New York Jets: 5 Reasons They Could Miss Postseason

Offensive Line Struggles

Nov 2, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Jets guard Willie Colon (66) and center Nick Mangold (74) on the line of scrimmage during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets may have multiple All-Pros and Pro Bowlers along their offensive line, but as a whole, this unit is actually pretty underwhelming. D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold carry the biggest name recognition, but both are getting long in the tooth and are not the same players they used to be.

Mangold has made the Pro Bowl for six of the last seven seasons, while Ferguson made two earlier in his career, yet is still looked at as a solid left tackle. The truth is, despite their accolades, they are unable to anchor the line as they once were. Mangold is still a solid producer, but Ferguson is getting by more on his name than production at this stage in the game.

Going into this season, there is a chance the Jets are starting three players 31 years or older, including the aforementioned two players and Willie Colon. Breno Giacomini will be 30 years old before the first month of the season concludes, making this a pretty old unit. James Carpenter is the second offensive lineman the Jets have signed in consecutive seasons from the Seattle Seahawks to start along their line. While they present upgrades, it is fair to question just how much they truly are as the Seahawks have been just fine without their presence on their team.

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While the unit helped produce a rather strong run game, as the Jets averaged 4.5 yards per rush, it almost went for naught as the Jets were behind so often. Because of that, they were forced into pass protection often, and struggled. They allowed 47 sacks on the season, as the quarterbacks seemed to be under siege way too much to make anything happen in the passing game.

With the quarterback situation a question mark still, having a strong offensive line to rely on would help the situation. Unfortunately, the situation the Jets have in the offensive line protecting their quarterback is almost as dire as their situation at quarterback.

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