Jets ill-discipline sets the tone early.
After the optimism of Week 1, the New York Jets came crashing back to earth in shuddering fashion.
The Buffalo Bills rolled into MetLife Stadium and promptly handled business with a 30-10 victory.
Same old same old
I was full of praise last week after the Jets showed some real signs of life in the close loss to Pittsburgh. But Sunday evening was a harsh reminder of just how far this organisation has to go.
To be frank, they looked overawed from minute one. They were completely unprepared and unable to make the right decisions at key moments.
This looked like the Jets we had seen in the last two or three seasons. Off the back of an encouraging display, they would fail to turn up the following week.
In this game, Justin Fields missed a wide-open Garrett Wilson on the opening drive. Once Josh Allen got the ball back, it was one-way traffic.
Own worst enemy
On the Bills’ opening drive, the Jets allowed Allen to scramble for a big gain, before getting the Bills into a 3rd-and-19. Allen’s misplaced pass should have given the ball back to the Jets, down 3-0.
However, indiscipline was again the Jets’ worst enemy. A dumb roughing the passer penalty on Michael Clemons extended the drive and the hosts powered into the end zone shortly after.
After last week’s fumbled kick-off returner Xavier Gipson was released, I cannot see the same fate befalling Clemons, but he must be on thin ice. Sadly, Jets fans know another one of these costly plays cannot be far away.
That sequence of play encapsulates the Jets experience in a nutshell. Do the hard work, force a mistake but negate it with a completely avoidable penalty.
The Jets only committed five penalties all game, but four of those came on Buffalo’s opening four drives where they scored 20 points. As Aaron Glenn said, “They killed themselves in the first half.”
Time to panic for the Jets defense?
For the second consecutive week, the Jets defense got torched by their opposition. Sure, the Bills are one of the NFL’s premier teams and they showed they can hurt you in many different ways. But frankly, this was embarrassing at times.
As I mentioned, Sean McDermott’s team scored 20 points on their first four drives. They had all the answers for whatever packages the Jets put on the field. Allen had guys wide open for easy completions and James Cook ran the ball with great efficiency.
His highlight-reel touchdown run in the second quarter looked great on RedZone but showed an alarming lack of urgency from many Jets defenders.
Most notably, Brandon Stephens was again targeted in coverage and did not appear to want to get near Cook on this play. Jets fans are already calling for him to benched and it is tough to argue with, given what we have seen.
It was a chastening afternoon for Gang Green on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks has had his scheme picked apart twice in two games.
He needs to find ways to get his guys off the field. But the leaders on the field need to take some accountability. They need to start playing the relentless physical brand of football that Glenn has preached all offseason.
Things get easier next week, though. Just a trip to Tampa Bay to face the 2-0 Buccaneers…
The good, the bad and the Fields
Finally, we come to the offense. This was one of the ugliest showings from a Jets offense I can ever remember and I have watched us roll out Tim Boyle at quarterback.
Last week, Offensive Coordinator Tanner Engstrand called a brilliant game and Justin Fields executed it to near perfection.
On Sunday, we saw the bad version of Fields. He missed wide-open throws, looked jittery in the pocket and gave up a costly fumble after Buffalo’s opening score.
Then, he made a play that only him and two or three other quarterbacks in the league can make. He scrambled out of the pocket for a 39-yard gain to get the Jets their first three points. Fields finished the day with just three completions and 27 passing yards, one of the worst stat lines I can remember.
I am not going to be too down on this performance from Fields though. He was up against a well-assembled defense that will be playing in the biggest games later in the season. To me, it just highlighted that it will be a rollercoaster ride all season.
When Fields is playing in rhythm and on time, the Jets will be a fun watch. If they get behind early and are forced to chase the game, then it could become a painful watch. It would basically take the ground game out of the equation and that is not the script the Jets want to play by.
Fields is likely to miss Week 3 in Tampa with a concussion so we will see Tyrod Taylor – a very steady hand as back-ups go – at QB.
It is an 0-2 start. I have been here so many times that I am just numb to it.
