Fail Mary: Tim Boyle to remain Jets’ starter as Aaron Rodgers decision looms

Tim Boyle will get another chance to lead the New York Jets offense.

And Aaron Rodgers is regularly back at the facility – thinking and working on his return to the field.

The entire team could certainly use a spark – or at least some optimism – after a dark Black Friday performance.

The Jets lost their fourth consecutive game 34-13 to the Miami Dolphins, with the lasting image of Jevon Holland’s interception and returning Boyle’s failed Hail Mary threw 99 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half.

“Just a very unfortunate event that happened,” coach Robert Saleh said Saturday.

That’s been a recurring theme for the Jets (4-7) since Rodgers went down four times with a torn left Achilles tendon in his debut with the team.

Zach Wilson has been ineffective and at times downright bad in nine starts. So the Jets turned to Boyle, who was 27 of 38 for 179 yards and a TD with two interceptions in his first start since the 2021 season. He was sacked seven times and threw just four passes of 10 yards or more.

He will be back under center for New York’s next game, at home against Atlanta, on December 3. The Jets also have backup Trevor Siemian on the roster.

“Next week we’ll give Timmy another chance,” Saleh said. “Obviously there are things he could have done better, there are things he had no control over and I know he fought there.

“We were able to achieve some of the calls we were hoping for. We were able to do a lot of the different things that we wanted to do. It just didn’t come to fruition.”

Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s unit is still struggling with just ten touchdowns in eleven games, and its conversion rates on third down (24.1%) and in the red zone (28%) are still on pace to be the worst in history of the NFL.

The Jets have made a few personnel and schematic changes, but Hackett remains the primary play-caller. There have been little or no improvements in recent weeks.

Even the usually reliable Breece Hall has slumped lately. In his last three games, he has rushed for just 56 yards on 30 carries.

Meanwhile, Rodgers – who turns 40 on December 2 – continues his rehabilitation and offers some hope that he can make an unprecedentedly rapid return sometime in the next six weeks.

“If we get a doctor’s note saying he can practice,” Saleh said, “then he can practice.”

But by then, it could do little to save this season.