49ers vs. Jets: Instant Grades, Analysis for New York

This was one of the ugliest performances of the Rex Ryan era.

The 34-0 drubbing was the third-worst shutout loss at home in franchise history.  

The offense played bad from the start, and the defense seemed unwilling to tackle for a majority of the game as well.

The game got out of hand in the second half and the team looked to quit in all aspects of the game throughout the fourth quarter.

It looked like Santonio Holmes suffered a severe foot injury, and if he is out for any length of time, it will spell even more trouble for the unit.

This was a putrid effort, and consequently there won't be many positive grades to give out. 

Follow RC Cos on Twitter @BR_Jets_Report for further analysis.

Quarterbacks: F

Overall Game Grade: F

This was the third straight game in which Mark Sanchez looked completely overwhelmed as an NFL quarterback.  The 49ers got consistent pressure on him and he panicked once again.  These were some of the traits that plagued Sanchez as a rookie.

When he did have time, Sanchez appeared to just zero in one receiver and throw it that way no matter what.  

It's true that the 49ers have a great defense, but this was more a referendum on Sanchez's play rather than good play by the 49ers.

Fourth Quarter: F

This was one of Mark Sanchez's worst games as a Jet.  He played scared, was careless with the ball and couldn't generate anything on offense whatsoever.  His play was bad all game long, but deteriorated badly in the fourth quarter.

Sanchez's passes sailed high and wide, which shows a lock of focus on his fundamentals  He had poor body language and like the rest of the team, simply looked to be going through the motions as the quarter progressed.

Third Quarter: F

The Jets had two drives to get themselves back into the game to start the half and the play of Mark Sanchez killed both of them.  After completing his first two passes for 23 yards, the Jets had a beautiful screen set up, but Sanchez couldn't get the ball over the rushing 49ers, resulting in a Patrick Willis interception

After a David Akers missed field goal, the Jets got the ball back and Sanchez made a horrific decision to throw a pass to a double-covered Jeff Cumberland.  The pass should have been intercepted, but it was dropped by NaVorro Bowman.  He then severely misfired on his third down attempt.

Second Quarter: D

Mark Sanchez has been a complete non-factor in this game by design.  Whether it's the Jets way of protecting him against the vicious 49ers defense or if they are worried about turnovers, Sanchez threw just nine passes in the first half.

Sanchez's fumble at the end of the first half was a killer as the Jets could have at least gotten a long field goal attempt from the drive.

First Quarter: C

Mark Sanchez was able to author a decent first drive, completing nice passes to Santonio Holmes and Chaz Schilens.  However another miscommunication between Sanchez and his receiver, this time Santonio Holmes, forced the Jets to punt from their own end zone.  

Sanchez finished the half 2-for-3 for 33 yards as the team clearly seems to be trying to establish the run.

Offense: F

Overall Game Grade: F

Once again, the Jets didn't run the ball well and didn't pass the ball well.  They turned the ball over four times and there is just no way you are beating any team with a turnover margin like that, let alone a good team like the Niners. 

The offense was bad before Santonio Holmes injury, what will it be without him?

The offensive line had a tough assignment today and simply wasn't up to the task.

This was one of the worst offensive performances of the Mark Sanchez-Rex Ryan era.

Fourth Quarter: F

The Jets may have had a sliver of hope when the game was still 17-0, but that faded away the second Santonio Holmes threw the ball on the ground after his knee injury.

Wide receivers weren't open and when they were Sanchez misfired badly much of the time. 

After the Holmes injury, the offense simply went through the motions.

Third Quarter: D

It's hard to do anything when the play at quarterback is this bad.  In the past, Mark Sanchez hasn't gotten much support from his teammates, but the third-quarter failure of the offense falls on the quarterback.  The offense has been absolutely putrid so far.  

Second Quarter: D

The Jets were given the ball at the 49ers 47-yard line and also got a personal foul call in their favor on the drive, yet still were unable to get points.  The drive ended with a Mark Sanchez fumble. 

The Jets continue to try to grind things out against the 49ers, and the result has been a 7-0 game at halftime.  Shonn Greene hasn't busted anything big, but he is gaining his three or four yards every play.  The Jets seem content to plod along this way.

The Jets were given the ball on the 49ers' 47-yard line and needed a personal foul on a 3rd-and-6 to avoid having to punt.  Patrick Turner didn't help his cause to stay on the team long-term with a drop on his first target.

First Quarter: C

The Jets put together a decent first drive, even overcoming a rare penalty by Nick Mangold. In a game in which field position will be big, the Jets need to at least put together positive drives, even if they don't score.

However, the Jets' second drive was short-circuited by another miscommunication between Mark Sanchez and one of his receivers.  This problem has plagued the Jets incredibly this year.

Defense: D-

Overall Game Grade: D-

The defense was put in difficult situations all game long by the poor offensive play, but that's still no excuse for the way they tackled.  Frank Gore is going to get his yards for sure, but the Jets had trouble tackling Kendall Hunter as well.  

The 49ers offensive line played downhill once they got the lead, pushing around a Jets defense that looked to be on the verge of giving up.

Fourth Quarter: F

The Jets again finished the game weakly on defense, allowing themselves to get bullied by the 49ers offensive line and running game.  Gore and Hunter ran with ease, eating up the clock and moving the chains.

As the quarter wore on, the defense pretty much gave up on the game.

Third Quarter: D

The defense improved somewhat in the third quarter.  After Sanchez's interception, they forced the 49ers into a field goal attempt, which was missed by David Akers.  They then also forced a quick turnaround on the Niners' second drive of the quarter.

The Jets defense hasn't played well by any means, but they have consistently been put in a bad spot by a horrendous performance by the offense.  True, the Akers missed field goals have helped, but the defense does get a little credit for forcing those field goals.

The defense had the chance to make a huge play when the 49ers chose to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the 2-yard line, but they couldn't come up with a stop, allowing Frank Gore to plow through for the touchdown.

Second Quarter: C

The Jets gave up an early second quarter touchdown and a late field goal, but were able to stop the 49ers on their two drives in between.  Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace, two much-maligned Jets, came up with back-to-back sacks to knock the Niners back nine yards, forcing a 55-yard field goal attempt by David Akers.  The kick was wide-right.

Until the Jets start to tackle aggressively, they aren't going to be getting any high grades for this unit.  Three Jets who have been absent for most of the year, Thomas, Pace and Quinton Coples, each made tackles behind the line in the second quarter.

First Quarter:  C-

The Jets came out with a nice stop on the first drive of the game, but then loosened up a bit from there.

Robert Malone did a good job to pin the Niners at their own eight-yard line, but the Jets defense couldn't do anything with it.  They were caught off guard by a Colin Kapernick option play for 17 yards and resorted to arm-tackling Frank Gore.  

They were at least able to hold the Niners scoreless, but have to tighten up the tackling.

Special Teams: C

Overall Game Grade: C

Robert Malone had plenty of action, and did provide some good punts.  He neutralized Ted Ginn by forcing a number of fair catches. 

Besides that, there wasn't much action on special teams today.

Fourth Quarter: D-

Jeff Cumberland completely gave up his blocking responsibilities on a a Robert Malone punt, allowing an easy blocked punt by Larry Grant.

Third Quarter: C

Jeremy Kerley chose to let his first punt return of the third quarter drop, which ended up being a mistake.  Andy Lee did what he usually does, planting the ball dead at the Jets' two-yard line.

Robert Malone was forced to punt from the back of his own end zone and didn't have his best kick as a Jet.  His returnable punt was fielded by Ted Ginn, but a nice tackle by Demario Davis stopped what looked to be a developing return.

Second Quarter: A-

Robert Malone continued to make Ted Ginn a non-factor by forcing another fair catch on his only punt of the quarter.  This one forced the Niners to start at their own 11-yard line.

First Quarter: A-

Nick Folk's opening kickoff had a little more distance, but Kyle Williams was able to run it out to the 20.

Robert Malone continues to do a tremendous job for the Jets.  He forced another fair catch on his first punt, pinning the 49ers at their own eight-yard line.  His second punt went for 54 yards to bail out the Jets offense which had him punting out of his own end zone. 

Coaching: D

Overall Game Grade: D

Rex Ryan is going to face a ton of questions this week for sitting idly while Mark Sanchez made a mockery of this game.  

They had a good game plan at the start, relying on the running game and short passes, but in order to win a game like that, you have to play mistake-free.  The Jets played the complete opposite of mistake-free.

Ryan vowed to get more aggressive on offense and defense in the second half, and they did to an extent, but all that did was expose Sanchez and the offensive line further.

Fourth Quarter: F

After Carlos Rogers returned a fumble for a 51-yard touchdown, there was little the coaching staff could do as the game was now out of hand.

FOX announcers Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston belabored the point for much of the quarter that Tim Tebow should be given a chance.

It's not likely that Tebow would have fared any better than Sanchez did, but maybe it would have been worth a look.

The likely excuse will be that the Jets were in a passing mode, down by four scores, but that's besides the point.

The Jets had a look of a team that gave up, and that falls directly on the coaching staff.

Third Quarter: C-

FOX sideline reporter Tony Siragusa said that Rex Ryan told him the Jets would come out more aggressive in the second half.  They did just that, as Sanchez hit his first two passes of the half for 23 yards, but then threw an interception on what looked to be a well-designed screen play.

The coaching staff has been more than patient with Sanchez, but it will be interesting to see just how many more careless mistakes will be tolerated.

If they stick with Sanchez through the remainder of the game, they will be criticized heavily for not giving Tebow at least a full series to see what he could do.

Second Quarter: C-

The Jets somehow remain unprepared defensively for the Wildcat.  They have been practicing against it since July, but seem to have no idea how to stop it.  

The team continues it's poor tackling, and as much as that falls on the players themselves, the coaches have to take some responsibility as well. 

For the third time in four weeks, Rex Ryan challenged a play that the broadcast booth thought would be overturned, yet the play stood.  This time, referee guru Mike Pereira weighed in that Dedrick Epps' fumble should have been overturned.

Offensively, the Jets game plan to pound the ball on the ground is quite obvious.  Inexplicably though, the Jets called a pass on 3rd-and-1, resulting in a sack.  Wasn't that the kind of thing that got Brian Schottenheimer fired?

First Quarter: B

The Jets were caught off guard by an option play by 49ers quarterback Colin Kapernick and also burned on a 26-yard pass play to Mario Manningham with their run defense on the field.

However, the team appears ready to play and doesn't seem to be intimidated by the 49ers' tough defense.  Keep an eye on whether they start sliding some help Austin Howard's way as he tries to handle the ferocious Aldon Smith. 

The play calling has been fine so far, as the Jets clearly are trying to establish the run and utilize the short pass.  That's the same game plan the Vikings used last week to beat the Niners.