Jets grades vs. Cleveland Browns in Week 10: Special teams, coaches get A's

OFFENSE: D

Is it possible to give one player an A and the rest an F? Breece Hall accounted for 125 of the 181 yards that the Jets gained on offense. Justin Fields completed just 6 of 11 passes for 54 yards, with only one of them going for more than 4 yards. He also threw his first pick of the year and was sacked three times but he did run for 28 yards. Garrett Wilson returned from his knee injury but left after aggravating it. He was targeted twice and played his first career game without a reception.

DEFENSE: B

Now we know what the Roman numeral in Will McDonald IV stands for. The linebacker had four sacks, tying the Jets’ single-game record. Jermaine Johnson and Quincy Williams each had a sack, too. The Browns had just one real touchdown “drive” that went 95 yards and was aided by several penalties in the secondary; they did score on a one-play possession after their interception. The Jets remain the only team in the league without an interception despite two golden opportunities dropped in this game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Not only did the Jets score on a kickoff return and punt return in the same game for the first time since 1960 when they were the Titans, they did it in the same quarter! Kene Nwangwu’s 99-yarder on the kickoff and Isaiah Williams’ 74-yarder on the punt covered more yards on two plays than the 169 net yards the offense mustered in the entire game. For a while that was their entire offense, too, as it staked the Jets to a 14-7 first-quarter lead. Nick Folk kicked two field goals. Unsung play: After the Hall touchdown reception in the fourth quarter Andrew Beck made a diving shoestring tackle or else Dylan Sampson’s kickoff return for the Browns might have been a touchdown.

COACHING: A

Not every coach can trade two defensive starters and keep the team that remains behind playing hard, so kudos to Aaron Glenn for that. He also figured out how to make the Jets the first team since at least 1950 to win a game in which they gained fewer than 175 net yards and did not force a takeaway. The one big offensive play was a really good call for the screen against a Browns blitz and the Jets held onto it for just the right moment.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.