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When the Jets finished their job on Sunday, their 42-34 victory over the Colts was officially marked in ink at 3-3, coach Todd Bowles reunited his players in the locker room, in the bowels from MetLife Stadium and he told them this:
"We would have lost this game last year."
This match had indeed taken the appearance of a handful of the 11 defeats of the Jets in 2017, games in which they played just well enough to build leads and then bad enough to give them.
There were four games last season, the Jets failed to close.
They took a 14-0 lead in the first half on the Patriots in Week 6 and lost 24-17. They led the Dolphins 28-14 in the third quarter of week 7 and lost 31-28. In Week 8, they had a 17-13 lead over the Falcons at the end of the third quarter and lost 25-20. And in Week 12, they led the Panthers 20-18 in the fourth quarter and lost 35-27.
The Jets took on Sunday afternoon a 30-13 lead over a superb 32-yard pass, Sam Darnold, to forward Chris Herndon to limit the mark in the first quarter.
Prosperity, something that the Jets ran too often and hidden, was looming.
So, of course, the Colts will not be leaving, partly because of their great quarterback Andrew Luck and partly because of the Jets' defense that seemed way too big and happy with their first 30 minutes of work.
Just eight seconds after the start of the fourth quarter, the 17-point lead was reduced to 33-27. It is precisely at this point that the 2017 Jets would start to shake and eventually crack.
Not this Sunday, though.
Darnold was sacked for a 10-yard loss in the first game after the Colts reduced the gap to six points. Darnold calmly delivered a 21-yard pass to Terrelle Pryor. First down.
Moments later, on the third and fifth places, Jets receiver Jermaine Kearse dipped for an extra effort first, winning 6. First.
The Jets would finally settle for fifth of Jason Myers' seven goals, the franchise record, on that attempt to take a 36-27 lead. But the fact is that they responded at a time when, a year ago, they would not have had an answer.
"It was important to have answers," said left-handed Kelvin Beachum. "It was a step forward from the maturity level of the team."
Make no mistake: if the victory was not a work of art, it was a day of growth for these Jets, not just for Darnold, the rookie quarterback who quietly but gradually rose to the rank of franchise star in front of our eyes.
The next possession of the Colts ended with an interception of Luck by Darron Lee and there were only 7:59 points left in this match. This change, the fifth of the day forced by the Jets' defense, allowed Myers to achieve his sixth goal.
"We probably would have lost this game a year or a few weeks ago," said Bowles. "For us, winning ugly is a very good thing. It shows signs of maturity. ''
The best thing that was heard after the game off the Jets' locker room, filled with satisfied players about their job and the end result, is the fact that they were not satisfied. There was more critical self-analysis than singing.
The Jets knew they were doing an important job by winning their second consecutive game for the first time in more than a year. They know they need to be better next Sunday when the Vikings come to MetLife Stadium.
"It was important to reach the 3-3," said Beachum. "We are what our record says we are. We are still average. We still have some way to go. "
Closing the pesky colts in a way that they seemed incapable a year ago is significant.
"We have made a big step forward from last year and we have finished the match," said Jamal Adams, a victim of a forced fumble.
"Last year, we probably would have lost this game. it shows the growth of this team, "Lee said.
"Last year we would have been able to overturn and let the other team take over, but we do not like being like last year, we want to be better," said defensive lineman Leonard Williams .
"While we were training during the off-season, we talked about finishing the games and being better at it," said veteran quarterback Josh McCown. "It was a message that [Bowles] sent and as veterans we echoed in the locker room. After crossing last year, our group is confident that we can do it differently. "
The Jets were 3-2 a year ago and fell to 3-3 with this week's loss to the Patriots. From there, they skidded to 5-11. Indeed, Darnold and the young developing players feel different around this team.
We now see that the Jets, as McCown said, can make this case end in 2018.
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