Key advanced metrics for New York Jets offense in 34-28 loss to Chargers

Mekhi Becton and Denzel Mims each stood out in Los Angeles, giving Jets fans a lot to be excited about going forward. [sc name="nanianumbers" ] Mekhi Becton does the unthinkable against L.A.'s edge duo Los Angeles' duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram is one of the most destructive edge pairings in the entire league. Since joining forces in 2016, Bosa and Ingram have combined for 77 sacks and 176 quarterback hits. They thrive against the run as well, combing for 107 tackles for loss. Battling with the two fantastic rushers on a large portion of his reps, Becton was up to the challenge, amassing some highly impressive production against the stiff competition. In fact, Becton may have handled the duo better than any other left tackle this season. The following stat is flat-out ridiculous. Becton was tagged with zero pressures allowed over 34 snaps in protection against Los Angeles. He is the first starting left tackle to allow zero pressures against the Chargers this season - and the Chargers have faced quality left tackles like Terron Armstead, Cam Robinson, Garett Bolles, Donovan Smith, and Eric Fisher. At Pro Football Focus, Becton earned a pass blocking grade of 79.5, a run blocking grade of 82.6, and an overall grade of 77.6. All three marks are the best by a left tackle against Los Angeles this season. The 82.6 run blocking grade is the best by a left tackle against the Chargers in a game with both Bosa and Ingram on the field since veteran stud Donald Penn dropped an 83.7 for the Raiders way back in Week 15 of 2016. Another feather in Becton's cap as he continues to cement his status as a future perennial star. Denzel Mims is thriving in spite of unfavorable circumstances In an offense where everyone else not named Jamison Crowder has struggled to produce any sort of consistency this season, Mims has come straight in and surpassed all expectations. With 71 yards against the Chargers, Mims became the first Jet in franchise history to post at least 40 receiving yards in each of his first four career games. Mims yanked in only three of his eight targets against the Chargers, but the three catches were all first downs and totaled 71 yards, going for 19, 25, and 27 yards. He also drew two penalties for 24 yards, each one giving the Jets a conversion on third down. So, in total, Mims created 95 yards and five first downs. Through 11 weeks, Mims ranks seventh among rookie wide receivers in receiving yards per game. Justin Jefferson (Vikings) - 84.3 Tee Higgins (Bengals) - 62.9 CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) - 62.9 Jerry Jeudy (Broncos) - 58.9 Chase Claypool (Steelers) - 55.9 Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) - 55.8 Mims - 54.3 The 13th wide receiver to go off the board, Mims is averaging more receiving yards per game than six of the 12 WRs taken ahead of him. Over his four games, Mims has accounted for 217 of the Jets' 672 passing yards, a 32.3% portion. That ranks second-best among rookies this season, trailing only Jefferson (35.9%). Mims has no drops, no fumbles, and no penalties. Catching passes from two of the worst-performing quarterbacks in the league and playing in the unimaginative system of Dowell Loggains and Adam Gase, Mims is averaging a highly efficient 1.97 yards per route run, best on the Jets and ranked 24th out of 114 wide receivers with at least 20 targets (80th percentile). This kid looks like he is going to be a star. Interior offensive line trio takes care of business The Jets' interior trio of Alex Lewis, Connor McGovern, and Greg Van Roten did a decent job against a Chargers defensive line that is not the most intimidating in the world. Over 37 protection snaps apiece, the trio was knocked with only three pressures allowed - zero for Lewis, one for McGovern, and two for Van Roten. McGovern also had a holding penalty. In addition, the interior offensive line helped to power an effective inside running game. The Jets ran for 79 yards over 16 carries (4.9 per carry) between the tackles. Offensive line depth is a major issue With George Fant missing 37-of-60 offensive snaps and Mekhi Becton missing six snaps, the Jets had to throw Conor McDermott and Chuma Edoga out there yet again. Every time this happens, it becomes clear how valuable Fant and Becton are to this offense. McDermott allowed three pressures over only nine protection snaps. Edoga allowed three over 22, while also taking two penalties. The Jets' starting five offensive linemen combined for four pressures allowed and two penalties over 257 total offensive snaps. Edoga (31 snaps) and McDermott (13 snaps) combined for six pressures allowed and two penalties over 43 total offensive snaps. Improving the offensive line depth will need to be on Douglas' offseason checklist. While it is tough to expect too much from backups at any position - they're backups for a reason, you should always expect a drop-off when they come in - it would be ideal for the drop-off to not be this steep. The line has absolutely crumbled during the stints without Becton and/or Fant on the field. Jets offense continues looking better with Flacco over Darnold Sam Darnold still has plenty of time to turn this around if he can get back healthy, but as things stand, the Jets offense has been far more productive with Joe Flacco under center. Here is a comparison of the Jets offense's per-game averages in Flacco's starts versus Darnold's starts. Offensive EPA (estimated points added) is an advanced metric that takes into account down, distance, and field position to estimate the value of each play in terms of its impact on the score. The Jets offense ranks 32nd in the NFL with -4.6 EPA per game this season. With Flacco, the Jets have averaged +0.9 offensive EPA, a mark that would rank 27th-best in the NFL this season. With Darnold, they have averaged a mark of -8.4, which is more than twice as poor as the worst non-Jets offense (Bears, -3.3). Flacco has enjoyed the luxury of having all three of his starting wide receivers healthy over the past two games, which Darnold has yet to have in a game this season. But is the health of one extra starting receiver worth that much? Once again, Darnold can turn this around. He deserves the chance to show if he is capable of doing so. It will be interesting to see if his performance takes a leap with a healthy supporting cast. However, at this point in time, it is not promising to see Darnold being outperformed by a 35-year-old who has not produced at an above-average level since 2014. [sc name="audioplayer" ]