BALTIMORE — Five nights after famously rolling a 251, New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell bowled through the Baltimore Ravens for a season-high 87 yards.
Coming off an eventful week that included a bout with the flu and a headline-making bowling party, Bell showed flashes of his old form Thursday night — but it wasn’t enough to sustain the Jets, 42-21 losers at M&T Bank Stadium.
Bell lost close to 10 pounds before missing last week’s game, but he showed fresh legs with 21 carries against a sturdy defense on Thursday. It wasn’t his fault the Jets lost for the ninth time, clinching their fourth straight losing season — the franchise’s longest drought in the Super Bowl era.
The Jets (5-9) were undermined by two turnovers by quarterback Sam Darnold and an inability to contain Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who threw five touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards in a performance that likely clinched the NFL MVP award.
With six starters inactive due to injuries, the Jets’ plan was to lean on Bell, who missed last Sunday’s game because of his illness. His absence became a bigger story when word got out that Bell had gone bowling on the eve of the game — only hours after being ruled out of the game.
Coach Adam Gase wasn’t happy that Bell was out instead of resting at home, but Bell laughed it off, noting he didn’t break any team rules. Adding levity to the story, Bell bragged that he bowled a career-high 251 “off the flu.” Video of Bell’s flu-game boast went viral.
Bell could’ve helped the Jets in one of the game’s pivotal moments — a fourth-and-1 from the Ravens’ 7 in the second quarter — but the $53 million running back didn’t get the call. Curiously, Gase called a pass play, and Darnold threw incomplete to a well-covered Robby Anderson in the end zone.
The Jets followed up that blown opportunity with another. On their next possession, with the ball at the Baltimore 25, Darnold was intercepted by safety Chuck Clark. The Jets missed a chance to slice a 21-7 deficit. They never really threatened again, as the Ravens pulled away in the third quarter.
It was an uneven night for Darnold (18-for-32, 218 yards), who came out strong with the first of two touchdown passes to wide receiver Jamison Crowder but eventually was rattled by the Baltimore blitz. In addition to his costly interception, he fumbled on a strip sack.
Darnold has 14 turnovers (12 interceptions, two lost fumbles), which ranks ninth among quarterbacks. He also missed three games due to mononucleosis.
In the offseason, the Jets expected the Darnold-Bell tandem to elevate the offense from mediocrity, but they have scored more than 24 points just three times.
This has been a frustrating season for Bell, who entered the game with a career-low 3.2 yards per carry. He doesn’t believe it’s his fault, claiming this week he has been the victim of circumstances — a patchwork offensive line and a lack of opportunities. He claimed he’ll “be back to what people are used to seeing” once he gets a full workload.
Bell began the night with 143 rushes, 14th in the NFL. His previous single-game high with the Jets was 70 yards.