Stick a fork in the New York Jets.
In an extremely important game, New York got absolutely pantsed by the Arizona Cardinals, 31-6.
Week 10 Final
 |
 |
|---|---|
Despite the offense having some good drives, the defense rendered their efforts useless. Arizona, led by Kyler Murray, did whatever they wanted all game on offense.
With the loss, the Jets’ playoff hopes are likely toast. At 3-7, New York would likely have to run the table to even have a shot to make the postseason. Even at that point, the tiebreakers the Jets would need would make their odds that much more of a longshot.
There are plenty of questions that need to be asked and should be asked after this performance. Whether for the immediate future or the long-term future, the Jets have plenty of important decisions on their hands.
What went wrong today? And how can it be fixed? Follow along as we recap a disaster in the desert for the Jets.
Defensive breakdowns and a hard truth to swallow
If the Jets were to compete or win this game, they would have to bring their A-game on defense. They would need to shut down the run game and limit Kyler Murray’s explosiveness.
Safe to say, they did not do either of those things.
For starters, running back James Conner was a tour de force against the Jets. Through both running the ball and catching screens, Conner racked up over 100 yards from scrimmage. He repeatedly shrugged off would-be tacklers and created positive plays for the Cardinals.
On the day, Conner forced six missed tackles. That performance extended his league-leading mark of missed tackles forced, which currently sits at 68 on the season.
However, Conner was not the only Cardinals player to have a big game—he was far from it.
Rookie running back Trey Benson channeled his inner James Conner against the Jets, running for 62 yards on ten carries. He consistently found space against the porous run defense and looked precisely like the prospect he was at Florida State.
Kyler Murray was as lethal as he has ever been. The star quarterback was efficient on the ground, racing for two touchdowns. One came on a perfect bootleg that fooled the entire Jets’ defense, and the other on a read option where no New York defender even touched him.
Murray was more efficient and productive in the air. The former Oklahoma Sooner completed 22 passes on 24 attempts for 266 yards and a touchdown. He was on target, accurate, and on top of his game. Arguably, his best throw was his touchdown to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the back of the end zone; the quarterback dropped a perfect fade over the cornerback and into his wideout’s arms.
At the end of the day, though, the Jets were flat and played horribly.
The effort was absent. Tackling was as bad as ever, with Sauce Gardner getting tossed like a ragdoll by Trey McBride being the lasting image of the team’s effort.
Overall, New York missed 20 tackles, tied for the most in a game by any team in the 2024 season. Add in the coverage woes, and a startling realization forms: the Jets are no longer an elite or very good defense.
Yes, New York has had and will continue to have their moments. The secondary has great talent, as does the defensive line.
However, the Jets’ unit can no longer be considered one of the best in the league because of the scheme never changing when exploited, bad tackling, and consistent communication issues. Unless something significant changes, they will continue to cause the Jets to struggle in games.
Inconsistent offense and playcalling strike again
Just as the defense had issues, so did the offense.
Again, the play-calling and player usage were highly questionable. Unlike last week against Houston, the Jets refused to push the football down the field consistently. According to Football Insights, Aaron Rodgers did not throw a pass in the intermediate area of the field.
Furthermore, according to Next-Gen Stats, Rodgers averaged 2.5 air yards per completion, his lowest mark in a game since Week 8 of 2021, also against the Cardinals.
Those numbers showed up consistently during the game. Every throw was a smoke screen, hitch, slant, or other variation of a short throw. It made things very easy on the Cardinals, who did not have to worry about Garrett Wilson or another receiver taking the top off their defense.
In terms of player usage, the Jets had no consistency. On multiple occasions, Breece Hall was the main reason the Jets drove the ball down the field. His explosiveness on runs and catches was something the Cardinals could not match.
But they stopped giving him the ball when New York got into the red zone. As a result, they did not get into the end zone and had to settle for field goals. It was some baffling decision-making from a team that looked like it had fixed its issues in this regard.
Additionally, the Jets stopped heavily targeting Garrett Wilson. After an all-time catch and another excellent performance last week, the star wideout was barely in the team’s game plan. New York inexplicably did not try to target Wilson down the field or scheme more plays up for him.
Sunday was another shining example of why the Jets are in their current situation. In addition to the defensive woes, New York’s inability to stay consistent, aggressive, and utilize its best players on offense has contributed to its losing ways.
An evaluation of where the Jets go next
The Jets feel like a team stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The team will likely have some more positive performances. They have the talent to beat most of the teams on their schedule, with the Texans game on Halloween being a shining example of that reality.
However, they also have the curse of inconsistency and stretches of poor execution. They have suffered from not playing complementary football all season and all of the issues that come with those units.
It will be fascinating to see how the Jets handle the remainder of the 2024 season. Once this disappointing campaign reaches its conclusion, New York will truly have to decide what path they want to take for their future.
