Jets got their ‘ass handed to them’ again, and it’s time to clean house

The Indianapolis Colts defeated the New York Jets 41-10 on Monday Night Football at MetLife Stadium. It was the ugliest loss of the season for the Jets, who have now dropped four in a row. This is their second four-game losing streak this season.

Head coach Todd Bowles didn’t hold back in his assessment of the team.

“For the first time this year, we got our ass handed to us,” Bowles said. I thought they kicked our ass. I don’t think we had a lot of effort. I’ll see the film. I’m sure there are some people who showed up, but for the most part, we got our ass kicked. ... It’s very troubling when you get your ass kicked.”

Tuesday’s papers are filled with calls for Bowles to be fired. After two seasons with no signs of progress on the field or in the personnel department, both Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan could find themselves looking for new jobs in January.

Here are five more things you should know about this game.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck carved up the Jets secondary. He made plays inside and outside the pocket, and got his receivers and tight ends involved early.

On Indianapolis’ first drive of the game, Luck orchestrated a seven-play, 51-yard drive and capped it off with a 7-yard touchdown to tight end Dwayne Allen. Luck faked the handoff, sat in the pocket, looked to his left, and found Allen wide open. The Colts took an early 7-0 lead.

The Luck-to-Allen connection didn’t stop there. On Indianapolis’ next possession, the two hooked up on a 21-yard touchdown pass to extend the Colts’ lead to 14-0.

Luck lined up in the shotgun, faked the handoff, climbed up the pocket, and delivered the pass to Allen. The veteran tight end ran a corner route, and there wasn’t a defender near him.

With a 17-3 lead late in the second quarter, Luck threw a 23-yard touchdown to Allen to increase the lead to 24-3.

Allen was Luck’s go-to option near the red zone in this game. The veteran tight end recorded 72 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Luck finished the game with 278 passing yards and four touchdowns.

This is a game that the Jets defensive backs would love to forget. The secondary had a hard time covering Allen and Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton, who used his speed and route-running ability to wreak havoc in this game.

Early in the first quarter, Hilton was wide open for a 34-yard gain. None of the Jets cornerbacks could cover him. New York had too many busted coverages and gave up too many explosive plays. Hilton caught nine passes for 146 yards.

New York has to do a better job of covering receivers.

Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had a horrible first half. He had a lot of errant throws and couldn’t lead his team to the end zone. The veteran quarterback finished the first half completing 5 of 12 passes for 81 yards and an interception.

Because of his terrible first-half performance, Jets head coach Todd Bowles decided to bring quarterback Bryce Petty off the bench to replace Fitzpatrick.

“We weren’t doing much in the first half so put the kid in and try to get a spark,” Bowles said after the game.

Petty didn’t play much better. Like Fitzpatrick, he overthrew his tight ends and receivers. His best play of the game was a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver Robby Anderson. The second-year quarterback threw for 135 yards to go along with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Petty will be the Jets’ quarterback for the last four games of the season. Bowles said that decision was made before the game and would’ve happened no matter how well Fitzpatrick played. Hmmm.

Colts running back Frank Gore is still dangerous on the ground. Indeed, he is 33, but the veteran running back can still plow over defenders to pick up extra yards. Gore showed the Jets defense that he is still hard to tackle.

He did a great job of finishing runs and making defenders miss. Gore ran for 57 yards on 12 carries in the first half and finished the game with 79 rushing yards.

Not only did Gore have a great game against a tough Jets defense, he also moved up on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.

When he decides to hang up the cleats for good, Gore will have a yellow jacket and a bust waiting for him in Canton, Ohio. He is certainly on of the greatest running backs of all time.

Indianapolis will travel back home for a Week 14 matchup against a divisional foe in the Houston Texans. The Colts are now in a three-way tie for the division lead in the AFC South. If they want to win the division, Luck has to continue playing at a high level.

New York will head to San Francisco to face the 49ers in Week 14. The Jets have to put this game behind them. Also, it looks like Fitzpatrick will not be back in the Big Apple next season.