The New York Jets offense has struggled mightily in the season’s first five weeks, and it is largely due to the team’s poor rushing attack.
As the Jets began their 2024 campaign, all eyes were on Breece Hall behind a rebuilt offensive line. Fans held high expectations for the star running back. However, Hall has fallen well short of those expectations through the season’s first five games.
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Even with the surprise emergence of Braelon Allen, the Jets currently have one of the weakest rushing attacks in the NFL. Here is a look at their numbers through five games:
- 80.4 rushing yards per game (32nd out of 32)
- 3.6 yards per attempt (30th out of 32)
- -0.17 EPA per attempt (29th out of 32)
- 23% of rushes for zero/negative yards (27th out of 32)
- 0.44 yards before contact per rush (32nd out of 32)
As shown by their league-worst ranking in yards before contact per rush, the blocking has been a major problem. Hall and Allen are not receiving the space they need to make plays.
Adding to those troubling numbers, defenses have stacked the box against the Jets just 14.2% of the time, ranking 28th in the NFL. This results from defenses realizing they no longer need to stack the box to stop the run, which is not great for the Jets’ passing game.
Due to troubles running the football, the Jets have begun leaning heavily toward the passing game. In Week 5, 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who already has been dealing with some injuries, threw the ball 54 times. It is not sustainable to expect a banged-up 40-year-old to shine while throwing the ball 54 times.
Who is to blame?
It’s challenging to pinpoint a single culprit for the Jets’ struggles in the run game. Issues ranging from the blocking to the coaching staff have contributed to the team’s difficulties.
First, let’s examine the blocking. According to Pro Football Focus’ grading system, the Jets rank 24th in run-blocking after five games. While some players have underperformed, many issues stem from miscommunication, blown blocks, and poor situational awareness rather than a lack of skill.
Jets OL again just letting people in unblocked. It's all about communication and chemistry to fix this run blocking, it's not a talent or man-to-man execution issue pic.twitter.com/VRhgUG0ipc
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 30, 2024
The tight end group has been a significant part of the run blocking issues, arguably being the worst unit in the league in that area. Jeremy Ruckert has a PFF run-blocking grade of 41.0, the lowest among tight ends with at least 70 blocking snaps, at 41.0. Third-string tight end Brenden Bates is similarly poor with a run-blocking grade of just 42.0.
It’s concerning that Ruckert and Bates are expected to make up for the lack of blocking from starting tight end Tyler Conklin, who is also struggling as a blocker. Conklin’s 45.5 run-blocking grade is sixth-worst among tight ends with at least 70 blocking snaps.
Instead of stepping up, Ruckert and Bates have become liabilities as blockers, which is a problem considering they do not contribute in other areas.
Want to know why the #Jets offense couldn't run the ball well Sunday?
I present to you Brenden Bates…watch these plays ‼️ pic.twitter.com/oOspUz6EIo
— Ryan Sampson (@RyanMSampson) October 7, 2024
Many players on the team’s offensive line are not meeting expectations to start the season. Since multiple players are underperforming simultaneously, some blame must be directed toward the coaching staff. While targeting offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is easy, offensive line coach Keith Carter deserves much of the blame.
The Jets hired Carter as their offensive line coach in the 2023 offseason. Before joining the Jets coaching staff, he held the same position with the Tennessee Titans for five seasons (2018-2022).
Rebuilding the Jets’ offensive line to protect Aaron Rodgers was no easy task, especially considering the challenges he faced when he first arrived. However, given Carter’s questionable history with former players prior to his appointment, it is surprising that the organization chose him to tackle the significant issues within the team’s offensive line. Additionally, Carter’s last season in Tennessee was not pretty, as their offensive line ranked dead last in the league per PFF.
Former three-time Pro Bowler and Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan was very blunt about his reaction to the Jets hiring Carter, calling him “disrespectful” and saying his coaching style is like a “dictatorship.” More Jets players publicly criticized Carter after his first season with the Jets, a year that resulted in New York’s offensive line earning a No. 31 ranking at PFF.
Despite all of that, now former head coach Robert Saleh said Carter did a “really nice job” in 2023, electing to keep him on the staff. Carter survived the firing of Saleh, so it looks like the Jets will have to continue working around him for the rest of 2024.
Monday’s matchup against the Bills presents a prime opportunity for the Jets to turn their run game around, as Buffalo is allowing an NFL-worst 5.2 yards per rush attempt.
