Adam Gase has been a weekly target for criticism among New York Jets fans in 2020, guiding the team to exactly zero wins through the first 11 games of the year. But he might warrant at least a little credit for the way his Jets closed their 12th straight defeat on Sunday. A late defensive stand and a big day on the ground appeared to put New York on track for its first "W" of the year, with the Jets leading the Raiders 28-24 in the final minute of play. Thanks to a last-minute Derek Carr bomb to a wide-open Henry Ruggs, however, Gang Green preserved the lead for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- and, with it, a chance to add consensus top quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence.
No team, of course, will actively admit to tanking, and there's no indication Gase interfered to allow Vegas to come back in Week 13. The Jets very clearly put themselves in position to win on Sunday, with the Raiders stalling on back-to-back fourth downs before a penalty and quick go-ahead scoring series flipped the script. But Jets fans hoping the team's ineptitude would translate to the top pick in the 2021 draft now get to celebrate along with Raiders fans, who watched their team just barely cling to AFC playoff hopes.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who are giving the Minnesota Vikings a run for their money, are the Jets' closest competition for the No. 1 pick, which has been linked to Lawrence for months. The biggest issue for New York, had the club actually held on against the Raiders, is that the Jets play a tougher schedule in 2020. That means if the Jets and Jaguars were to finish the season with the same record, the tiebreaker would go to Jacksonville.
