing that's going to stop us from trying."
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson took umbrage with the mere suggestion that some fans want the Jets to lose.
"They're not fans, bro," he said. "They're not my fans, so stop saying that."
Thing is, it won't stop. It won't stop until they find a quarterback, until we know -- years from now -- if Sunday was the worst win in Jets history.
