Sunday was a horrible day for the New York Jets.
There is nothing to sugarcoat. With the hard schedule coming up, this was a sneaky must-win for this team. The offense didn’t show up at all.
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The Jets’ offensive EPA for this game, -18.8, was the seventh-worst for any team with Aaron Rodgers, ranking 243rd out of 249. It was also Rodgers’ first career loss in which his team allowed 10 points or fewer (excluding a game he left early due to injury in 2010).
Countless issues plagued the New York offense. This week’s film review is one I almost wish I did not watch.
Jets-Broncos All-22 Film
The only good clip I decided to show, because it’s an outstanding rep from Quincy Williams (who played out of his mind Sunday). The Broncos run a crack toss away from Quincy into the boundary. Quincy, from the back side, makes an unbelievable play to get the tackle. Absurd angle and speed by Quincy. Some guys would give a lot less effort here but that is never a question with him. He is one of the dudes that shows up every week, and it’s on tape to see.
Now, let’s get into the hideous offense.
Denver shows man by motioning cornerback Patrick Surtain with Garrett Wilson, but drop into a Tampa 2. Rodgers hits the top of his drop and GW is open on the shallow cross. Not sure why he didn’t pull the trigger, but it looks like his helmet was looking towards Breece Hall instead of GW. Maybe GW should have settled? Rodgers then steps up in the pocket and looks to throw to GW, but GW turns his head upfield and Rodgers gets taken down. This is a great pocket by the O-line; there is no need for Rodgers to escape. I would’ve liked Rodgers to stick in the pocket and hit Tyler Conklin on the crosser/dig route.
Shot play call, which I love here. The Jets use a Pony package (2 RB) and run misdirection PA to Braelon Allen, while Hall sneaks through the A-gap on a wheel route.
Where is the burst, man? One-on-one with a LB, this should be a win all day. Rodgers seems to want him to run through the contact and stack the LB inside. Breece opts to attempt to outrun the LB to the pylon but never gets separation. Not a great throw, but Breece has to play tougher through contact here. Great concept by Nathaniel Hackett, but there is just no separation for Breece.
Counter lead play here, with Jeremy Ruckert lead blocking. Conklin gets manhandled at the point of attack. Ruckert and Simpson pull and both go after the same defender. Just a total mess. The inability to get a single yard is an absolute embarrassment for the offense and team. The tight ends have been a massive lilability in the run game.
Another simulated pressure that the Jets don’t pick up. Tyron Smith gets cooked on an awesome ghost move by Nik Bonitto. The blitzing LB also gets through. The Jets run a mesh concept that gets Allen Lazard and Conklin wide open but it doesn’t matter since the line can’t hold up for more than two seconds.
Again, the Jets can’t pick up the stunt up front. With the Broncos running a middle-of-field-open coverage, Rodgers could stand in, take the big hit and drive the ball to GW, who’s streaking open up the seam, but instead he opts to check it down to Hall, who drops the ball. Brutal. It would be a tough ball up the seam, but #22 is fully turned to Lazard, so it is more open that it looks. Would be curious what Rodgers thinks watching it back.
It’s 2nd & 2 with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter. Light box here with only six Broncos defenders. The Jets run an RPO to Allen and Rodgers chooses to go to Conklin in the flat for no gain. Hard to believe Braelon doesn’t get the first here. The next play was a sack. Missed opportunities galore.
Hard to know the exact issue here. One would assume Rodgers is expecting GW to bend his route up the seam with two safeties deep. It would not be an easy completion, but if GW turns, it could definitely be completed. The bigger issue is Rodgers being unhappy with GW after the play. Whatever he expected GW to do, he didn’t do it. Again, I would assume he wanted GW to bend his route up the seam with where the ball was delivered.
3rd & 10, game on the line. The Jets call for a 3×1 formation with Xavier Gipson as the isolated WR? What? Rodgers thinks he’ll be ready for the back shoulder, but he just runs a straight go route. It is baffling to me that Mike Williams wasn’t on the field for this play/in this position. Coaching matters. Brutal.
On the ensuing 4th & 10, the Jets don’t pick up the blitz. Breece is keyed on the two LBs mugged up in the A-gap (one doesn’t end up blitzing) and allows the edge blitzer to come unblocked for the easy sack. It’s not an easy blitz pickup, but it’s a much-needed one. GW ends up being open on the dig route, but by the time he separates, Rodgers has been tackled. Really bad sequence of plays.
Last play before the missed field goal. It’s baffling that the Jets couldn’t get more than four yards after the Mike Williams pass-interference play. It is 3rd & 6 here with 56 seconds left still.
Rodgers panics right when he gets the snap and starts drifting out of the pocket, even though the pocket is completely clean. No one is open, but you would hope he would stand in the pocket and deliver a better ball to Williams or GW, who is coming across the middle. Instead, he throws a ball fading away with a guy in his face. Next play, missed FG, game over.
There is so much blame to go around for the offensive struggles. It was really an overall failure. I don’t know how this gets fixed in a week, but the Jets must figure it out before Sunday, or things could get ugly fast.
