Indefensible Jets Embarrassed By Birds’ Backup QB
Late in the first half of the Jets’ 33-18 loss to Philadelphia at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, the CBS producers put together a montage showing many of Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley’s 9 tackles to that point--all of which seemed to occur about 10 yards downfield.
What a game he’s having!
How apropos for a defense that just might be the most pitiful I’ve seen in my nearly 50 years of fandom. You know it’s bad when the team can’t stop the run even when they know it’s coming.
Sunday’s rotten performance was the worst of them all—the New England blowout was more of a brutal watch, but the fact that the Jets (3-9) got obliterated by a mediocre Eagles offense playing a backup quarterback nudges this one over the top.
New York allowed Gardner Minshew, known mostly for his porn-star mustache, to complete his first 11 passes en route to a 20-for-25 for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns outing. His first TD toss, a 36-yarder to tight end Dallas Goedert after the Jets had taken a 6-0 lead on their opening drive, hung in the air forever (ok, maybe four seconds), except Mosley was beaten by five yards and safety Ashtyn Davis was late getting over (or perhaps it was fellow safety Elijah Riley’s responsibility, since he looked like he was caught in no-man’s land on the play).
Philadelphia’s next six possessions also produced points, with their only punt coming in garbage time with under two minutes remaining.
The Jets were guilty of bad tackling, bad coverage, and, most egregiously of all, bad preparation. Cornerback Bryce Hall confirmed in his postgame remarks that the Jets spent all week game-planning for starter Jalen Hurts, who ended up being declared out with an ankle injury, though he tried to backtrack it by saying the two QBs “do similar things.”
Whether it’s system or personnel, this defense is indefensible. It was so bad that it’s pointless for me to rant about the atrocious officiating. Whether it was the missed pick on Jets cornerback Javelin Guidry that set Goedert free for his second touchdown of the first half or the ridiculous pass interference on Hall that extended a Philadelphia third-quarter drive, none of it would have changed the outcome because the Jets couldn’t stop a faucet.
The Eagles weren’t doing anything complicated. With Hurts inactive, the threat of a quarterback taking the snap and keeping it was virtually eliminated. Yet the Jets linebackers were still sitting back five yards off the ball all day waiting for the Eagles’ ballcarriers to get to their level. Philly ended up with 185 yards rushing on 41 attempts (4.5 yards per carry). Take away Minshew’s four scrambles for 11 yards and the average gain goes up to 4.7.
Oh, I almost forgot--it’s been 12 games and the Jets still have no idea how to defend a screen pass. For a team that only pressured Minshew a handful of times all game anyway, that’s unacceptable.
For folks who are commending the Jets for holding the Eagles to three field goals in the second half, bear in mind that Philadelphia was able to maintain possession for 18:24 of the first 20:14 after the break. They converted five third downs and two fourth downs in that stretch, including one where seven-year vet Mosley jumped offsides when the Eagles had no intention of snapping the ball. Jets Head Coach Robert Salah was once again seething after that call, claiming Eagles center Jason Kelce moved the ball pre-snap, but I couldn’t tell and no one else jumped, so add that to the list of ploys that only seems to work against the Jets.
All that time off stunted the progress Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson made in the first half with three touchdown drives of his own (one abetted by a short field from Braxton Berrios’ 79-yard return of the opening kickoff). Wilson was noticeably less accurate thereafter (11-for-24), with one ugly overthrow resulting in his 11th interception of the season.
With Wilson, wide receiver Elijah Moore (five touchdowns in his last five games), running back Michael Carter (injured), and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jets General Manager Joe Douglas plugged some gaping holes with a nice little draft class in April. The defense, though, is beyond a mess that is going to need more than one more offseason to fix.
Only the 1976 Jets under Lou Holtz went through a season allowing more than the 30.6 points per game this iteration is yielding. If Tampa Bay and Buffalo, New York’s last two opponents, need those respective games, it wouldn’t be shocking if this season’s squad sets a new standard for futility.