New York Jets rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims will miss Sunday's game vs. the Seattle Seahawks after returning to Texas because of a family emergency, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. 

Because Mims missed his daily COVID-19 tests while away from the team, he won't be eligible to play this week. 

"Obviously he's been trending in the right direction," head coach Adam Gase told reporters Thursday. "He's been a big reason why we've had some better games since he's been playing. The protocols are what they are. He had to handle family business, which we support because we felt like it was the right thing for him to do."

The 23-year-old Mims missed the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury but has come along nicely since, posting 19 receptions for 324 yards in the past six contests. He's moved his way into a starting role. It's been a promising start for the 2020 second-round pick out of Baylor. 

With Mims out of the lineup Sunday, either Jeff Smith or Vyncint Smith are in line to start for the Jets.

He's been one of the few bright spots for the 0-12 Jets and its abysmal offense. The team is worst in the NFL in both yards (276.8) and points (15) per game. Worse, young quarterback Sam Darnold has not looked good in his eight games this season, throwing for 1,428 yards, five touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing just 58.9 percent of his passes.

Granted, his supporting cast hasn't done him any favors. But with the Jets hurtling toward the top overall pick in the 2021 draft and the chance to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Darnold has done little to persuade the Jets he's the franchise savior. 

That means Mims, who is looking like a keeper, might be grabbing catches from a different quarterback next year. And given the winless start to the season, probably working under a different head coach, too.

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase believes Sunday's dramatic loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was one of the hardest ones of his career to get over.

"I was pissed," he said Wednesday, per Rich Cimini of ESPN. "I felt like our guys played well enough to win."

The Jets had a late lead over Vegas in the Week 13 game until Derek Carr found Henry Ruggs III for a game-winning score:

HENRY RUGGS GAME-WINNING TD 🚨

Jets stay winless

(via @Raiders)https://t.co/WM6ljsArFO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2020

Gase said usually he can get over losses within 24 hours, but this one lingered.

"I think the only time I've ever been involved in a loss like this was to end a playoff game, so I could be pissed as long as I wanted to because nobody cares," he said.

Gase also didn't hold any team meetings on Monday or Tuesday to allow players time to cope with the loss.

While losing on a last-minute play is often disappointing, part of Gase's anger was clearly directed at defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who called a blitz with zero safety help on the game-deciding play.

Williams was fired on Monday.

"I obviously wasn't happy about that call," Gase said Monday. "That was a heartbreaking way for our guys to lose a game. ... We can't have that happen."

The Jets are now 0-12 heading into their Week 14 game against the Seattle Seahawks (8-4).

The Las Vegas Raiders were trailing 28-24 as quarterback Derek Carr took the ball at his own 39-yard line. The New York Jets were 35 seconds away from their first victory of the season.

Would you rather get that first win and break the chance of an 0-16 season, or do you want to lose and enter into the offseason with the No. 1 overall pick and the ability to draft Trevor Lawrence?

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would determine the Jets' fate when he called a cover-zero blitz and sent the house after Carr on third-and-10 from the Jets' 46-yard line. Facing pressure, the veteran quarterback stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to rookie wideout Henry Ruggs III, who slipped behind man coverage with a slick double-move on cornerback Lamar Jackson.

Ruggs secured the catch in the end zone. Carr raised both hands to the sky. And Jets fans experienced both relief and sadness at the same time.

"I just felt like we could've been in a better call in that situation," Jets safety Marcus Maye told reporters following the loss.

One day later, head coach Adam Gase—who is expected to be removed from his post at season's end—fired Williams, and the Jets perfectly summed up the state of the franchise in one afternoon.

But how do the players feel? Maye let his emotions show with his postgame comments. But privately, would players rather lose or win when they're facing an 0-12 record and certain change coming at the end of the year?

We asked. With their names protected, they replied.

"You never want to lose," one Jets player said. "You can't make it to this level and be OK with losing, but I do think there's an atmosphere of 'We have to do whatever it takes to get someone new in here.'"

"Is it on your mind that a win could cost you Trevor Lawrence?" I asked. "We believe in Sam [Darnold]," he quickly replied.

In multiple conversations with Jets players and their agents, no players said they saw losing as a means to securing a better quarterback. There is legitimate faith and belief in Darnold as the long-term answer in New York.

"Look at what Sam has around him," one veteran player said. "Even [Joe] Burrow in Cincinnati has a lot more weapons. We have some dudes, but they're all young."

This echoes what a rival quarterbacks coach told me about Darnold in a prior conversation.

"If he is available, there will be a line 20 teams deep to get him because no one truly believes he's been developed there," he said. "He's still the guy you all ranked QB1 in that draft."

For those of us sitting at home, it might seem like Jets players would understand that losing could lead to a quicker path to winning. But for the Jets players who spoke with us, that isn't the case.

Losing is frustrating and embarrassing. They're tired of it. They want to win.

The Scout's Report

—With two weeks left in the college football regular season, it's time to officially acknowledge that Florida quarterback Kyle Trask is the Heisman favorite.

The No. 6 Florida Gators will play No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship game on Dec. 19 in a game that could well determine who wins the Heisman—voting this year is thankfully after conference championship week—between Trask and Alabama's trio of Mac Jones, Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith. But it's Trask's trophy to lose at this point.

Throughout his amazing senior season, Trask has thrown 38 touchdowns to only three interceptions while racking up 3,243 passing yards in nine starts. He hasn't thrown an interception since Nov. 7, and he hasn't had a single game all season with fewer than three touchdown passes and 250 passing yards.

What Trask is doing from a statistical standpoint is comparable to where Joe Burrow was last season, which is why he's the Heisman favorite. Alabama's stars have a tendency to cannibalize each other's chances at college football's most prestigious award.       

—The Houston Texans need a new general manager and a new head coach. To find one, team CEO Cal McNair is turning to outside sources for counsel.

McNair is including former NFL coaches Jimmy Johnson and Tony Dungy in his quest to find the right front office, along with former Texans great Andre Johnson. Dungy and Johnson are two of the most respected retired head coaches in the football universe and will undoubtedly have good input. And while normally I'd point out that the person running the team should have a good idea of who to hire for the job openings he created, I'll applaud McNair for seeking outside intel given his relative newness on the job after taking over following the death of his father, Bob.      

—The Athletic's Jeff Schultz reported that ESPN commentator Louis Riddick is up for the Atlanta Falcons' general manager job created by the firing of Thomas Dimitroff earlier this season. Riddick, a former NFL safety turned scout, has connections to New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels that will make him an interesting candidate for any team hoping to lure the latter from New England. Riddick's work on ESPN has propelled him into a national spotlight, and the success of John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers) and Mike Mayock (Las Vegas Raiders) could help his candidacy this offseason.      

—"Kid earned himself an extension today" is what one top agent texted me regarding the play of Baker Mayfield. In the Browns' Week 13 win over the Tennessee Titans, Mayfield was electric with four early touchdowns that pushed Cleveland to nine wins, cementing the team's first winning season since 2007. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft is eligible for a new deal this offseason, and Cleveland should be ready to pay up for his services based on the way he's playing.      

—Looking for a Coach of the Year candidate? How about Kevin Stefanski, the first-year Browns head coach. The 9-3 Browns are far from the NFL's laughingstock they had been over the last decade. With Stefanski's offense in place, Cleveland is a legitimate playoff threat. And while Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin also deserve consideration and Bill Belichick is doing one of his best coaching jobs, Stefanski's resume is the most impressive when weighing it against the expectations of the team. The future looks incredibly bright in Cleveland.

—If you've watched college football this season or if you follow the sport as it relates to the NFL draft, you've assuredly caught wind of BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. The headband-wearing, football-slinging playmaker has been on fire this season. This has left many to ask who his NFL comparison is.

Some see Patrick Mahomes, but I'm far from seeing that. Others point to Johnny Manziel, but Wilson is much more accurate and doesn't rely on broken plays to succeed. Instead, I see a bigger version of Kyler Murray but with less burst in his initial steps. Wilson's arm strength—the way the ball jumps out of his hand—and his ability to improvise and play on the move is reminiscent of Murray's game.

The Big Board

A big update for the final week of college football's regular season. Here are my top 50 players for the 2021 NFL draft.

1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
2. OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
3. QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
4. LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
5. WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
6. QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
7. CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
8. WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
9. WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
10. Edge Joseph Ossai, Texas
11. OT Samuel Cosmi, Texas
12. OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
13. QB Zach Wilson, BYU
14. Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
15. DL Jordan Davis, Georgia
16. CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
17. LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
18. TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
19. WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
20. CB Derion Kendrick, Clemson
21. OG Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
22. QB Kyle Trask, Florida
23. QB Mac Jones, Alabama
24. S Jevon Holland, Oregon
25. Edge Kwity Paye, Michigan
26. OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
27. OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
28. RB Najee Harris, Alabama
29. WR Chris Olave, Ohio State
30. TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
31. OG Trey Smith, Tennessee
32. OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
33. OT Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame
34. LB Jabril Cox, LSU
35. S Trevon Moehrig, TCU
36. WR Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU
37. WR Kadarius Toney, Florida
38. WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
39. OT Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
40. Edge Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest
41. Edge Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
42. CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
43. RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
44. CB Shaun Wade, Ohio State
45. LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
46. DL Christian Barmore, Alabama
47. OT Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State
48. OT Jalen Mayfield, Michigan
49. DL Tommy Togiai, Ohio State
50. Edge Patrick Jones II, Pitt

Parting Shots

1. Stock Up: OT Darian Kinnard, Kentucky

Last week, I wrote about a player moving onto my list after being told he's likely to declare for the 2021 NFL draft. It happened again this week with Kentucky offensive tackle Darian Kinnard. A quick review of three games from his last two seasons shows an aggressive and agile blocker with the toughness and finishing ability to do well in the NFL. There will be some arm-length questions that he'll need to address since he's listed at 6'5", but Kinnard's tape is impressive.

       

2. Stock Down: RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State

Where has Chuba Hubbard gone? It's understandable that 2020 is a lost season for many players and teams, but Hubbard didn't opt out. He's just been much less of a factor this season as the Cowboys have struggled. Over the summer, I said Hubbard should opt out given what he had already accomplished in Stillwater. He didn't, and his play and lack of impact are affecting his draft stock as other running backs rise up the board.

       

3. Sleeper: Edge Malcolm Koonce, Buffalo

Koonce hasn't broken into my top 50 yet, but don't be surprised if he does soon. While trying to watch running back Jaret Patterson, an athletic pass-rusher wearing No. 50 kept popping off the tape for the Bulls defense. A 6'3", 250-pound edge player with good hand play and a nice first step, Koonce is a player to make sure you're finding time to watch.

      

4. Player of the Week: QB Alex Smith, Washington Football Team

When you take down the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers with blood shooting out of your shin, you get my Player of the Week award. When you help your former team—the Kansas City Chiefs—with its path to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, you definitely get it.

Smith isn't doing anything spectacular from a statistical perspective, but he's starting at quarterback after 17 surgeries to repair his right leg and winning games against elite teams. Not only is he my Player of the Week, but he should be a lock for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

       

5. So... this is where I'm going to apologize for being wrong about New York Giants head coach Joe Judge.

I thought he was in over his head after an 0-5 start. That this former Bill Belichick assistant was trying too hard to be like his old boss and would have a locker room ready to revolt. They haven't. Instead, the Giants have rallied around Judge to go 5-2 since that awful start.

It's still too early to say the Giants are a contender, but they are a heck of a lot better than I expected them to be 10 weeks ago. Judge has his team—especially the defense—playing well with a path to the NFC East title laid out for them.

        

6. Your 2022 NFL draft watchlist begins here with USC quarterback Kedon Slovis. Good luck finding USC games on your TV each week, but if you can find replays or get a lucky score alert and find the game, you'll like what you see from Slovis. The sophomore quarterback isn't big—he's listed at 6'2" and 200 pounds—but he's accurate and plays with a ton of moxie.

Overcoming Jayden Daniels or Sam Howell to be the top quarterback next year is a conversation that shouldn't even be started yet, and this isn't a ranking, but Slovis is one of those underclassmen I'm most excited to dive in on this summer.

         

7. Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn is reportedly on the hot seat given the team's poor performance despite the encouraging play of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert so far this season. And while it's disappointing because Lynn is a great human being and all-around nice guy, results matter most in the NFL, and his team simply isn't getting it done.

With that said, if the Chargers job opens up, it's immediately the most attractive in the NFL. You have a new stadium, a bright young quarterback on a rookie contract for four more seasons and a defense featuring one heck of a pass rush.

The Chargers still need to address certain areas, but this might be a quick turnaround if they bring in the right coach. That could make the Los Angeles job appealing to top-tier candidates like Robert Saleh (San Francisco 49ers), Eric Bieniemy (Kansas City Chiefs) and Josh McDaniels.

       

8. Take a look at the top 20 players leading the NFL in receptions this year and you'll find two—DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper—who were drafted in the first round.

The NFL's leaders in receptions (a tie between Keenan Allen and Stefon Diggs) were drafted in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. The league leader in receiving yards (DK Metcalf) was the last pick of the second round. The league leader in receiving touchdowns (Tyreek Hill) was drafted in the fifth round. And let's not forget the NFL's single-season receiving leader (Michael Thomas) was also a second-rounder.

Where am I going with this?

The NFL might see an adjustment in the value of the wide receiver position.

Yes, it's still fun to fall in love with prospects like Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, but second-rounders like Michael Pittman Jr. are arguably having as big of an impact in Year 1.

First-round picks are supposed to be premium players, and more and more so they're needed at premium positions, especially in the top 15. Drafting DeAndre Hopkins at No. 27 overall is a great value—just like Justin Jefferson at No. 22 overall last year appears to be—but teams drafting receivers in the top 15 aren't getting great value when players of equal impact are coming outside of the first round.

This isn't to say all first-rounders at the position should be written off, but it should be much harder for receivers to be selected in Round 1 than it has been lately. 

       

9. And finally, we're getting to the end of my run here. This week's Scouting Notebook is among the last pieces I'll write at Bleacher Report.

Over the next two weeks, you'll get two more Scouting Notebook columns—the final one featuring a mock draft—and then it's off to a new adventure. I'll still be covering the NFL, the NFL draft and college football, and I'm excited to share where that will be taking place once I'm able to.

Until then, thanks to everyone who has stuck with me for this long, and I hope you'll hang out for a few more weeks.

After losing the chance to earn their first win of the season on a bad play call with five seconds left against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, the New York Jets fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, and it was head coach Adam Gase who made the decision.

According to Kim Jones of NFL Network, Gase said he wished he called a timeout to stop Williams' call for a heavy blitz on 3rd and 10, paving the way for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to hit Henry Ruggs with a 46-yard winning touchdown pass.

"I obviously wasn't happy about that call," Gase said. "That was a heartbreaking way for our guys to lose a game ... We can't have that happen."

NFL Network's Michael Silver reported Monday that Gase "never imagined" Williams would make such a call and was having a conversation with another coach as the call came over his headset, leaving him no time to react before the snap.

"I just felt like we could've been in a better call in that situation," Jets safety Marcus Maye said after the game.

In addition to leaving Carr in disbelief and several Jets players shocked, the play was historic. According to ESPN Stats & Information, there were 252 similar pass plays over the past 15 seasons, and no other team elected to go with more than six rushers (h/t ESPN's Rich Cimini).

Williams, who was hired by Gase in January 2019, is the first of the head coach's staff to be fired. Assistant head coach Frank Bush is serving as the team's interim defensive coordinator, according to The Athletic's Connor Hughes. 

The New York Jets fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams on Monday and named Frank Bush to the interim role in his place, the team announced Monday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported Williams' exit.

The decision comes a day after Williams called a heavy blitz with no safety help over the top in the final moments of Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. That left the Jets vulnerable to a long pass, and the Raiders capitalized, as Derek Carr hit Henry Ruggs III for a 46-yard, go-ahead touchdown with just five seconds remaining. Williams' late aggression surprised more than a few players.

"I just felt like we could've been in a better call in that situation," Jets safety Marcus Maye told reporters after the game.

"I couldn't believe they all-out blitzed us," Carr added.

"Once I looked back, it looked like the ball was in the air forever," Ruggs told reporters. "It just wouldn't come down. I just had to find it and make a play. We were kind of surprised they brought the house like that."

Former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan offered an even harsher critique on Get Up! Monday morning.

"Dumbest call I've ever seen," he said. "Been around the thing for 58 years, 30 years as a coach. That's the dumbest call ever. There's no other way of putting it."

There is a reason it is called ZERO coverage— sometimes it means NO coverage.

— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) December 7, 2020

While that play call was likely the final straw for Williams' season—and arguably the defining moment of the team's horrid 0-12 season—the Jets weren't great on defense prior to that decision. The team is giving up 398.8 yards per game (29th in the NFL) and 29.4 points per contest (30th).

It's very likely the Jets will move on from head coach Adam Gase after the season as well given how poor the team has been. In that regard, then, Williams is simply the first domino to fall. But if the Jets continue on this path, the current coaching staff will leave the next one with a nice parting gift—the likely top overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' decision to send the house on what proved to be the Las Vegas Raiders' winning play on Sunday may benefit the team in the long run if it lands the No. 1 pick in the draft, but safety Marcus Maye was not happy with the play call.

"That situation just gotta be a better call," he told reporters following the Raiders' 31-28 win. "We gotta execute, but you gotta help us out at the same time."

Williams' decision to blitz left cornerback Lamar Jackson alone on the speedster Henry Ruggs III, who blew past him and hauled in a 46-yard touchdown to put Las Vegas ahead for good in stunning fashion.

HENRY RUGGS GAME-WINNING TD 🚨

Jets stay winless

(via @Raiders)https://t.co/WM6ljsArFO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2020

As Next Gen Stats illustrated, the Jets are the only team to call such a blitz in the final 30 seconds of the game this season:

The Jets are the only team to send 8+ pass rushers on a play in the last 30 seconds of a game this season.#LVvsNYJ | #TakeFlight

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 6, 2020

"I couldn't believe they all out blitzed us," Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said, per Lindsay Jones of The Athletic. "I was thankful."

Jets fans will also be thankful for the top pick if the 0-12 team continues to lose, but Maye did not seem pleased with his defensive coordinator. 

The New York Jets found another way to lose Sunday, as Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III beat man coverage for a 46-yard touchdown pass with just five seconds remaining.

The 31-28 loss moved the Jets to 0-12 on the season. And after the game, head coach Adam Gase was despondent:

"Our guys work way too hard to go through this s**t"

- Adam Gase pic.twitter.com/LZmPyJy1fc

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 6, 2020

As for the decision to blitz and leave no safety deep in coverage, Gase said: "We were trying to create pressure. We hadn't done well with it all game. That's what happened."

There will be two main storylines after the result. The first: What was defensive coordinator Gregg Williams doing calling a blitz in that situation that left the Jets vulnerable to a deep pass down the field? It was an incomprehensible decision. 

CARR TO RUGGS. WOW. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/l66xyxhgtt

— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2020

And the second: Well, at least the Jets are still in line to get the top overall pick in the draft to select Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Not that Gase will care—he almost assuredly won't be around to coach Lawrence given his dreadful 7-21 record in two seasons with the Jets.

The New York Jets were five seconds away from their first win of the NFL season, but they'll exit Week 13 at 0-12.

With the clock winding down, Derek Carr hit Henry Ruggs III with a 46-yard touchdown pass on third down to give the Las Vegas Raiders the 31-28 victory. 

HENRY RUGGS GAME-WINNING TD 🚨

Jets stay winless

(via @Raiders)https://t.co/WM6ljsArFO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2020

The two teams traded scores early, with the Jets out in front for most of the second quarter before the Raiders took a 17-13 lead into the half. They added another score to increase their advantage to 24-13 before the Jets scored two unanswered touchdowns, but Carr and the 6-6 Raiders eventually came out on top.

Carr ended the day with a season-high 381 yards on 28 completions, including three touchdown passes, while he was intercepted once. Tight end Darren Waller was on the receiving end of 13 of those completions, picking up 200 yards and two touchdowns. 

Ruggs added two other receptions for a total of 84 yards. Running back Devontae Booker added 50 yards on 16 carries as he filled in for star Josh Jacobs, who is out with an ankle sprain. 

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold completed 14 passes for 186 yards and two scores with an interception. Running back Ty Johnson added 104 yards and his first career touchdown on 22 carries.

The winless Jets are competing for a trophy besides the Lombardi at this point: the first pick in the 2021 NFL draft, where they could nab Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the replacement for Darnold. They're competing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are 1-11, for the worst record in the league and thus that first overall selection next offseason.

Still on the schedule for Darnold and the Jets are the Seattle Seahawks (8-3), Los Angeles Rams (7-4), Cleveland Browns (9-3) and New England Patriots (5-6). 

New York Jets running back Frank Gore was ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders after suffering a concussion, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.

That will leave fantasy players to wonder whether a player like Ty Johnson could have fantasy relevance going forward if Gore is forced to miss additional time. 

Coming into Sunday, Johnson had barely factored into New York's plans at all, with eight rushes for 60 yards and six catches for 24 yards. But with La'Mical Perine already on injured reserve, it was Johnson who saw the majority of the carries against the Raiders once Gore went down, with Josh Adams also seeing some work.

Johnston, to be fair, played well, with 19 carries for 99 yards and a score at the time of publication. But is he really a guy you want to trust at such a crucial part of the season?

Probably not. We're talking about a player who has appeared in nine total games the past two years and whose career high for rushing yards is 273. We're also talking about a Jets team that came into Sunday averaging just 97.5 rushing yards per game, 26th in the NFL.

Oh, and next week they play the Seattle Seahawks, who are giving up just 89.3 yards per game, third in the league. 

So we're talking about a career backup against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. It's possible he won't even play if Frank Gore is able to return. Adams also played very well against Las Vegas (eight carries for 74 yards at the time of publication) for what it's worth, meaning he could easily see an equal share of the snaps and carries if Gore misses next week.

As you can see, you're probably better suited targeting other options at running back on the waiver wire. 

Unless you are in a major pinch or in a very deep league, steer clear of Johnson. He played well Sunday, but there are enough factors working against him to expect another strong showing against Seattle. 

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase took responsibility Thursday for the fact that quarterback Sam Darnold hasn't progressed as much as hoped three years into his NFL career.

According to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, Gase said: "I came here to help him and help him develop his career, and we haven't been able to do that. That's why these games are so important, to help him continue to grow. I haven't done a good enough job."

Darnold has been limited to seven games this season, having gone 0-7 as a starter for the 0-11 Jets.

The Jets selected Darnold third overall in 2018 out of USC. He was the second quarterback off the board behind only Baker Mayfield, who went No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Browns.

Darnold was shaky as a rookie, completing 57.7 percent of his passes for 2,865 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but he made progress last season.

In 13 starts, Darnold went 7-6, increased his completion percentage to 61.9 and threw for 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 picks.

Darnold and the Jets have taken a significant step back this season, however, to the point that it seems like a near certainty New York will have a new starting quarterback and head coach next year.

In Darnold's seven starts, he has completed just 58.7 percent of his attempts for 1,242 yards, three touchdowns and eight interceptions. That included 197 yards, no touchdowns and two picks in last week's 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

That marked Darnold's first game since Week 8 because of a shoulder injury.

Even if Darnold plays significantly better to end the season, it is difficult to envision the Jets passing on the opportunity to take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft and he goes pro. Even if the Jets lose out on the No. 1 pick, taking Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is likely more attractive than keeping Darnold as well.

Also, Gase has the makings of a lame-duck coach, as he owns a 7-20 record in his two seasons with the Jets.

Ownership hoped Gase would get the most out of Darnold when it hired him in January 2019, and while the QB made positive steps last season, it has essentially all been undone in 2020.

To make matters worse, the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills took Josh Allen and the Baltimore Ravens took 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson later in the first round of the 2018 draft, meaning the Jets could have had either but chose Darnold.

These next few weeks are big for Darnold's career, but that is likely because he will be auditioning for other teams rather than for the Jets.