Moral Victories Still Suck, Week Three Thoughts | The Cutting Edge W/JackKnife

Why am I upset about this loss? I predicted this team's ceiling is around .500. But it's because this team shows there is potential in them, but they can never fully reach it.  What I saw yesterday was heart.  I saw the New York Jets overcome a 14-point deficit to tie the game late in the 4th quarter. However, we also saw their inability to "close the gap" as coach Aaron Glenn put it, as the Detroit Lions were able to answer right back and stop the Jets on their final drive of the game.  

Admittedly, the Jets loss to the Detroit Lions this week was less painful than the one last week against the Green Bay Packers. It feels much better to claw back and come up just short rather than have victory in your lap just to give it away. However, that feeling still sucks. Moral victories mean nothing and that's what Glenn said in the post game press conference. 

On paper, the game was basically what we expected. The Jets and Lions would be a relatively high scoring game and both teams defense had issues. However, it was the Lions defense that came up big in moments they needed it most. There's certainly things to hold your head up about, but also some things that make you think, "what the hell was that?"

Strong offensive performance 

After a loss, it's natural to look around and see what went wrong or try to see who didn't do their part. It's obvious to anyone who watched this game that the last thing wrong with this team was Geno Smith. Yes, JackKnife, the Geno skeptic, has a lot of good to say about Smith after this game.

Smith completed 31/37 pass attempts for 321 yards, three touchdown passes. Smith outperformed Jared Goff who had a good game of his own going 25/32, 269 yards, and two touchdown passes. It took some time to get going, but Smith took advantage of a struggling Lions defense and if he can duplicate performances like this, it will be a big help to the Jets.  The only couple things I can really nitpick him for was not hitting a receiver during a two-point conversion (my issue was the decision to go for two, which I will touch on later), and the fumble he gave up while getting sacked on the final possession, which I really can't fault him for since the offensive line left him down, which we will revisit later.

I said in my preview that the Jets were going to need to get the ball to Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq, and they did just that.  Wilson caught 10 passes for 107 yards, including a highlight reel 23-yard touchdown catch on fourth down (while being interfered with) to set the Jets up to tie the game (which they did). It was initially ruled a yard short but Glenn challenged and the touchdown was confirmed. Sadiq for his part pretty much kept up up with Wilson, catching seven passes for 105 yards and highlight reel diving touchdown catch of his own.  These guys, along with Geno, really stepped up when the Jets needed it most, especially with Adonai Mitchell out with a finger injury.  However, this is where the positives end for the offense. 

Poor running game, poor defense

The Jets passing attack was about the only thing the offense (or the whole team for that matter) had going for them on Sunday. It was what got them back I to the game because on the ground, they slacking.  Rushing the ball, the Jets only picked up 58 yards.  Take away 12 of them that were from Smith, and the running backs only picked up 46.  Need to see what the true difference of this game was?  It's that the Jets could not run the ball, and the defense had no answer for Jahmyr Gibbs who put up 99-yards, and two touchdowns on the ground.  Factor in passing, Gibbs had 164 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns on the day. One play the Jets over pursued and made Gibbs look like prime Barry Sanders. Breece Hall was only able muster up 55-all purpose yards and left the game with an injury late, and based on what he said in the postgame, it does not sounds good.  To put it more specifically, the Jets offensive attack was unbalanced and the Lions' was.  

The Jets defense (who allowed 381 yards on the day) were going to have their work cutout for them on Sunday, but the second half was in excusable.  Gang Green held the Lions to just 10 points in the first half, only to allow them to basically explode out the gate of the second.  As noted in the previous paragraph, the Jets defense had no answer for Gibbs.  It seemed like they, however, when they stopped Gibbs around midfield to force a turnover on downs late in the game.  This would become the drive that would end with the Wilson touchdown and a Sterling Shepard two-point conversion.  All would have been forgiven if the defense was able to take advantage of the momentum turn they created, but they did not.  Instead they allowed a four-play drive, which included a 49-yard pass from Goff to Isaac TeSlaa, and ended with a touchdown pass to Gibbs. To be fair, maybe the Jets defense was tired given the face that the offense for a long stretch of the game, could not keep them off the field. This is what happens when your running game can't compliment your passing game. Regardless, the Lions defense was the one that answered the bell when it mattered most.

The hurry-up can't get it done

Though Gang Green would make a push to tie in what seemed to be a competent two-minute drill, it would end in a fumble after the offensive line let Lions safety Chuck Clark run through basically untouched (nice blocking Braelon Allen) to strip sack Smith (first Jets turnover of the year) and seal the deal.  This comes a play after Garrett Wilson got sandwiched by Clark (who looked like he went helmet to helmet) and his former teammate DJ Reed, and got hurt as a result.  Now, I don't want to harp on that call or non-call.  This next complaint is not directed at these specific officials, but to the NFL itself.  Any seasoned NFL fan knows that an injury on offense with under two minutes left means the team of the injured player has to burn a timeout.  It makes sense so that nobody fakes injuries to stop the clock.  However, in this instance, the pass to Wilson that he was hurt on resulted in an incomplete pass.  It did not matter, the Jets were still forced to burn a timeout and were without Wilson and the next play was the strip sack.  Maybe I am salty after a loss, but being forced to burn a timeout when the clock is already stopped should not be a rule. A player on offense that goes down with an injury when the result of the play already led to a stopped clock clearly isn't faking it. Thankfully, Wilson cleared concussion protocol.  

The Jets failing to put together a quick drive to score and manage the clock properly was not only evident at the end of this game, it was also clear at the end of the first half.  The Jets offense, despite it's bright spots, got in their own way with two 10-yard penalties to end the first half and take away an opportunity for a game tying field goal.  The end of both halves of the game showed that the Jets continue to struggle with the hurry up and Frank Reich needs to straighten things out.  That happens by getting these guys on the same page and limiting the stupid penalties.  

Does coaching have the guts or not?

Now let's look into coaching decisions. Referring back to my preview, I said the Jets needed to go for the win and not play "not to lose."  To their credit, they did that today for the most part. However, there was one instance where they did not take that approach, and one where they took that mentality in a spot that just made me think, "why the hell are you doing this now?" First I'm going to the situation where the Jets should have pulled a trigger. It was on the first drive of the game where Geno Smith dove forward a for a first down on third. The refs marked Smith short, but replay showed that Smith was not touched until after the ball was past the first down line. Reminder, Smith dove, he didn't slide. In that instance he's a live runner until touched by a defender. That was a play Glenn should have thrown the challenge flag for and perhaps set the tone early that the Jets were floor to the pedal this game.

Now the instance where being gutsy made no sense. I am talking about the four-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Ruckert in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight, and the decision to go for two after.  This was the two-point conversion that the Jets failed on after an incomplete pass.  Going for two here made no sense.  Now if the Jets just took the field goal and everything else happened after played out the way it did and they were down by one, then it would make sense to go for two.  Hell, before the fumble on the final drive, and when I had hope they could actually march down the field and score, I was hoping they would go for two if they got the touchdown.  But in this instance, it cost the Jets a chance to potentially take the lead. 

I didn't even go into special teams allowing another huge return that set up the opponent in great field position. This was supposed be a strength, but it's so far a weakness. Were Smith, Wilson, Sadiq, and maybe a handful of other guys on offense the only ones prepared for this matchup?

Clearly the Jets are better than last year, but this team needs to find a way to take these close games and turn them into wins.  If they do not, then the burners are going to be turned up underneath Glenn's seat.  The same could be said for Reich for that matter.  As I said at the beginning of this blog, and as Glenn noted himself, losses are still losses.  Moral victories don't win Super Bowls and they do not keep coaches and players employed in the NFL.  

Hate watch update

Still genuinely cannot believe the Jets lost to this Packers team.  The Jets very well could be 3-0 right now if they knew how to finish games.  We touched on that already.  Gang Green got help from the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil with their miraculous win over the Dallas Cowboys, but the Houston Texans could not get the job done against the Indianapolis Colts.  The Jets and all the teams we are hate watching for that draft pick are all 1-2.  Who is going to blink first?  

Of course the Buffalo Bills are 3-0 after they beat the Los Angeles Chargers in West, New York.  The Miami Dolphins are 0-3 after a loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs.  I said I do not want to tank, but Miami is making it very questionable with their incompetence effort.  I could not even enjoy Drake Maye (who threw two interceptions in the Super Bowl), throwing for 199 yards and two interceptions as the Patriots (who lost Super Bowls more than any other NFL team) got walloped by the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

What's Next?

Next week, the Jets head to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears.  Who knows what the condition of Caleb Williams will be.  We can only hope that Smith will be able to duplicate the type of performance he had in Detroit.  The question is, will the rest of the offense do their part?  We're also wondering how serious Hall's injury is, whether or not Mitchell will be back, and if Minkah Fitzpatrick will make his return.  Jets are entering game four of the season and still do not have an interception in 631 days.  This might be the indicator for the Jets for how we as fans hope this season goes.  What's it going to be?  Compete or collapse? Still, at least it's competitive football and not getting blown out on a weekly basis. At least not yet 

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