It was a disappointing opening day for the Jets, who had a great opportunity to start their season off on the right foot. The Bengals were the better team down the stretch and narrowly edged out Gang Green 23-22. I’m not one to place too much weight on individual games, but there were some positives that came out of Sunday’s loss, but also some noticeable negatives. First, let’s take a look at the negatives:
1. Red zone production
After having one of the league’s best red zone offenses last season, the Jets struggled to take advantage of those opportunities on Sunday. They scored just two touchdowns on five red zone trips. Fitzpatrick said it best after the game, the red zone was the “big difference.”
2. Passing game
Looking specifically at Fitzpatrick, he was just 19/35 for 189 yards. Matt Forte ended up being the Jets’ leading receiver with five receptions for 59 yards as Decker and Marshall were held in check. The dynamic receiving tandem was held to a combined five receptions for 70 yards and just one touchdown. This was probably the leading cause for the Jets’ lack of red zone production. As for Cincinnati, Andy Dalton threw for 366 yards, which brings me to my next point…
3. Secondary
The Jets’ secondary had a rough start to 2016 as they allowed 366 passing yards on Sunday. A majority of the destruction was done by A.J. Green, who caught 12 of 13 targets for 180 yards and a visit to pay dirt. Darrelle Revis, who was assigned to Green, was out-dueled in a game that was reminiscent of Sammy Watkins’ during Week 17 of last season. The future Hall of Famer is still a top cornerback in the league, but it’s become evident that he cannot be trusted to shut down the league’s elite receivers in single coverage like he used to.
4. Nick Folk
It’s hard to be mad at Folk because he has been great for the Jets throughout his career, but boy was he frustrating to watch on Sunday. A missed field goal coupled with a missed extra point changed the whole dynamic of the game. On their last drive, Cincinnati was able to settle for a field goal as opposed to a touchdown had Folk made just one of those kicks. I’d consider this a bad day for Folk and it shouldn’t be anything to worry about moving forward.
Despite what went wrong on Sunday, there were still positive aspects of the game for the Jets. Those being:
1. Ground attack
The Jets racked up 152 rushing yards against what was the 7th ranked run defense last season. Matt Forte, who is tasked with replacing Chris Ivory, emerged as the workhorse as he tallied 96 yards on 22 carries. As I mentioned earlier, he was also an active contributor in the pass game leading all Jets receivers with 59 yards. Bilal Powell, who played a bit of a more limited role than we all expected, was efficient with four carries for 41 yards. The passing game will come around, but it’s reassuring to see the Jets being able to run the ball so well.
2. Defensive line
This defensive line looks good. And I mean really good. I’d even go as far as to say that it’s better than last year’s. After collecting 2.5 sacks against the Bengals, Leonard Williams just needs one more sack to surpass his total from 2015. Steve McLendon (acquired this offseason to replace Damon Harrison) and Muhammad Wilkerson also contributed two and 1.5 sacks respectively. Overall, the Jets compiled 7 sacks on Andy Dalton and pressured him on a number of drop backs.
Moreover, the Bengals were only able to muster up 57 rushing yards, 31 of them coming from Jeremy Hill on nine attempts. What makes all of this so impressive is that the Bengals have a top offensive line in the league. In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked them as the 4th best offensive line going into the season. With Sheldon Richardson coming back this week, this defensive line will only get better and keep the Jets in a lot of games.
3. Jalin Marshall
Marshall racked up 110 yards on three kickoff returns, with a long return of 65 yards. Even when Marshall was given little room to run, I was impressed with his ability to shed tackles and make defenders miss. It’s a small positive, but it’s good to know that Marshall has the upside needed out of a return man.
The Jets have a quick turn around and will face the Bills on Thursday night. I hate the term “must win,” but I will say this is a really important game. Being 0-2 and going into a four game stretch where they play the Chiefs, Seahawks, Steelers, and Cardinals will make the Jets’ playoff chances look bleak.
