Jets grades: Offense wipes out defensive gem vs. Patriots
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, right, is tackled by Jets cornerback Michael Carter II during the first half of an NFL game Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
OFFENSE: This was an awful performance that will only raise more questions about whether Zach Wilson can lead the Jets. They finished with 103 yards of total offense and had just 2 yards in the second half. Wilson completed just 9 of 22 passes for 77 yards with just 12 coming in the second half. He made a number of bad throws and should have been picked off twice. He can’t claim the weather was a factor, saying it “was windy as hell out there.” Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw for 246 yards and he was under pressure more than Wilson. The Jets never got the run game going. They had 59 yards total with 26 coming from Wilson. The play-calling on offense wasn’t good either. This was a brutal day for Mike LaFleur and his group.
GRADE: F
DEFENSE: The Jets couldn’t have asked for more from their defense. They kept the Patriots out of the end zone. They sacked Jones six times. Jeff Ulbrich’s group had two huge third-down sacks that made Nick Folk kick a longer field goal. He missed a 43- and 44-yard field goal after those sacks. They made big stops on third and fourth downs. It was a dominant defensive performance. The tackling could have been better. The Patriots got some big plays because of some missed tackles, but overall the defense kept the Jets in this game. They certainly didn’t get any help from Wilson and the offense.
GRADE: A
SPECIAL TEAMS: This is usually one of the Jets’ strengths, but the Jets’ special teams didn’t come up with the play when they needed it. They allowed the game-winning 84-yard punt return for a touchdown by Marcus Jones. Justin Hardee might have been clipped, but the coverage wasn’t there. Punter Braden Mann said he was trying to angle it out of bounds, but it didn’t happen. Elijah Moore handled the kickoff with 5 seconds left and didn’t throw it behind him or try to keep the play alive. He eventually ran out of bounds and time expired. Overall, Mann’s punting average was 45.8 yards on 10 punts, including a 57-yarder. Greg Zuerlein made his only field goal
GRADE: D
COACHING: The defensive game plan worked. The offensive plan didn’t. LaFleur did not call a good game. Running Ty Johnson on a third-and-3 in the red zone in the first half resulted in a 4-yard loss. Using Johnson on a wheel route late in the game nearly led to an interception. The call on the Jets’ final offensive play, Wilson throwing it to the far sideline behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-1 for a 2-yard loss was costly. The Jets clock management on that drive was poor also. They wanted to run out the clock and go for the win or not give New England another chance. They did and lost on what was nearly a walk-off punt return.
GRADE: D-
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
