I said it before and I’ll say it again, even when the Jets win, they can’t stop losing.

After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 20-14, the Jets were once again down another starting lineman for multiple weeks. This time it was rookie second-round pick Joe Tippmann who has been playing guard since week three against the New England Patriots.

But that wasn’t the only injury in the game. During the game star wide receiver and reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Garrett Wilson went out for a handful of plays with what looked like a non-contact injury that had Jets players, coaches and fans holding their collective breaths.

Wilson left briefly in the second quarter and again in the fourth quarter after awkwardly twisting his leg. Wilson was able to return to the game and even finished with a decent showing of eight receptions for 90 yards.

After the game thought, Wilson didn’t hold back in his criticism of the field at MetLife Stadium. “It’s garbage, man,” Wilson said.

“It’s tough, man,” Wilson said. “You’re out there running and all of a sudden, your legs ain’t in the same place your head is at. You’re like, ‘Well what’s the difference between [practice] and now,’ and you look down and you see the turf. Everyone’s got to play on it. Everyone’s trying to do what they can with it. I’m figuring it out. I’m trying to stay healthy. I’m going to leave that there.”

Wilson said he was “all right” and he did come out for the kneel downs at the end of the game.

I wonder what needs to happen for the Jets and Giants to get together this offseason and say “enough is enough” and replace the turf with natural grass. It’s not as if they aren’t going to eventually do it anyway. They have to change the field to natural grass in order to host games during the 2026 World Cup.

So why not do it a year or two prior to try and limit injuries to players who are trying to win a championship on the same field. The Jets already lost prized quarterback Aaron Rodgers just four plays in and several players have been complaining about the turf.

In a recent study done by Sports Info Solutions, seven of the top 10 stadiums that have the most injuries are turf and not natural grass. This is from data collected between 2017 and 2022 regular seasons.

Some owners push back and say the turf really isn’t a factor in the injuries and the numbers are misleading, but if you are investing so much into a championship, why wouldn’t you listen to the players who are trying to win one?

The fact is that NFL owners like to preach about player safety, but in reality, it is merely a buzz term they use for good publicity. Football is a violent game and there is no way to eliminate injuries, but there are a lot of ways to reduce the number and severity of those injuries.

To me, this is like preaching about driving safely, but not spending money to install good brakes.

Woody Johnson. John Mara. Listen to your players. Change the field this offseason.

NFL players blame Jets’ artificial turf for Aaron Rodgers injury

They knew it was a problem last year. They knew it was a problem the year before. And the year before that. And their solution was to put a band-aid over a bullet wound. Players have been calling to get rid of artificial turf for years now. And now, the New York Jets lost their […]

Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports