“I think a lot of people think the point of sports is that your team will win and then you will be happy. That is not the point of sports. The point of sports is to be sad in a group.”
When you’re a New York Jets fan, this is all too apt — perhaps never more so than on this shameful Monday.
This was straight from the Zach Wilson book of defeats. Ironically, the passer on the other side played no better than Zach Wilson and still came out with the W.
It was all garbage. The coaching, the preparation, the play-calling, the offensive line, the running backs, the penalties and lack of discipline, the mental lapses, the receivers. And, yes, the quarterback.
It doesn’t take looking at the statistics. I’m writing this before Pro Football Focus puts out their grades and counting statistics, before I see any NFL Next Gen Stats data or examine the All-22 film. That will come with all its ugliness. But in this game, it doesn’t take any deeper analysis to understand why the Jets were embarrassed.
It started with the coaching. The Jets were thoroughly outcoached from top to bottom in this game. Robert Saleh’s “race to 20 points” mentality is still abundantly evident. The absurd lack of discipline and penalties continue to mount. Knowing that Vance Joseph would dial up exotic blitzes, Nathaniel Hackett had his offense completely unprepared to face it. Joseph ate Saleh’s and Hackett’s lunch, knowing exactly what coverage to call and invariably guessing right. It was almost as if he was in the offensive game-planning room.
That leads to the offensive line. They had done a great job pass-blocking through three weeks; run-blocking, not so much. In this game, there was no good blocking at all. Rodgers was under duress for most of the game, which unsurprisingly caused him to come up gimpy toward the end of this sorry, sorry trainwreck. The rushing holes were few and far between. The unblocked defenders in the backfield and stuffs at the line of scrimmage are racking up weekly.
And the running backs. This is a conversation few would have imagined before the season. But it’s time for Jets coaching to face the facts: right now, Braelon Allen is a better runner than Breece Hall. Perhaps not a better all-around player (though even that is debatable), but on the ground, only Allen provides any positive spark. That does not seem to occur to the Jets’ coaches at the goal line and in short-yardage situations even though Allen performed well in this situation in college. There were times in this game (and others) where Hall faltered and Allen may have succeeded.
In general, rather than looking more explosive in his second season after an ACL tear, Hall looks like he is fresh off his ACL tear. Absent an excellent touchdown catch against the Titans, he has been nonexistent this season.
That brings us to perhaps the Jets’ most overrated player: Garrett Wilson. After his rookie season, the NFL world as a whole crowned him as an elite receiver. Quarterback play was a convenient excuse for his lesser production in 2023. But those who watched the film may have ignored the reality they saw: Wilson did not build on his excellent rookie season and actually regressed in his route-running and releases. He has not developed into a contested-catch threat or a deep weapon. Now, he cannot even keep his feet in bounds.
There’s only so long you can make excuses for a supposed “elite” receiver. Yes, he has faced some good cornerbacks. But do you think Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill, etc. don’t face elite cornerbacks? Do you think they don’t face two-high coverages and constant double-teams? Look at Malik Nabers’ early success with the Giants: yes, he’s been spammed with targets — just as Wilson was last year — but he’s been productive as the only threatening weapon in a lackluster offense with a subpar quarterback.
At this point, Wilson is, at best, a quality No. 2 receiver masquerading as a No. 1. He needs an alpha in front of him to unlock his skills. DeVonta Smith is a somewhat apt comparison, but Smith has been more impactful as a No. 1 when A.J. Brown is injured. With the Jets’ dearth of other quality receiving options, they expected Wilson to be an alpha. He continues to prove he is not.
On the offensive line, Tyron Smith looks like a shell of his All-Pro self. He has repeatedly been beaten around the edge this season. The three interior offensive linemen, who were supposed to be excellent run-blockers, have repeatedly missed assignments. Jeremy Ruckert’s blocking has not improved and is more miss than hit. There is barely any room for either running back to operate.
Then, of course, we get to Aaron Rodgers. He is supposed to elevate the players around him, not sink to their level. He was hesitant all game and did not trust his first read. This speaks to a lack of preparation from him and Hackett; a defensive coordinator is not supposed to be able to befuddle a 20-year veteran with mostly no-name personnel.
But once again, Rodgers was out of sync with his receivers even when he did have time. He made throw after throw that fell short of his receivers despite having played in the elements many times before. He had his first legitimate turnover-worthy plays of the season, one that should have been intercepted, which would have turned this game even uglier. He also had a clear fumble that mercifully was called down by contact on the field; Sean Payton could not challenge it because he was out of challenges.
And the defense. Yes, they gave up 10 points and aren’t to blame for this loss. But this defensive line is a serious issue. Once the linchpin of the Jets’ supposedly elite defense, it is now a sorry testament to what happens when you let talent go for nothing without replacing it. Bo Nix had a cushy pocket all game, and the Broncos’ running backs ran for chunk after chunk as the game wore on.
Ultimately, the Jets allowed a quarterback who threw for 60 yards to defeat them. A blown coverage in the end zone was responsible for the lone touchdown of the day. And that was the Jets’ biggest strength in coverage over the past two seasons — rarely blowing assignments.
Even the kicker isn’t spared. From the time Greg Zuerlein missed two field goals in the final preseason game, there was reason to hold one’s breath every time he kicked the football. So far this season, virtually every kick, made or missed, has looked like the same wild knuckleballs he struck during that fateful Giants game. Missing a 50-yard field goal is the least of it. This appears to be a consistent issue. And when that happens with kickers, the case of the yips doesn’t often recede quickly.
This could be a season-long disaster. Ironically, this is in a year when kickers have been more accurate than ever and contributing to a higher rate of points scored than ever before.
Speaking of the yips, Joe Tippmann’s erratic snaps have gone under the radar the last two weeks. Rodgers bailed him out of one particularly egregious one that was highlighted on the broadcast, but his snaps were consistently high in the Patriots game and continued to come in inaccurately throughout this contest. Concern is still warranted when Rodgers is in shotgun.
And the penalties, they came in from everywhere. Irv Charles. Michael Carter II. John Simpson twice. Breece Hall twice. Olu Fashanu. Qwan’tez Stiggers. Allen Lazard with the worst one of all, an unsportsmanlike conduct foul after a gesture that will draw the flag every time. He added a holding penalty to his resume, as well. In total, it was 13 for 90 yards. Penalties have been a constant issue under Robert Saleh, and this season has been the worst of all.
Meanwhile, Jets players continue to chirp. Sauce Gardner cannot stop self-aggrandizing on X. Lazard’s unsportsmanlike conduct was some ugly taunting for a trailing team. D.J. Reed celebrated after incomplete passes that were the results of bad throws more than good coverage. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson talk about their “standard” as if they’ve set one this season.
This is not just one defeat. It legitimately looked like a season going up in smoke. Losing to San Francisco in ugly fashion was one thing, but to do it against Denver is a whole different matter.
The Jets may have marked off their Week 5 matchup with the Vikings as an easy victory, but Minnesota currently looks like the NFL’s best team. Old friend Sam Darnold can add to the misery next week. Right now, there is no reason to believe he won’t. Minnesota has the running game to force single coverage on Justin Jefferson, and Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed already struggled mightily against Jefferson in 2022 (which would have shown up in the statistics if not for an atrocious game from Kirk Cousins).
Unless the Jets beat the Vikings outright next week, it will officially be panic time in New York. Following Minnesota is a matchup with the Bills, who are still 3-1 even after a blowout loss to the Ravens. Thinking that the Jets have Josh Allen’s number fails to remember that he drubbed them 32-6 last season and will not struggle against a team that can’t pressure him.
In Week 4, the Jets announced to the NFL that they are the Same Old Jets until proven otherwise. And the hopes and dreams of one magical season seem to be fading before our eyes, yet another figment of the imaginations of a group of fans united in misery.
