New York Jets First Quarter Grade
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets got their season off on the right foot this season, posting a 19-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders. It has been a tumultuous campaign for Gang Green since that point, dropping the next three games.
Coming in to the 2014 season if you glanced at the Jets schedule you may have predicted that the Jets would begin the year 1-3, as they have, because they were always going to be underdogs to the likes of the Lions, Bears and Packers. The fact that all three of those teams are NFC opponents also bodes well for the Jets, as they have not yet played a division game this season, and those are the match-ups that truly can make or break a season. So there is some room for optimism among the Jets faithful.
The Jets rushing attack, which was bolstered in the off-season by the arrival of former 2,000 yard runner Chris Johnson, has done it’s job. The team has rushed for over 100 yards every week of the season thus far, but it has been Chris Ivory carrying the load the bulk of the time.
The other strength of the Jets so far has been defending the run. The team has yet to allow a team to rush for 90 yards against them this year.
That is where the positives end, however. The have lost two out of three home games, and the play of their young quarterback, Geno Smith, has prompted many to call for him to be replaced by veteran backup Michael Vick (I am not of that mindset). Smith has only eclipsed 225 yards passing once this season.
The pass defense has also been an issue for the Jets, which was an area that the team was ridiculed for not addressing in the off season. If there is any reason to discredit the Jets ability to shut down an opponents run game, it is because opponents may feel there’s no reason to run the ball against such a porous Jets secondary.
As I stated earlier, 1-3 may have been what many saw coming for this team, but watching the team play has left many Jets fans scratching their heads. The Jets took a 21-3 lead in the second quarter against the Packers, only to be outscored 28-3 the rest of the way. The team also suffered a bit of bad luck, as they tied the game with a fourth down play that was negated by a phantom timeout from the Jets sideline. The Jets are a team with a reputation for defense. A team with that reputation can’t allow a 21-3 lead to evaporate as it did.
The following week the Jets outplayed the Bears in almost every way out gaining the Bears by over 150 yards on the day. Failure in the red zone coupled with two Smith interceptions were ultimately the difference.
Quarter Grade: D+
Had either, or both, of those games gone differently, the outlook for the Jets season would be completely different from what it is now. But they didn’t. The 1-3 Jets are in serious trouble. The only reason that they did not receive a failing grade for thew quarter is that they are only one game back in the AFC East. With a schedule as tough as this tam faces this year they simply cannot afford to squander the opportunities that they have. A lot of blame has been placed on Smith, but he is far from the only issue.