Things are going to get worse, before they get better. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. The Jets are not in a good place right now. The possibility of being 1-5 after they venture on the road to Pittsburgh and Arizona is concerning. Their past two games have highlighted a number of glaring issues that have hindered the team’s performance. Specifically looking at this past weekend, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the secondary were just flat out bad.
After throwing for 374 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo, we all thought Fitzy was better than ever. However, in the ensuing two weeks, Fitzpatrick would throw just one touchdown pass to nine interceptions. Yes, you read that right, nine. What’s going wrong? Well, to start, Fitzpatrick isn’t a quarterback who loves to play from behind. In the past two season when the Jets are trailing, Fitzpatrick has thrown 15 touchdowns with 20 interceptions. Compare that to when the Jets are tied or have the lead, the Harvard graduate has thrown 20 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Want me to take it a step further? In the fourth quarter of a game where the Jets are playing from behind, Fitzpatrick has throw four touchdowns to 15 interceptions (ESPN Stats & Info). That’s just the nature of the beast; Fitzpatrick is not the type of quarterback that can bring a team back from two-plus scores.
There is no real concrete solutions to this problem, but there are ways to mitigate it. One way would be to understand that this is the type of quarterback Fitzpatrick is and tailor the play calling around this. Maybe more quick passing routes rather than heaving up long balls to Brandon Marshall in double coverage. The other solution lies on the shoulders of our struggling defense. As good as we can hope the offense and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be, they have their ceiling. The defense is what needs to carry the Jets through the season, which brings me to my next point…
The secondary has been God awful this year. Most recently, Russell Wilson shredded us for 309 yards and three touchdowns with a 72% completion percentage. Through four games, the Jets have the 27th ranked passing defense, allowing an average 304.8 passing yards per game. That’s a big decline from 2015’s 13th ranked passing defense that allowed 252.6 passing yards per game. The secondary has been so bad that it’s overshadowed the Jets’ superb defensive line. The Seahawks have one of the worse offensive lines in the league, but you couldn’t tell that on Sunday because of how quick Russell Wilson was finding open receivers. Todd Bowles specialty is dealing with secondaries, so he should act quick before it derails their whole season.
The best time for a team to be receptive to change is when its at its worst. The Jets need to make changes while they still have time. The next two games will be tough. The Steelers dominant passing game is a recipe for disaster for the Jets’ secondary. And regardless of what record the Cardinals have, they will still be a tough team to beat on the road. However, after these two games, the schedule lightens up. If the Jets can make the necessary changes and bend, but not break during these next two games, they should be able to pick up momentum going into the second half of the season.
