Jets Week 5 Recap: Loss vs. Cardinals

Jets Offensive Recap

The Jets offense moved the ball better than they did in previous weeks, but they failed tremendously in big situational moments. The Jets came up short on multiple 3rd-and-1’s as well as 4th-and-1’s. They also became the first team to punt on two 4th-and-1’s twice in the first 5 minutes of a game.

This failure to move the chains in easy situations took the Jets out of the game. A lot of this can fall on play calling, but the players, especially the offensive line, absolutely have to be better on big plays like these.

The run game was actually decent on Sunday. Ironically, Le’Veon Bell had an efficient 60 yards on 13 carries. Bell was then cut on Tuesday and is now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Bell only got one target in the passing game which was part of the frustration that led to a mutual breakup. Adam Gase failed once again with a high profile player, just like he did with Jamal Adams. The most dynamic playmaker on the Jets offense is now gone, making the future look even bleaker.

Joe Flacco did not have a bad game. I’m not sure exactly what the expectations were, but he seemed to at least meet them. Flacco passed for 195 yards and a touchdown while not turning the ball over. He did not do nearly enough to lift the players around him, but there are very few people who could. Flacco looked like the prototype backup quarterback and the system did him no favors.

While the team might be one of the worst ever, I think it’s fair to say that Chris Herndon has been the most disappointing player. Herndon has dropped 14% of his targets, while also showing little football awareness. He seems to have a lack of focus. Herndon was deemed a breakout player coming into the season and even received very high praise from his head coach, but he has been a disaster. The once promising young tight end may be fighting for a roster spot the rest of the way.

The Jets offense was incrementally better against the Cardinals, but still only put up 10 points. The offense simply doesn’t have the personnel or the coaching. They also must be better at situational football, like converting 3rd- or 4th-and-1s, if they want to put up points.

Jets Defensive Recap

The Jets defense was once again subpar in the loss to the Cardinals. They did a solid job of containing the running ability of quarterback Kyler Murray and also keeping running back Kenyan Drake in check. However, they got shredded in the passing game. 

The Jets allowed Kyler Murray to pass for 380 yards. You won’t win games allowing numbers like that, especially when your offense is terrible. The Cardinals had three pass catchers go for over 50 yards, DeAndre Hopkins (6 receptions, 131 yards), Christian Kirk (5 receptions, 78 yards), and Chase Edmonds (5 receptions, 56 yards). They simply have to cover better, and that all starts with putting pressure on the quarterback to give them less time to throw.  

The New York pass rush has been horrendous so far this season. They had 1 sack against Arizona, their first in the past three games. That won’t cut it in the National Football League. Players like Aaron Donald put up significantly better numbers than that in single games. Donald just had a 4 sack game on Sunday. A single sack for a whole team in three games is just ridiculous. They must start putting pressure on the quarterback to ease matters for the secondary.  

After standout games earlier in the season for both of these players, Marcus Maye and Quinnen Williams have been pretty quiet. Maye had a monster game in Week 1 where he stuffed the stat sheet, but he has failed to replicate that in the last four games. Williams had a pair of sacks in a breakout Week 2 performance, but he too has been hard to find the last couple of weeks.  

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams got his team in check with personal foul penalties after the rash of them in the Denver game. Williams’ job does not look safe though as the defense continues to spiral. Williams will likely be out the door with Adam Gase when he is inevitably fired.

The defense needs to be much better if the Jets want to win games this season. It starts with the pass rush, but the unit as a whole has a lot of work to do and an uphill battle to climb.  

Final Thoughts

The Jets aren’t going to win many games this season, if any. They are an utter mess. They don’t have what it takes to win games in this league. They played a fine game (by their standards) on Sunday and still lost by 20 points. They have to be better in big situations, and that starts with coaching. The release of Le’Veon Bell puts a cherry on top on what has been an awfully embarrassing season through five games. It shows the dysfunction that still runs this organization. It will continue to be a long season in New York.

Week 6 Outlook

The New York Jets visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at 4:05 PM EST. The game will be on CBS. After some major NFL schedule changes, New York’s Week 6 opponent changed from the Chargers to the Dolphins. Joe Flacco will start his second game for the Jets. The 2-3 Dolphins are in the playoff hunt and are gifted a nice matchup against the 0-5 Jets. We’ll see if the Jets can finally play a competitive game. There will be fans in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium for the divisional affair.

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