Comedy Of Errors Yield More Jets Heartache
In a game that set pro football back to the “Leatherheads” days, the Jets’ comedy of errors put a damper on whatever good feelings came out of their long break following two straight victories to conclude a three-games-in-11-days stretch.
Unlike the climatic setting for the above 2008 film, the Jets and Broncos played through more of a steady rain on a turf filed, not the quagmire George Clooney and John Krasinski encountered. There was no excuse for all the mistakes Gang Green made, and they deserved the ignominy of a 10-9 defeat to a visiting Denver squad that came in as an 8-point underdog and featured a rookie quarterback.
Offense, defense, special teams, coaching, young players, grizzled veterans—they were all culpable. Even through all the times when the Broncos offered to give the game away down to the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Jets refused to take advantage. Greg Zuerlein, who was nearly automatic last season, missed a potential game-winning field goal attempt from 50 yards with 47 seconds remaining.
The Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers 17 months ago exactly to pull out games just like this. Unfortunately, not even a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback can function through such lousy execution, be it the sieve-like offensive line or the avalanche of yellow flags cascading down on the wet MetLife Stadium field.
New York committed 13 fouls, costing them 90 yards, with two other penalties declined by Denver. So many fell under the “That just can’t happen” umbrella.” Five were false starts, including two in a row when the Jets were backed up against their own goal line during their second possession.
While those two were more annoying than damaging, the same couldn’t be said for when the Jets flipped the field a bit later. Gang Green had a first-and-goal at the Denver 1-yard line following a Denver defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone. After running back Breece Hall was stuffed twice (um, why does Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett continue to refuse giving Braelon Allen carries in these spots, as he has a much better short-yardage conversion efficiency? and Rodgers threw a pass away, the Jets lined up to go for it on fourth down. Only guard John Simpson jumped on Rodgers’ hard cadence, forcing the Jets to settle for a Zuerlein chip shot field goal. In total, the Jets committed seven pre-snap penalties if you count defensive end Will McDonald IV lining up offside…TWICE!
In his postgame press conference, Head Coach Robert Saleh gave his usual “We gotta clean it up” schtick that he’s been peddling for three-plus seasons. Allen Lazard wiped out a nice 12-yard catch for a first down at the end of the third quarter when he got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play. It was his third penalty of the day. Were there any consequences for the 7-year vet’s stupidity?
Fortunately, the Jets managed to finish that possession with a 40-yard Zuerlein field goal to go up 9-7, putting the game, at least temporarily, in the hands of the defense. While Gang Green was dominant in the first half, holding Denver to just 46 yards of offense, was that only because rookie QB Bo Nix couldn’t figure out how to grip the ball? Every pass over the line of scrimmage looked like a dying duck.
It wasn’t certainly because of pass rush pressure—the Jets registered only two QB hits all game. So when Denver and Nix found the urgency after intermission to engineer drives, they did, with a mixture of run and pass.
The Broncos, who went 87 yards in 11 plays during the third quarter and took the lead on a Nix touchdown pass to a wide open Courtland Sutton in the end zone to erase all their horridness from the first 30 minutes, responded to New York’s salvo with a field goal of their own after eight straight running plays. While New York’s defense did well to make sure Nix’s legs were not a factor, Denver did gain 123 yards on 26 handoffs when the Jets defense should have been primed to stop the run.
Obviously, the Jets offense left the defense with little margin for error. But that’s a common thread of Saleh’s tenure, especially when he had former No. 2 overall pick bust and current Broncos QB3 Zach Wilson calling signals.
Now, though, he has Rodgers, and for the second time in four games, the offense, with limited exceptions, was all out of sorts. The line couldn’t handle blitzes, the receivers were caught looking elsewhere as the ball was in the air, and Rodgers, by his own admission, flat out missed too many throws.
Denver’s defense is much improved, but its only first-round pick is lockdown cornerback Patrick Surtain and the Jets still made them look like the 1975 Steelers. Rodgers was hit 14 times and exited the field with a limp (that he insists is nothing major). Hall had a Bronco in his face a split second after taking the handoff. How poorly coached is this offensive line?
I warned you last week (How Will Jets Respond To A Little Bit Of Prosperity? (substack.com)) that this had all the markings of a classic Jets trap game, that they risked an embarrassing result if they brought their “C” game to MetLife. Well, they earned an “F” with that performance and I missed on predicting that Rodgers would pull it out in the end game.
A clunker any way you look at it.
You can argue all you want about being patient, that it’s early, and that this team will eventually “figure it out.” I’ll reply: What makes you so sure? What has this team—and this regime—ever accomplished to warrant such certitude? Fifty-five prior years of tortured experiences tends to erode blind faith.
The bottom line is that nearly a quarter of the season is complete and they’re 2-2 with a pair of difficult opponents upcoming against Minnesota in London and a home tilt versus AFC East leading Buffalo.
Like “Leatherheads”, it’s no laughing matter.