Jets vs. Eagles: Game Flow Does In Gang Green

The New York Jets lost their first game of the season, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-17. Without the injured Chris Ivory, the Jets were without their top option in the running game. That, along with going behind early, had the Jets changing their game plan on the fly. Instead of being able to run the ball like they would prefer, they had to rely on the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the results werenâ€™t pretty.

More from New York Jets

The Jets, who trailed 24-7 at halftime, had to air it out in the second half to try and mount a comeback. They had to abandon the run game, rushing the ball only 16 times in total. Bilal Powell, who is the Jets third-down running back normally, was forced into the starting line. He ran the ball 10 times and managed to pick up only 31 yards. Fitzpatrick was actually the second leading rusher on the afternoon for the Jets, picking up 13 yards on four carries. Zac Stacy was sprinkled in as well, carrying the ball twice for three yards.

Because of that, the Jets had to turn to the veteran Fitzpatrick to try and get them back into the game. The Jets were able to outscore the Eagles 10-0 in the second half, but Fitzpatrick made too many mistakes for the Jets to come all the way back.

With the flow of the game going the way it was, the Jets called 58 pass plays for Fitzpatrick. He completed 35-of-58 for only 283 yards. He threw two touchdowns in the game, but threw three interceptions as well.

One of the interceptions should have been caught by Brandon Marshall, who had the ball go off his hands and into the possession of safety Walter Thurmond. Thurmond made a tight rope catch against the sideline for the interception. Marshall was also targeted on Fitzpatrickâ€™s second interception; the first was targeted for rookie Devin Smith on a deep shot in the end zone that fellow rookie Eric Rowe intercepted.

With the game in Fitzpatrickâ€™s hands in the second half, the Jets offense didnâ€™t make anything happen. Of their seven possessions in the second half, three resulted in a punt and two were Fitzpatrick interceptions. The Jets defense did everything they could to keep them in the game, as the Eagles managed only 231 yards on the afternoon.

But, at the end of the day, the Jets offense couldn’t get out of their own way. Fitzpatrick showed his limitations this afternoon as he was relied upon to carry the team and they came up short. Without Ivory to rely on, the Jets rushing attack was nonexistent. The Jets cannot afford to put Fitzpatrick and the offense in this position often or else it will result in more ugly results like it did Sunday afternoon against the Eagles.

Next: Where Are The Jets In Our NFL Power Rankings?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Jets