The New York Jets have found a way to lose once again.
With their offense scoring on multiple drives and riding the play of Breece Hall, it looked like the Jets would find the win column once again. But that was not the case.
The team’s defense utterly collapsed late in the fourth quarter, allowing the young Anthony Richardson to lead a game-winning drive and seal a victory in his return to the starting lineup.
It was an embarrassing collapse for a team that has had plenty of them this season. Starting off with the highest of expectations, the Jets have become the same old version of themselves, if not worse.
At 3-8, New York heads into the bye week before facing a gauntlet of talented teams in the back half of its season. It will be very interesting to see how the Jets handle the rest of a season in which there is no hope.
How did this result occur for New York? What were the main positives and negatives? And where do they go from here?
Follow along to find out as we wrap up the Jets’ latest loss in Week 11.
Breece is the Light
Even in darkness, there can always be sparks of light.
For the New York Jets offense, Breece Hall was the engine and best player against the Colts. On the ground, Hall racked up 78 yards and a touchdown, and through the air, he recorded seven receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry, constantly churning out yardage and positive plays for the offense.
It was Hall’s best overall performance in a few weeks. Not only did he look explosive on the ground, but he showed breakaway speed in the open field as a receiver. The best plays the Jets called were when he got the football; as a result, it was no surprise that the offense flowed and succeeded when Hall was heavily involved.
Unfortunately, Hall could not lead the Jets to victory by himself. If New York wants to win any more games this season, Breece has to be allowed to become “The Beast” and carry the load of the offense.
A washed quarterback and a bad offense
Yes, the Jets scored a season-high 27 points, and yes, Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns in the game. However, the offense still had many of the same issues as in previous games. 10 of the 27 points were scored on drives that were already set up inside of the Colts’ 40-yard line, and the Jets only had 10 first downs on the day offensively. They did not record a first down until there were under two minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Rodgers had a very quick release on almost every play, averaging a paltry 6.3 yards per attempt. Almost every route was a slant, quick screen, or different variation of a short throw. He relied on YAC from Davante Adams, Breece Hall, and Garrett Wilson.
On a few rare occasions, Rodgers did attempt to scramble. He had some more bootleg actions compared to past weeks, including one of his touchdown passes that went to Kenny Yeboah.
However, Rodgers was very immobile for most of the game. He still struggled to handle pressure and seemed hesitant to push the ball down the field. To make matters worse, he was very inaccurate while trying to make those throws.
This popped up on the Jets’ last drive of the game. Against a defense sending constant pressure, Rodgers faltered immediately, having a fumble on first down and getting sacked on third down.
The issues go beyond Rodgers, though.
Garrett Wilson and his downfield prowess have seemingly evaporated from the offense. The Ohio State product only had four receptions, with most of them being quick screens or short routes.
New York frequently killed its momentum on offense all game, too. When Breece Hall and the run game were rolling on offense, the Jets inexplicably went back to a passing game that struggled for most of the game.
At the end of the day, the game was just a microcosm of the whole season for the New York Jets. They found some success but made it very hard on themselves for most of the game. And when it mattered most, the unit did not get the job done.
New York enters its bye week in a very rough situation. They have a chance to tweak some things going forward, but it will likely be very difficult for them to overcome the unit being fully broken.
A defensive choke job
In many ways, the defensive performance mirrored the offensive performance.
The unit had a strong start to the game, tackling much better in the run game and in space. They made things hard on running back Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Anthony Richardson, keeping New York in the game while the offense tried to find its footing.
However, the unit faltered in the second half when it mattered, specifically in the passing game.
Multiple miscommunications in coverage allowed Richardson to begin racking off good throw after good throw. This culminated in what ended up being the game-winning scoring drive; after a pump fake from the Colts’ quarterback, Sauce Gardner and Jalen Mills had a mix-up and almost allowed Alex Pierce to race for a long touchdown.
A few plays later, Richardson exposed the Jets’ run defense again, mowing over multiple defenders for a touchdown in a play that aptly represented New York’s season.
It was, unfortunately, another example of the Jets’ inability to play complementary football.
If the offense plays well, the defense implodes. If the defense steps up, the offense does not find footing. Until the Jets figure out how to play as a team, this will be a common theme for the rest of 2024.
What’s next?
The Jets have their bye in Week 12. After that, New York will host old friend Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 at MetLife Stadium.
