NY Jets not short on people to blame in meltdown loss to Packers

GREEN BAY — When the meltdown was complete, there were too many culprits to count.

From Geno Smith’s horrible pass late in the first half that swung the momentum to an uncharacteristic series of haymakers by the typically cool Mo Wilkerson that got him booted to an ill-advised timeout from the sideline by Sheldon Richardson — or was it Marty Mornhinweg? — that punctuated a bizarre sequence, the Jets’ 31-24 collapse against the Packers Sunday will leave a mark for a long time.

Rex Ryan’s team went on a three-hour, 21-minute joy ride that ended with an epic thud.

“Sometimes the execution falls flat,” Ryan said after the Jets blew an 18-point first-half lead thanks to breakdowns in every imaginable way.

The prohibitive underdog Jets were flawless for the first 20 minutes of the game before they needed someone to perform the Heimlich maneuver on their troubled souls. No matter how much Ryan and his players talked about the effort and heart they displayed, there’s no way to sugarcoat this loss:

The Jets self-destructed.

Smith orchestrated three consecutive touchdown drives to open the game before one poor throw started to change the narrative on what should have been a celebratory day for Ryan’s team. With the Jets leading 21-9 with the ball on the Packers 27 at the two-minute warning, Smith threw a floater after getting hit by Mike Daniels (who beat Brian Winters) that was picked off by Tramon Williams. Aaron Rodgers needed only 1 minute, 44 seconds to race his team 97 yards down the field for a touchdown that cut the Jets lead to 21-16 at halftime, a 10- or 14-point swing that loomed large.

It was the beginning of a particularly painful second half that exposed Ryan’s suspect secondary. Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, who finished with a career-high 209 yards, exposed Ryan’s cornerbacks. Darrin Walls, Antonio Allen and Dee Milliner took turns getting beat by the Packers, who racked up 390 total yards.

“It is deflating,” Allen said of watching the Packers steadily chip away at the Jets’ cushion. “We tried to come back in here at halftime and grab the momentum (back). Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

Wilkerson lost his composure after the Packers took their first lead with 5:45 left in the third quarter, taking swings at right tackle David Bakhtiari that got him ejected after a successful two-point conversion.

Believe it or not, Wilkerson’s penalty wasn’t the most costly.

The Jets continued to crumble. Milliner was torched by Nelson on a double move on an 80-yard touchdown strike to give the Packers a 31-24 lead. The Jets were flagged for 12 men on the field (Damon Harrison couldn’t get off in time), which erased David Harris’ interception that would have given Ryan’s team the ball back at the Green Bay 20 with 32 seconds left in the third quarter.

“Those things make you mad,” Milliner said of the defensive breakdowns. “We got to finish the game.”