The New York Jets lost 32-19 on Monday night in a game that felt a lot less close than the final score.
Is it all gloom and doom? No. There were some positives to take from the game. With that being said, there were some alarming reps from the defense that stood out. Along with that, the offense is just starting to get its footing and chemistry together as a unit that has not worked together in the past.
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Are the mistakes fixable? They could be, but it is hard to say, especially on defense with how stubborn Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbirch are in their scheme.
Let’s dive into some key numbers from the game before digging into the film.
Jets @ 49ers film
Offensively, the Jets had motion at the snap on 33% of their plays, which was 10th-highest in the NFL. They ran motion 49% of the time overall.
I think this is an encouraging sign going forward, as using motion is a great way to create angles and put the defense in conflict. This is something that Aaron Rodgers was not very fond of in the past, but he praised the benefits of motion when speaking about it on Wednesday. The motion seemed to work and I thought it looked pretty good schematically at times.
Analytically, Rodgers played a solid game. Here are his Week 1 ranks among quarterbacks:
- Quickest time to throw among all QBs (2.33)
- 9th in success rate (50%)
- 9th in yards per attempt (8.0)
- 14th in EPA/play (0.148)
- 14th in pressure to sack rate (20%) (1 sack on 5 pressures)
- 23rd in CPOE (-5.9%)
What stood out on film from the offense?
Offense
On third-and-8, Rodgers hits Garrett Wilson on the slot fade. Rodgers sees man coverage, and you can see him checking the play at the line. GW gives a rocker release and makes a big-time contested catch. I love the timing as Rodgers hits the back of his drop and the ball is out. Great ball placement and some awesome body control from Garrett to haul this one in.
Another third-and-long conversion, this time with 7 yards to go. After another check at the line, Rodgers hits an in-breaker to GW. Good timing between AR and GW again. I like the play call and how Rodgers works the side of the field that GW and Breece Hall are on. The safety is a little late to break on the in-breaker and Rodgers makes the 49ers pay. Good stuff from the O-line here as well, especially Tyron Smith.
It looks like Rodgers double pumps here, and it’s a costly one. GW is initially open out of the break but the extra pump screws the timing and allows for the DB to make a play on the ball. I’m not sure why he pumped – maybe he felt the pressure on the edge – but timing routes like these should get better as the year goes on. I think Rodgers will watch this and want it back. Again, the extra hitch is what gets him here. Just some rust and timing issues. Nothing that can’t be improved upon.
Important rep here on fourth-and-1. It looks like Rodgers takes a three-step drop rather than a plant and throw, which is the timing of the slant that GW runs. GW is running a one-step slant when he really needs to be taking another step or two vertically before breaking inside. This screws up the timing of the play and allows for the DB to come in for the PBU. It’s another rep that can be fixed with timing and chemistry; not something that is alarming at all to me. This concept will be converted in the next game or two and I’ll refer back to this play.
Defense
I had to shout out Quincy Williams, who I thought played decent on Monday night. This is just Quincy doing Quincy things in coverage, undercutting Deebo Samuel on the Texas route out of the backfield and making a great PBU.
Look how easy it is for the O-line to climb to the second level because of the width the Jets play with their 4 down linemen. That’s the first issue here. You can’t expect to continue to play vanilla fronts and beg for Quincy and C.J. Mosley to bail you out. Secondly, no one set the edge or handled double teams well on Monday. On this play, Micheal Clemons immediately loses the edge, and Jamien Sherwood gets easily washed out by Kittle. Quincy saves this from being a huge play.
In this alignment, I don’t understand why the Jets decided not to match the 49ers’ 12 personnel (2 TE) with their base personnel (i.e., use Jamien Sherwood, a 3rd LB, instead of Ashtyn Davis, a safety). They end up getting gashed on a split zone concept. The D-line slants the opposite way of the run, and the O-line climbs with ease to the second level. Jordan Mason doesn’t feel contact for 10 yards.
The Jets D-line allows this inside zone run to be cut back. Poor leverage from Jalyn Holmes and Clemons, who allow themselves to be down-blocked out of the play. Add on the missed tackle by Sauce Gardner, and this is a rep that goes for 9 yards that should not have come close to that. Pathetic tackle attempt from Sauce.
It’s wide zone, and Jermaine Johnson loses the edge to Trent Williams, which allows Mason to hit a huge gap created by the climbing blockers. Sherwood and Chazz Surratt are easily displaced at the second level. You would hope to force the RB inside here, but that doesn’t happen, and the Jets are gashed again. Every single run play, the 49ers had a hat for a hat.
Overall, the film is what it is. Shockingly, Robert Saleh came out on Wednesday and said that Micheal Clemons had a “really good” game. I know that that is coach speak, but it’s just doing a disservice to Jets fans and the people who actually watch the film to see what is put on display.
I’m not too worried about the offense and think they could have a better showing this week. Again, this is a unit that has not had much time on the field together, so there is not a ton of concern for me there.
As for the defense, I am concerned due to the lack of adjustments made by the defensive staff, which allowed the 49ers to gash them for the entirety of the football game. You will never win in the NFL if you cannot adjust. The Jets run defense, and defense as a whole, are on watch for me this week.
