M
Mainejet
Guest
I really like this article. It really puts things in perspective for the Jets season.....
Jets defense has been a force to be reckoned with for several seasons, but that has never allowed them to win big. This year, that will not change.
In the New York Jets’ first two games of the season, they steamrolled their opponents and won by a margin of at least two scores. Starting quarterback Geno Smith suffered a busted jaw—at the hands of a teammate, embarrassingly. This seemed like a case of “everything happens for a reason” with Ryan Fitzpatrick taking over the offense and throwing two touchdowns in both games.
The Jets also bolstered their defense in the off-season, overhauling their secondary with the re-addition of cornerbacks and ex-Jets teammates Darrelle Revis, who will go down as one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, and four-time Pro-Bowler Antonio Cromartie. New York also added CB Buster Skrine and safety Marcus Gilchrist.
The Jets have long been known to have strong defenses, though. In the Rex Ryan Era, the Jets finished 2009 with the number one defense in the league under the outspoken head coach. They also won the Wild Card Playoffs and were one game away from the Super Bowl, falling to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.
Ryan’s sophomore year in New York was similar. The Jets finished second in the AFC East with an 11-5 record and had the third-best defense in the league. They won the Wild Card Playoffs in a rematch against the Colts, but fell in the Championship Game once again, this time to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the exception of 2013, where the Jets were 11th-best, New York had a top ten defense throughout Ryan’s tenure. In that time, the Jets made the playoffs twice but were never able to get over the obstacles that were presented by turnover-prone QBs and a general inability to move the ball in the air. This year is no different.
In their Week Three 24-17 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gang Green was without two key offensive pieces, and it showed. Wide receiver, Eric Decker, suffered a sprained knee and did not play in the game. This led to a lot of ugly moments in the pass attack with splashy WR acquisition, Brandon Marshall, throwing a lateral that resulted in an Eagles touchdown, as well as three Fitzpatrick interceptions.
Running back, Chris Ivory, was also out due to a quad injury which caused the Jets to rush for just 47 yards and forced Fitzpatrick to throw 58 times, the same amount as games one and two combined.
The much-lauded defense also made a number of mistakes, allowing an 86-yard punt return and missing crucial tackles. They are good enough for it to be safe to say that they will not under-perform for a second straight game—they rank number one in points allowed, takeaways, and red zone efficiency, so far—but when the defense does have an off day, it does not seem that the offense will be able to get close to making up for it.
In the Eagles game, the Jets were not able to score until seconds before halftime. They had five three-and-outs in their first six drives, and ended with four turnovers.
The Jets are meeting the Miami Dolphins across the pond, at Wembeley Stadium, for a divisional contest this Sunday, starting off the NFL’s 2015 International Series.
Decker is iffy for this matchup, and the offense will also be without tight end, Jeff Cumberland. Ivory, however, will be starting the game, which means Fitzpatrick will undoubtedly throw less.
The fact that the higher the number of throws the quarterback makes, the lower the chance his team has to win, is problematic. The Jets can have the best defense in the league, but in their game against Philadelphia, their offensive weaknesses were exposed. Without a more reliable QB, the team will never be able to finish on top.
Jets defense has been a force to be reckoned with for several seasons, but that has never allowed them to win big. This year, that will not change.
In the New York Jets’ first two games of the season, they steamrolled their opponents and won by a margin of at least two scores. Starting quarterback Geno Smith suffered a busted jaw—at the hands of a teammate, embarrassingly. This seemed like a case of “everything happens for a reason” with Ryan Fitzpatrick taking over the offense and throwing two touchdowns in both games.
The Jets also bolstered their defense in the off-season, overhauling their secondary with the re-addition of cornerbacks and ex-Jets teammates Darrelle Revis, who will go down as one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, and four-time Pro-Bowler Antonio Cromartie. New York also added CB Buster Skrine and safety Marcus Gilchrist.
The Jets have long been known to have strong defenses, though. In the Rex Ryan Era, the Jets finished 2009 with the number one defense in the league under the outspoken head coach. They also won the Wild Card Playoffs and were one game away from the Super Bowl, falling to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.
Ryan’s sophomore year in New York was similar. The Jets finished second in the AFC East with an 11-5 record and had the third-best defense in the league. They won the Wild Card Playoffs in a rematch against the Colts, but fell in the Championship Game once again, this time to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the exception of 2013, where the Jets were 11th-best, New York had a top ten defense throughout Ryan’s tenure. In that time, the Jets made the playoffs twice but were never able to get over the obstacles that were presented by turnover-prone QBs and a general inability to move the ball in the air. This year is no different.
In their Week Three 24-17 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gang Green was without two key offensive pieces, and it showed. Wide receiver, Eric Decker, suffered a sprained knee and did not play in the game. This led to a lot of ugly moments in the pass attack with splashy WR acquisition, Brandon Marshall, throwing a lateral that resulted in an Eagles touchdown, as well as three Fitzpatrick interceptions.
Running back, Chris Ivory, was also out due to a quad injury which caused the Jets to rush for just 47 yards and forced Fitzpatrick to throw 58 times, the same amount as games one and two combined.
The much-lauded defense also made a number of mistakes, allowing an 86-yard punt return and missing crucial tackles. They are good enough for it to be safe to say that they will not under-perform for a second straight game—they rank number one in points allowed, takeaways, and red zone efficiency, so far—but when the defense does have an off day, it does not seem that the offense will be able to get close to making up for it.
In the Eagles game, the Jets were not able to score until seconds before halftime. They had five three-and-outs in their first six drives, and ended with four turnovers.
The Jets are meeting the Miami Dolphins across the pond, at Wembeley Stadium, for a divisional contest this Sunday, starting off the NFL’s 2015 International Series.
Decker is iffy for this matchup, and the offense will also be without tight end, Jeff Cumberland. Ivory, however, will be starting the game, which means Fitzpatrick will undoubtedly throw less.
The fact that the higher the number of throws the quarterback makes, the lower the chance his team has to win, is problematic. The Jets can have the best defense in the league, but in their game against Philadelphia, their offensive weaknesses were exposed. Without a more reliable QB, the team will never be able to finish on top.
