2014 New York Jets season


The 2014 season was the New York Jets' 45th in the National Football League and their 55th overall. The Jets failed to improve on their 8–8 regular season record in 2013. They were eliminated from postseason contention for the fourth consecutive season after a Week 12 loss to the Buffalo Bills. As a result, head coach Rex Ryan, along with most of his staff, and general manager John Idzik, Jr. were fired after the season. Ryan compiled a 46–50 record in six seasons as head coach, and would later go on to become head coach of the rival Bills.
This was the first season since 2005 that the team finished last in the division.

Transactions

Coaching and personnel changes

Arrivals

Departures

Trades

To Jets

Draft

Draft trades

Regular season

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

The Jets got off to a sloppy start when Raiders rookie starting QB Derek Carr torched the Jets defense early in the game to take a 7–3 lead after Charles Woodson picked off Jets 2nd year QB Geno Smith in his 17th start. However, the Jets quickly rebounded with a 5-yard shovel TD pass from Smith to Chris Johnson to take the lead 10–7 going into halftime. The Jets would never trail the rest of the game, although Carr threw a late TD pass to Raiders WR James Jones in garbage time, and attempted a failed onside kick. Chris Ivory had a solid day, rushing for 102 yards and a TD. The score came when Ivory ran 71 yards for a TD during the 4th quarter; it was the Jets' longest TD run since Thomas Jones 71-yard TD run back on October 19, 2009. Geno Smith completed a career-best 82.1% completion percentage ; it was the best performance delivered by a Jet quarterback since Chad Pennington completed 82.1% of his passes in a loss to the Buffalo Bills way back in 2007.

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers

After racing to a 21–3 lead in the second quarter, the Jets were outscored 28-3 for the remainder of the game. A game-tying 37-yard touchdown throw by Geno Smith to Jeremy Kerley with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter was wiped out when assistant coach Marty Mornhinweg called the Jets' final timeout just as the ball was snapped; even more egregiously Mornhinweg was not authorized to call timeouts, the responsibility of head coach Rex Ryan. The Jets failed to convert after this and fell 31–24; it marked only the second time for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that he won a game despite a deficit exceeding eight points.

Week 5: at San Diego Chargers

Geno Smith was benched in the middle of this game for Michael Vick. CBS imposed the "mercy rule" towards the end of this game because of how poorly the Jets were playing. This marked the third season in a row in which a New York team was the first team to be shut out in a game.

Week 7: at New England Patriots

The Patriots defeated the Jets, 27–25. The Jets' offense drove to the Patriots' red zone on all four of their first-half drives. However, they were held to four field goals while the Patriots scored two touchdowns and a field goal, building a 17–12 halftime lead. On their first drive in the second half, the Jets reached the end zone and took a 19–17 lead. The Patriots then scored ten unanswered points to go up 27–19. The Jets had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. However, Jets QB Geno Smith's game-tying pass was overthrown, and the Patriots led 27–25. After a failed onside kick recovery, the Jets forced a three and out and got the ball back with just over one minute remaining. The Jets drove from their 12-yard line to the Patriots' 40-yard line. With 5 seconds remaining, Jets kicker Nick Folk was sent out to kick a game-winning 58-yard field goal. The kick was blocked, and the Patriots held on for a 27–25 victory. With the loss, the Jets fell to 1–6 as they lost their sixth consecutive game and remained in 4th place in the AFC East. The Jets' six-game losing streak is the longest losing streak under head coach Rex Ryan. The loss represented the first time that the Jets had lost six consecutive games since they dropped six in a row from Weeks 4–9 during the 2007 season.
The loss also led to a trade the next day with the Seahawks for receiver Percy Harvin.

Week 8: vs. Buffalo Bills

Geno Smith would be benched in the 1st quarter after throwing 3 interceptions and posting a QBR of 0.04. Overall, the Jets committed 6 turnovers and committed 10 penalties and were routed 43-23 by their rivals.

Week 12: at Buffalo Bills

With the loss, the Jets fell to 2–9, and were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention for the fourth consecutive season.

Week 14: at Minnesota Vikings

The Jets were the only AFC East team to lose to all of their NFC North opponents.

Week 17: at Miami Dolphins

Quarterback Geno Smith finished the season by posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Dolphins.