It’s all but over for the New York Jets.
The Jets lost their Week 8 matchup to the Patriots in New England, 25-22. It was an improbable and devasting loss for a team that had playoff and championship aspirations.
This likely ends the Jets’ season. At 2-6, they are one of the NFL’s worst teams, currently owning the No. 4 draft position near the halfway point of the season. It is a severe disappointment for a team that sought to finally break their postseason drought.
How did this transpire? How did, once again, the Jets lose a game they should have won?
Some good, some bad for the offense
Unlike in previous weeks, the offense was not the main reason the Jets lost the football game.
New York had 336 total net yards of offense, outgaining the Patriots by almost 100 yards. They had over 100 rushing yards as a team and had an acceptable 224 passing yards.
Breece Hall was extremely effective as the team’s primary running back, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and racking up 80 yards. Braelon Allen was effective in short-yardage situations and converted one of the team’s three touchdowns.
Garrett Wilson was phenomenal as a wideout against New England. With Davante Adams drawing away some coverage, the star wideout erupted for a five-catch, 113-yard performance for New York. Wilson made plays in all areas of the field and was the best player on the field for New York.
When targeted, Adams and tight end Tyler Conklin were effective. Conklin looked very good as a downfield target, while Adams was reliable at multiple areas of the field.
Aaron Rodgers was not perfect but made enough throws for New York to win the ball game. He hit Wilson in stride on multiple plays, decently maneuvered the pocket, and even had a high-level touchdown pass in the red zone to Xavier Gipson.
But just like the past five weeks, it simply was not enough. The Jets took a step forward with some passing game concepts, but Rodgers looked even less mobile than in weeks past. The running game was effective but was abandoned in favor of trying to pass the ball all over the field.
Add in poor pass protection, questionable play-calling, and rough time management, and you end up with Sunday’s result. The offense was better, but in the end, it did not help the Jets find the win column once more.
A late defensive tailspin
Where to start with the defense?
There were some positives for the unit. Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams were very good against the run. Quinnen Williams exerted his will and consistently was in the backfield, notching 1.5 sacks on the day. And on the whole, the unit was pretty decent in the first half and most of the game.
But when it mattered most, the Jets crumbled.
The pass rush disappeared, as did the team’s ability to wrap up the quarterback. This was evident on a critical third down after the two-minute warning. Losing contain like they did all game, the defense let Jacoby Brissett run for a first down.
This occurred while Drake Maye was in the game, too. If not for his head injury, it is feasible that the rookie quarterback would have run all over the Jets.
The coverage was not good or decent down the stretch, either. Hunter Henry was consistently open and snagged the ball whenever he was targeted. Miscommunications on the back end created catch-and-run opportunities for the Patriots, who took advantage of them to continue drives.
The worst of all came on the game-sealing drive for the Patriots. On a got-to-have-it third down, Sauce Gardner was beaten by Kayshon Boutte for a reception deep into the red zone. It was, by all measures, the play that basically ended the game for the Jets, as Rhamondre Stevenson scored a few plays later to put the game away.
Between poor tackling, undisciplined play, and regression from a star player like Gardner, the Jets’ supposedly elite defensive unit is nowhere close to that level. They are contributing to losing efforts instead of being the reason the Jets win.
New week, same issues
Fire the coach, change the play-caller, or repeat steps one and two. It does not matter.
Why is that? The Jets, week after week, repeat the same mistakes and have the same issues.
The Jets are undisciplined and reckless at times on the field. Micheal Clemons’ roughing the passer penalty was a primary example; it led to a Patriots scoring drive. New York, as a team, had eight penalties on the day, and there was room for more to be called.
Kicker Greg Zuerlein shanked an easily makeable field goal and an extra point, which ultimately was the deciding factor on the scoreboard. He is arguably the reason the Jets have lost multiple games during the losing streak.
Aaron Rodgers had multiple play-clock disasters, resulting in all three timeouts being used in the first half. He also looks utterly immobile at times, and his accuracy has been increasingly spotty.
The play-calling was inconsistent, the motion was inconsistent, and the communication on all fronts was poor.
The Jets have a laundry list of issues and likely would have lost by double digits to a more competent football team.
But the Jets still lost. They are a scuttling, struggling, and borderline lost football team. Until the foundation of the Jets changes, they will not change. And based on their 2024 results, no changes seem to be on the horizon.
What’s next?
It is another short week for the Jets. New York will host the Houston Texans on Thursday, October 31st in a pivotal AFC matchup.
