So I got around to watching the Tivo'd Jets game last night and while I already knew the results and the final score it was still incredibly painful to watch. After 5 games this season the Jets sit at 1-4 but easily could be 4-1 and that's what sucks so much about this season.How They Could Be 4-1
With the exception of the Patriots game the Jets could have won every single game, here's a rundown of what could have happened or what did not happen depending on your prospective.
Raven's Game
The Raven's game was in the Jets hands on the final drive. Down by 7 the Jets had multiple opportunities including two passes to Justin McCareins whom easily could have brought down either to tie the game. With a catch the Jets would have held all the momentum heading into the overtime period.
Bill's Game
One unheralded culprit in the Jets poor start is their former 2nd round pick Mike Nugent. At the end of last season he was terrific and began to make the 2nd round pick look justifiable. This season? Not so much. In week 4 against the Buffalo Bills he missed a very makable 39 yard field goal at the half which would have put them up 10-7. They lost the game eventually by 3. Additionally, Pennington's final turnover on the last drive; if a completion was thrown the Jets would have been in position to tie the game with a field goal.
Giant's Game
Again the Nugent missed a makable first half field goal which could have lead to a 20-7 halftime lead. However the biggest play of the game was with the Jets driving and up 24-21 in the fourth quarter. If the Jets could have punched one in and taken a 31-21 lead or even fizzled out at the 23 yardline where they were and kicked a field goal to make the score 27-21 the Jets would have been in prime position. Instead Pennington threw a duck to the goal line which was easily intercepted by Aaron Ross and the Giants drove 99 yards to take a 28-24 lead.
Why They Are 1-4
Pennington's Poor PlayI'm sure after this weekend there were plenty of Jet fans calling for Pennington's head and I'll admit that he made some big mistakes but I'm not going to chalk him up as the biggest culprit. 2 of the 3 interceptions he threw were good plays by Giants defenders. Sam Madison made an excellent break on the ball from his wideout to jump a different receiver's pattern and Aaron Ross made an excellent play on the clinching touchdown interception. The middle of the interceptions when he just lobbed it into the secondary was inexcusable, so ya he's a culprit but still not the biggest.
No Run in Either Direction
What's easily the biggest problem with the New York Jets this season? They apparently aren't physical at all. The Jets after 5 games rank 26th in Rush defense allowing 138 yards per game meanwhile their offense ranks 29th in the league with 81.3 yards per game. The inability to run the ball puts even more pressure on Pennington's shoulders. And the inability to stop the run wears down the Jets defense and takes valuable time off the clock.
The counter view is that Pennington's inability to throw the ball deep gives the opposing defense the chance to focus on the run. I disagree with this view however, as when you watch the Jets on the offensive end their line simply gets dominated and gets no push. On runs to the outside of the tackle there typically is one or two defensive players on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage and you can't expect Thomas Jones or Leon to make that many people miss.
Overall Miserable Timing
The Jets basically have shown miserable timing in all of their games. In their three winnable losses they had the ball in the 4th quarter within the 4 minute mark with a chance to either tie the game or take the lead. In every single instance the Jets quarterback, twice Pennington and once Clemens, threw a game clinching interception. And this is just the largest example, the Jets have also taken bad penalties, or misfired on snaps, missed field goals, missed an easy tackle resulting in Plaxico Burress touchdowns. The Jets have done the wrong things at the key moments of the season and that equals losses.
In the End
You are what you are, and the Jets are a 1-4 team that has found a way to lose most of their games and even tried to throw away their lone victory. In order for this team to make the playoffs they most likely will need to go a remarkable 9-2 down the stretch and with games vs. Pittsburgh, @New England and @Dallas on Thanksgiving, the chances are close to none. So after 5 weeks of the NFL season the Jets have thrown away their chances at being a good team and have not taken advantage of the weekly opportunities that were put in front of them leaving me disappointed and overly depressed about this season.
Comments