The Jets lost another disappointing game on Sunday to move their record on the season to 0-7. The first half was a pleasant surprise, but the second half was historically bad. The defense showed up, but Sam Darnold struggled once again in his return after two missed games. The Jets lost 18-10 to the Bills in a game in which Buffalo looked underwhelming, but it is obviously very challenging to look worse than the Jets. The Jets sit nearly halfway through the season still winless, and the horizon is dim for the rest of the campaign. Let’s dive into the odd loss to the Bills.
Jets Offensive Recap
The Jets offensive rookies flashed their potential in an electric first half. Mekhi Becton, Denzel Mims, and La’Mical Perine all showed out. In the second half, Sam Darnold and the play calling got in the way of their success.
Mekhi Becton returned from injury in the game and showed off what he might become once again. Becton had a little rust with a couple of penalties, but it is clear that he has the potential to be the best left tackle in the league, and soon. Denzel Mims, the rookie wide receiver out of Baylor, made his debut in this game. Mims was solid, racking up 4 receptions for 42 yards in just the first half. That was it however as the offense was dormant in the second half and he received just one target during it. Mims has obviously not even started to scratch the surface after one game. He has elite physical traits and should continue to grow if he is with the right quarterback and in the right system. Another rookie, running back La’Mical Perine, looked pretty good in this game too. Perine ran for 40 yards and his first career NFL touchdown. He, like everyone else on the offense however, was non-existent in the second half.
The Jets offense was pretty good in the first half. They put up 10 points and showed some signs of life. But that drastically changed in the second half. The Jets had 4, that’s right, 4 total yards of offense in the second half. They should be averaging more than that per play, but that just gives some perspective on how bad this offense has been this season and this game. There is just no proper way to paint the picture of how bad that is. It was the fewest yards the Jets have ever had in a half of any game over the last 40 years. Keep in mind this franchise has not been very successful.
Sam Darnold simply needs to be much better. Darnold was awful again in the loss to Buffalo, completing only 12 passes. He threw for 120 yards, no touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He had an atrocious QBR of 17.6. Darnold is obviously not in a great situation, but at some point we need to evaluate what we’ve seen. He has been terrible, especially in terms of decision making and mechanics. He is in full control of his decisions and manages to make many turnover worthy throws a game. His mechanics are still out of wack in his third season. A third year player should not be playing like a rookie. Darnold has to be much better as Trevor Lawrence looms large.
Dowell Loggains, the offensive coordinator, took over for head coach Adam Gase in calling plays. While the offense looked good at times in the first half, it was obviously a massive failure. 4 yards in a half is just laughable. The play calling needs to get better, so does the offensive line, and most importantly the quarterback does too.
Jets Defensive Recap
The Jets defense played fairly good in the tough loss. They had a bend but don’t break philosophy as they allowed no touchdowns and 6 field goals. Given the circumstances of the offense doing literally nothing in the second half, putting the defense in tough situations and constantly on the field, their performance was fairly remarkable. It was far from perfect, but the Jets defense was admirable with their effort.
The Jets defensive line was average in the game. They do not have enough players who create consistent pressure on the quarterback, but they do have an emerging star defensive tackle. Quinnen Williams is steadily developing into a better pass rushing threat, and is already an elite run stopper. Williams notched his third sack of the year on Sunday. It was one of two sacks for the Jets on the game, an improvement for the team, but still a very subpar number.
The Jets defense still struggles in containing quarterbacks who can run. Josh Allen ran for 61 yards on 11 carries as he accounted for just about half of Buffalo’s rushing attack. The Jets have a lot of work to do in containing athletic quarterbacks.
The New York secondary was not good once again. The failure to get pressure on the quarterback plays a role in this, but they still are a very underwhelming unit. They allowed 307 passing yards to 8 different pass catchers. They have to tighten things up, and it is pretty clear they will need some new outside cornerbacks next season.
The Jets defense really stood up in the red zone. Despite the big numbers, they allowed no touchdowns. They were fantastic in red zone defense and touchdown prevention. It was impressive as they were on the field a ton and the Bills offense constantly had great field position. The Jets allowed a whooping 8 field goal attempts, 6 of which were good.
Final Thoughts
The Jets spoiled their first half of hope with a historically poor second half of offense. The defense was not fantastic, but they had a gritty and remarkable performance allowing no touchdowns. The rookies shined in the game, and there are clearly a few building blocks on this team. However, the majority of the team and the coaching staff must be gone to significantly improve next season. This team still looks like one of the worst in NFL history.
Week 8 Outlook
The New York Jets visit the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday at 1:00 PM EST. The game is on CBS. In a meeting of the defending Super Bowl champions and the worst team in the NFL, it is bound to get ugly. The Chiefs are a 20.5-point favorite. Yes, you read that right, 20.5. The Jets are expected to get thoroughly embarrassed. This one will be lopsided.
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