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The Jets are as bad as expected
By Connor Hughes,
chughes@njadvancemedia.com,
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills aren't a good team. Competent, maybe, but far from good. They spent the offseason purging their roster of players with trade value. They want assets they can use to land a quarterback in next April's NFL Draft.
But as bad as the Bills may be, as much as they may have an eye set on the future, their tank doesn't hold a candle to that of the team six hours south.
The top takeaway from the NFL's opening day: Yes, the Jets, who fell to the Bills, 21-12, in their season opener, are that bad.
"There were coaching mistakes and there were playing mistakes," coach Todd Bowles said. "We're all involved."
Jets need more from Muhammad Wilkerson
Let's start with the offense. Josh McCown is, well, Josh McCown. A fiery competitor and leader, but a below-average quarterback. He played the entire game ... and finished with two interceptions, an average of 4.7 yards per attempt, and a passer rating of 56.3.
But he didn't receive much help. The Jets had no running game to speak of as Matt Forte and Bilal Powell (whenever he managed to sneak into the game) were both kept in check. The two routinely ran into 8- and 9-man fronts. They finished with 38 total yards.
And the reason for those loaded boxes? Not a soul at New Era Field feared the wideouts outside. The Bills pressed the likes of Jermaine Kearse, ArDarius Stewart and Robby Anderson. They dared the Jets to pass. The Jets just couldn't.
"I'm disappointed," McCown said. "We've got to be better on third down. We've got to keep ourselves in manageable situations. We've got to do a better job of protecting the football."
How did Jets quarterback prospects Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Sam Darnold perform this weekend? Will the Jets select any of them in 2018 NFL Draft?
But wait, it only gets worse: The Jets' strength looked more like an Achilles' heel.
All last season, Bowles watched his defense surrendered big play after big play. This year was supposed to be different. The Jets drafted safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. They signed ex-Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne. They brought back defensive ends Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson, linebacker Darron Lee.
On Sunday they surrendered 483 total yards to the Bills. Eighteen of Buffalo's 72 plays went for at least 10 yards, including eight of 20 or more. The Jets missed tackles, blew assignments and looked completely overmatched.
Adams was asked after the game if the Bills did anything to surprise the Jets.
"No," he said. "Not at all."
The Jets still couldn't stop a thing.
"They came out and gashed us, it seemed like, at will," cornerback Morris Claiborne said. "Obviously, we've got a lot of things that we have to work on as a unit, as a whole ball club. Half of the things, I feel like it was just we beat ourselves. We missed that tackle. We got out of our gap. Just missing tackles, period. Some of the times, we were in great calls.
"Us as players, we've got to go fix it."
It wasn't just the players.
Bowles had yet another mental breakdown. Nearing the anniversary of the game he forgot to go for two, on Sunday, he willfully didn't punt. With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, trailing by nine, and facing a 4th and 2 near midfield, the third-year coach took his offense off the field and sent punter Lachlan Edwards on.
The Jets had a full complement of timeouts, he said. He wanted to play field position, he said.
The next time the Jets touched the ball, the game was all-but over.
"We thought we could stop them and get the ball back," Bowles said. "Simple as that."
... Simple as that ...
The Jets aren't good enough to get by on talent and playing smart football. They need things to bounce their way. Going for it would have swung the momentum New York's way, yet Bowles chose to play it safe. it didn't work.
This is, of course, just one game. An awful lot can change. It's just hard to see how this doesn't start to spiral out of control. Next week, the Jets travel across the country to play the Raiders, fresh off their 26-16 win over the Titans. Oakland's a Super Bowl contender.
If the Jets couldn't keep Tyrod Taylor in check, what will Derek Carr do? If the Jets struggled to run against the Bills' front, what will they manage against Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin?
Buckle up, Jets fans. It's going to be a long year.
Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
By Connor Hughes,
chughes@njadvancemedia.com,
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills aren't a good team. Competent, maybe, but far from good. They spent the offseason purging their roster of players with trade value. They want assets they can use to land a quarterback in next April's NFL Draft.
But as bad as the Bills may be, as much as they may have an eye set on the future, their tank doesn't hold a candle to that of the team six hours south.
The top takeaway from the NFL's opening day: Yes, the Jets, who fell to the Bills, 21-12, in their season opener, are that bad.
"There were coaching mistakes and there were playing mistakes," coach Todd Bowles said. "We're all involved."
Jets need more from Muhammad Wilkerson
Let's start with the offense. Josh McCown is, well, Josh McCown. A fiery competitor and leader, but a below-average quarterback. He played the entire game ... and finished with two interceptions, an average of 4.7 yards per attempt, and a passer rating of 56.3.
But he didn't receive much help. The Jets had no running game to speak of as Matt Forte and Bilal Powell (whenever he managed to sneak into the game) were both kept in check. The two routinely ran into 8- and 9-man fronts. They finished with 38 total yards.
And the reason for those loaded boxes? Not a soul at New Era Field feared the wideouts outside. The Bills pressed the likes of Jermaine Kearse, ArDarius Stewart and Robby Anderson. They dared the Jets to pass. The Jets just couldn't.
"I'm disappointed," McCown said. "We've got to be better on third down. We've got to keep ourselves in manageable situations. We've got to do a better job of protecting the football."
How did Jets quarterback prospects Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Sam Darnold perform this weekend? Will the Jets select any of them in 2018 NFL Draft?
But wait, it only gets worse: The Jets' strength looked more like an Achilles' heel.
All last season, Bowles watched his defense surrendered big play after big play. This year was supposed to be different. The Jets drafted safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. They signed ex-Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne. They brought back defensive ends Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson, linebacker Darron Lee.
On Sunday they surrendered 483 total yards to the Bills. Eighteen of Buffalo's 72 plays went for at least 10 yards, including eight of 20 or more. The Jets missed tackles, blew assignments and looked completely overmatched.
Adams was asked after the game if the Bills did anything to surprise the Jets.
"No," he said. "Not at all."
The Jets still couldn't stop a thing.
"They came out and gashed us, it seemed like, at will," cornerback Morris Claiborne said. "Obviously, we've got a lot of things that we have to work on as a unit, as a whole ball club. Half of the things, I feel like it was just we beat ourselves. We missed that tackle. We got out of our gap. Just missing tackles, period. Some of the times, we were in great calls.
"Us as players, we've got to go fix it."
It wasn't just the players.
Bowles had yet another mental breakdown. Nearing the anniversary of the game he forgot to go for two, on Sunday, he willfully didn't punt. With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, trailing by nine, and facing a 4th and 2 near midfield, the third-year coach took his offense off the field and sent punter Lachlan Edwards on.
The Jets had a full complement of timeouts, he said. He wanted to play field position, he said.
The next time the Jets touched the ball, the game was all-but over.
"We thought we could stop them and get the ball back," Bowles said. "Simple as that."
... Simple as that ...
The Jets aren't good enough to get by on talent and playing smart football. They need things to bounce their way. Going for it would have swung the momentum New York's way, yet Bowles chose to play it safe. it didn't work.
This is, of course, just one game. An awful lot can change. It's just hard to see how this doesn't start to spiral out of control. Next week, the Jets travel across the country to play the Raiders, fresh off their 26-16 win over the Titans. Oakland's a Super Bowl contender.
If the Jets couldn't keep Tyrod Taylor in check, what will Derek Carr do? If the Jets struggled to run against the Bills' front, what will they manage against Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin?
Buckle up, Jets fans. It's going to be a long year.
Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
