Just when you thought you’d witnessed everything there is to see in an NFL game …
… you remember that it’s the Jets you’re watching.
That means anything is possible on any given Sunday, Monday, Thursday or even Black Friday, on which the Jets were embarrassed by the Dolphins, 34-13, to fall to 4-7.
There were the Jets on Friday, with hope, trailing the Dolphins just 10-6 late in the first half thanks to a 30-yard pick-six by cornerback Brandin Echols and another interception by D.J. Reed with two seconds remaining in the first half.
Now the Jets had the ball on the Miami 49-yard line for one final play.
The strategy was simple from there: Throw a Hail Mary into the end zone and maybe steal a touchdown.
So, Jets third-string quarterback Tim Boyle, making his fourth career NFL start in his six seasons in the league (replacing the ineffective Zach Wilson), heaved a pass toward the end zone.
Jets receiver Garrett Wilson was in the area and tight end Tyler Conklin was on the goal line.
So, too, was Dolphins safety Jevon Holland.
The Boyle pass landed perfectly in the arms of Holland and, with most of the Jets speedy skill position players behind him, Holland had a lot of open acreage of MetLife Stadium turf in front of him and a bunch of Jets offensive linemen to try to try tacking him.
With the Jets offensive lineman lying on the ground while Holland weaved his way around them untouched, Boyle was the last line of defense at around the 10-yard line, and he was deked to the ground as Holland scored on what will join the Miami fake spike and the Butt Fumble in humiliating Jets lore.
“I’ve never really seen or been a part of anything like that,’’ Boyle said afterward.
Welcome to the Jets.
Boyle was apoplectic on the sideline afterward, but that play was hardly his fault.
Who, after all, returns Hail Mary passes 99 yards for touchdowns?
A Jets opponent, that’s who.
Boyle, who was inserted into the lineup by head coach Robert Saleh in a desperate attempt to provide some spark to an offense that entered the game having produced just nine touchdowns in 10 games, was no better than Wilson.
The Jets entered the day having scored one offensive touchdown on their previous 46 possessions.
They scored one in 10 possessions Friday, leaving them with two in the past 56 possessions.
On Friday, the touchdown Boyle and the offense scored was a garbage-time score with 4:37 remaining in the game to cut the Miami lead to 27-13 at the time.
So, no, Boyle, who went 27 of 38 for 179 yards with one TD and two INTs, was no better leading the Jets offense than Wilson on this day.
He’s now 0-4 as an NFL starter.
“I thought he stayed in there, kept battling, did some good things and some things he has to be better at,’’ Saleh said in a lukewarm assessment.
When asked if he might change quarterbacks yet again, with veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian in the wings, Saleh said, “I’m not there yet.’’
Boyle, asked if he believes he’ll start in the next game, a week from Sunday against Atlanta at MetLife Stadium, said, “I have no clue what happens going forward. Coach [Saleh] said it best after the game in the locker room — we have to get our minds right to have the best six weeks of our life moving forward. We have six more games and we’re going to try to win all six. We’re going to keep pushing, keep fighting on offense.’’
For most of the season, that’s been a losing battle.