Jamal Adams is sick of the Jets losing, but that’s all Todd Bowles is selling in 2018

Jamal Adams is sick of losing football games. Unfortunately, he plays for the New York Jets.

Adams vented his frustrations after the Jets’ third straight loss Sunday, a 13-6 performance against the Dolphins in an entirely unwatchable football game.

“It’s the same, same, same stuff,” said Adams, via ESPN. “It’s frustrating. I’m not going to hold my tongue for anything anymore. I’m not a loser. I don’t do this for fantasy points. I do this for the love of the game. I’m passionate about this team and I believe in this team.

”I’m sick of losing. Honestly, I’m sick of losing. I’m fed up with losing. ... It pisses me off every time. I’m not a loser. I want to get back on the winning track. We’ve lost three straight? Come on, man.”

The Jets have gone 8-17 in Adams’ 25 games with the franchise, but a surprising five-win campaign last fall hasn’t led to many improvements in 2018. Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold has struggled to lead his offense to the end zone, especially during the Jets’ recent three-game losing streak. New York has scored just 33 points over that span.

But Week 9 was the team’s nadir. Darnold crumpled in upon himself like a dried-up mud hut, throwing four interceptions and converting just two of his team’s 13 third downs. While Adams’ defense held steady — the Dolphins managed just 168 yards of total offense — a Darnold pick-six proved to be the game’s only touchdown and the deciding score in a seven-point game.

The former No. 6 overall pick has been a dynamic force out of the secondary in his two seasons in the league. The strong safety has been solid against the pass and a bruising force when asked to roam close to the line of scrimmage on rushing downs. He’s got one interception, two forced fumbles, and seven tackles for loss in what could be his first Pro Bowl season in the league.

He even earned some praise from Frank Gore after tackling the potential Hall of Famer Sunday.

And Adams is just part of a unit that ranks ninth in the league in defensive efficiency. The Jets have only given up 5.3 yards per play this fall, a mark lower than potential playoff teams like the Patriots, Rams, Saints, and Chiefs. His secondary has limited opposing quarterbacks to an 85.8 rating through nine games — the fifth-lowest number in the NFL.

On Sunday, he had to scramble as Darnold’s turnovers and inability to move the ball game the Dolphins six possessions that started at their own 39-yard line or closer to the Jets’ end zone. The New York offense put its defense in a series of tight spots time and time again in Week 9, only to get bailed out every single opportunity.

And the Jets still lost. It’s not hard to see why that’s got Adams frustrated.

Adams’ comments will put some pressure on head coach Todd Bowles to overhaul his offense, but he’s been resistant to change so far. When pressed about his team’s issues after Sunday’s game, he somehow laid the blame at the feet of his defense instead of the quarterback who turned the ball over four times and was sacked four more. It didn’t make a ton of sense:

Bowles could turn to veteran backup Josh McCown, who piloted the Jets to five wins last year, but could risk stunting Darnold’s growth in the process. Additionally, there’s no guarantee McCown, who had one of the most efficient seasons of a 17-year career in 2017 but has also struggled with consistency, will be enough to turn the losses that are killing Adams into validating wins. And since the Jets need an infusion of young talent to help a club that’s struggled to score points, working through Darnold’s growing pains and securing a top-tier draft position might be the better play in the long run.

But continuing to lose runs the risk of losing the locker room, as Adams’ comments show. That puts a lot of pressure on an overtaxed offense. Robby Anderson, the club’s leading receiver, understands the Jets can’t win if they’re not scoring.

“I feel like we have a lot of talent on offense and we’re not capitalizing and using each other in ways that we can use our talent and skill set to our advantage, honestly,” said Anderson.

The Jets’ offense may not look like much on paper, but Isaiah Crowell’s emergence as a legit starting tailback and the return of Quincy Enunwa to a receiving corps that already boasted the better-than-expected Anderson suggests this team should be better than the 11-points-per-game average that took New York from 3-3 to 3-6. There’s still time for the Jets to be the team Adams wants them to be — the question is whether Darnold can live up to the potential that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft in order to get them there.