The NY Jets current power-ranking placement didn’t move much after Week 1
There was nowhere for the New York Jets to go but up when it came to the 2021 power rankings. Alas, a somewhat respectable showing against the Carolina Panthers did little to move the green needle in the right direction.
National power rankings placed the Jets at or near the bottom of their preseason ledgers, but the Jets, particularly a makeshift defense, posted a decent effort. It was of little intrigue to the national pundits, however.
Many did give the Jets props for their efforts in Charlotte but expressed concerns about the plethora of injuries sustained, namely Mekhi Becton’s injury that will keep him out for at least the next four weeks.
Jet X now curates the major outlets’ placement of the Jets in their ranking after the first week of action.
Bleacher Report: 29th
“Sunday’s season opener against the Carolina Panthers was a very Jets game. This is not a good thing.
“To be fair, rookie quarterback Zach Wilson made a few nice throws in his pro debut. But the second overall pick in the 2021 draft also completed just 20 of 37 passes and threw a pick. He didn’t exactly have a lot of help. The three-headed rushing “attack” of Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and rookie Michael Carter carried the ball 17 times for just 45 yards. Defensively, the Jets managed just one sack and gave up a big game to Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.” –B/R NFL Staff
CBS: 31st
“It took them a while to get Zach Wilson going, but he did some good things late. The good news is they hung around and made it interesting late, which is progress.” –Pete Prisco
ESPN.com: 31st
“Wilson rallied from a shaky start and led two scoring drives in the second half to keep the Jets competitive in a 19-14 loss at the Panthers. He completed 20-of-37 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. It was a gritty, if not clean, performance. He held the ball too long at times, contributing to six sacks, but displayed the arm strength and improvisational skill that made the Jets fall in love with him during the pre-draft process. The Jets dressed nine rookies in Week 1; Wilson was clearly the best.” –Rich Cimini
NFL.com: 30th (-2)
“Zach Wilson showed toughness, resiliency, and plenty of talent in the second half of the Jets’ 19-14 loss to the Panthers, but the heralded rookie won’t make it through the season if New York can’t get its offensive line to play at a competitive level. The unit struggled mightily against the Panthers, allowing six sacks and 10 hits on Wilson, who was scrambling for his life for most of the afternoon. The news got worse in the third quarter when left tackle Mekhi Becton went out with a knee injury. Becton might have dodged a season-ending setback, but an already-beleaguered front five will be without its most essential piece for at least a month, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.” –Dan Hanzus
Sports Illustrated: 29th (+1)
“The Jets were always going to have a difficult season, but the performance of recent free-agent acquisitions like Corey Davis bode well for the future. This team should be solely focused on getting Zach Wilson out of 2021 without any kind of serious injury or developed tic from a constantly muddy pocket. Too many of the club’s passers were ruined through inept roster mismanagement. Joe Douglas feels like he’s cut from a different cloth, but time will tell. At the least, this is a punch-less offense that hangs with the ebbs and flows of a game. The Jets made this one close, which was more than you could say about them a year ago.” –Conor Orr
Sporting News: 29th (-3)
“Zach Wilson had a typical rookie debut, committing a shaky giveaway and taking bad sacks. But with zero help from the running game, he showed a lot of positives with his command of the offense, overall confidence, and aggressiveness. The kid’s got goods and Robert Saleh had to like the fact his new’s team defense played over its head right away.” –Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 28th (-1)
“Darnold’s NFL debut (Sept. 10, 2018) marked the NYJ’s last win in September. His Panthers debut marked the Jets’ 10th consecutive defeat in the month.” –Bob Donnan
Yahoo!: 29th
“The Jets line is a problem. And tackle Mekhi Becton has a knee injury that will keep him out for a while. That’s a big concern for the development of quarterback Zach Wilson. They get the Patriots next.” –Frank Schwab
Final thoughts
Overall, not much has changed. Sports Illustrated is the only publication to catapult the Jets up in the rankings, albeit just one spot while moving from 30 to 29.
NFL.com, the Sporting News and USA Today moved the Jets down in the order, whereas Bleacher Report, CBS, ESPN and Yahoo! moved the Jets nowhere.
Not much should be expected after a loss that saw rookie quarterback Zach Wilson pounded on a far-too-often basis, especially in the game. Besides, the headlines that featured Sam Darnold and Robby Anderson capturing revenge was way too much to see any real power-ranking improvement.
For now, Robert Saleh is simply looking to overcome a tough situation, injury-wise. The only thing on Saleh’s mind is Mac Jones, Bill Belichick and the 0-1 New England Patriots who come to MetLife Stadium this Sunday for a Week 2 showdown.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
