Three takeaways from the Jets' Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills
Justin Fields of the Jets tries to run during the second quarter against Tre'Davious White of the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
A mistake-filled game for the Jets led to a 30-10 loss to Buffalo on Sunday. Here are three takeaways from this troubling performance.
1. The defense is overrated
This was supposed to be the Jets’ strength coming into this season. There were some red flags from their Week 1 game against Pittsburgh when they allowed 34 points and watched Aaron Rodgers throw four touchdown passes. Now there is definite cause for concern.
The Jets have allowed 64 points in their first two games. It’s not just the scoring, because Buffalo can put up points, but the Bills scored 30 on a day that Josh Allen didn’t throw a touchdown pass. The Jets had trouble stopping anyone.
Allen left the game for two plays after getting hit in the nose. Mitch Trubisky entered and immediately completed a 32-yard pass on third down.
The Jets gave up 224 rushing yards — their most allowed in more than 60 games.
There’s a lot to clean up here. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood believes the Jets will.
“We will get over that hump,’’ he said, “and next thing you know, we’ll be shutting teams out soon.”
2. The work isn’t showing
Going back to training camp, Aaron Glenn preached playing disciplined football — not committing costly penalties — and playing physically. Much was made about all the live tackling drills the Jets did. On Sunday, two of the things that hurt them were penalties and not wrapping guys up.
You can add Justin Fields’ fumble, which led to a field goal. Xavier Gipson fumbled last week, and it led to a fourth-quarter touchdown. Glenn released Gipson on Wednesday.
Fields doesn’t have to worry about that. But the intended message sent with the Gipson dismissal didn’t lead to headier play, especially by the defense.
The most egregious mistake was Micheal Clemons getting flagged for roughing the passer on third-and-19 on the Bills’ opening drive. Allen threw incomplete, but the drive continued and ended with a touchdown.
“We have to be smarter than that,” Glenn said.
The Jets also gave up big gains by over-pursuing or not completing the play. On Allen’s 40-yard run on third down — also on the first series — Quincy Williams ran right past him.
Williams also missed a tackle when James Cook ran for a 44-yard touchdown. After Cook broke free from Williams grabbing at his ankle, three Jets were in the area and overran or missed him.
3. The ‘O’ was oh so bad
Fields went from accounting for three touchdowns in Week 1 to completing only three passes on Sunday. He wasn’t sharp at all before leaving the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter. He overthrew Garrett Wilson and Mason Taylor and threw behind Isaiah Davis on a short pass when he had room to run.
The offense as a whole looked like the Jets of 2022 and 2023.
The running game, which is supposed to be their bread-and-butter, never got going. There were times they could have passed the ball more, especially being down by three scores, but they stuck with the run, and it didn’t get them anywhere.
The Jets ran 12 plays in their first four series and went three-and-out or worse in five of the eight series with Fields.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
