New York Jets vs. Green Bay Packers: Full Report Card Grades for New York
The New York Jets marched into Lambeau Field and dominated an elite Green Bay Packers team—for a quarter-and-a-half.
After marching out to a 21-3 lead, the Jets were outclassed by Green Bay and ultimately came up short of a big road upset.
Aaron Rodgers and his offense managed to figure out Rex Ryan's defensive schemes after a slow start, and Geno Smith and Co. struggled to move the chains following an offensive flurry early in the game.
The loss moves the Jets to 1-1 on the season, with their next game on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
Click through to see grades and analysis for each of New York's positional units in the tough Week 2 loss.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Geno Smith was phenomenal for a quarter-and-a-half, but his play was inconsistent from then on.
Smith completed eight of his first 10 passes for 89 yards and two total scores, converted on the Jets' first five third downs and led the offense to three touchdowns on the team's first three drives.
In short, the second-year signal-caller was brilliant. He made several terrific throws, eluded pass-rushers and made smart and confident decisions.
However, the Packers defense picked up its game as the game wore on, and Smith found it harder to make plays.
His interception at the end of the half was not his fault, but it did result in a huge momentum shift and a swing of at least 10 points.
Although the Jets couldn't get much going in the second half, Smith made several terrific throws. If not for an ill-timed timeout in the final minutes, Smith could have led the team to an impressive road victory.
The West Virginia product didn't put together a complete game. With that said, he showed that he's capable of leading an offense even when the running game is floundering.
That's comforting to know for Jets fans.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 10
If there was one matchup the Jets were expected to win, it was the team's rushing offense against the Packers' run defense.
New York was brilliant on the ground last week, totaling 212 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson both looked terrific in that contest, and they were predicted to have their way with a Green Bay defense that ranked among the league's worst rush defenses a year ago.
However, that was far from the case on Sunday.
Johnson managed just 21 yards on 12 carries, while Ivory put up just 43 yards on 13 touches. Neither did much in the passing game either.
Both started off well, but they faded down the stretch and were completely shut down in the second half.
The offensive line may have not gotten much push, but New York's runners struggled to find holes and pick up chunks of yardage.
The Jets needed an effective rushing game to control the clock and keep Aaron Rodgers off the field, but they failed to generate one.
That was a big reason for their eventual defeat.
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
The receiving corps was solid, if unspectacular, on Sunday.
The unit didn't drop any passes, managed to find openings in Green Bay's secondary and made some nice catches.
Eric Decker was terrific until he was forced off with a hamstring injury. The former Bronco caught four passes for 63 yards, including a brilliant 29-yard touchdown during which he used a double move to blow past the Green Bay secondary.
Jeremy Kerley and Jeff Cumberland were also effective, catching several passes for first downs.
However, Decker's injury halted much of the production. The receiving corps was much less dangerous without him, and it failed to find much room to roam.
Kerley's amazing would-be touchdown catch cannot be dismissed, even if it didn't actually count. Kerley leaped over a couple of Packers defenders to make the incredible grab.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Jets' offensive line improved upon its penalties from a week ago but regressed in seemingly every other area.
The unit was solid early, but it was pushed around by Green Bay's defensive front for much of the second half. It allowed two sacks and six quarterback hits, and failed to open up lanes for the running backs to explode through.
Left guard Brian Winters was particularly subpar, as he was beaten several times. He allowed a game-changing hit on Geno Smith that resulted in an interception in the waning minutes of the first half.
The offensive line needs to improve its game as the season wears on, as the Jets will face teams that are a lot more physical than the Packers.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
From a statistical perspective, the defensive line was its usual dominant self on Sunday.
The "Sons of Anarchy" limited Eddie Lacy to just 43 yards on 13 carries, got consistent pressure on Aaron Rodgers with just four pass-rushers and held strong in the red zone on two separate drives.
However, the antics of the line seriously downgrade its performance.
Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson lost their cool after the Packers took a three-point lead in the third quarter, starting a fight that resulted in Wilkerson punching Green Bay offensive lineman David Bakhtiari.
Wilkerson was hit with a penalty and ejected for his behavior. Then, the former first-round pick taunted the crowd on his way to the locker room.
Wilkerson is the Jets' best player, and he needs to act like it. His immature behavior cost New York big-time, as the Jets played the rest of a very winnable game without their star.
The defensive line is elite on the field, but it needs to be elite in its behavior as well.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebacker corps was absolutely superb against the Packers. There's no other way to describe its performance.
The unit was a big reason for Eddie Lacy's ineffectiveness, and it managed to get consistent pressure on Aaron Rodgers throughout the contest.
The linebackers were responsible for every one of New York's four sacks, as well as nine of its 11 quarterback hits.
Demario Davis was particularly impressive. The third-year man used his speed to blow past blockers and create mayhem in the backfield. He finished the game with six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.
The linebacker corps usually takes a backseat to the defensive line, but it was by far the most productive unit on the team on Sunday.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
Jets fans can officially go into panic mode about the secondary.
After a solid opener, the unit was abysmal in Week 2. Aaron Rodgers threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jordy Nelson put up the best game of his terrific career, hauling in nine catches for 209 yards and a touchdown.
Nelson schooled Dee Milliner, who was making his regular-season debut, beating the second-year cornerback on a variety of routes and moves.
Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen also struggled, and Kyle Wilson was beaten for a touchdown twice by Randall Cobb.
New York learned the hard way that there's a big difference between Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers.
With Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on deck in the next five weeks, the secondary may continue to be carved apart.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Nick Folk nailed a 52-yard field goal to square the game at 24 late in the third quarter and Ryan Quigley crushed one punt inside the Packers' 5-yard line. Outside of that, the special teams' performance was below average.
Saalim Hakim mishandled the opening kickoff of the second half, knocking the ball out of bounds and putting the Jets in awful field position. That only added to the Packers' momentum.
New York also averaged less than 10 yards a return, while Green Bay averaged just a shade under 30. That 20-yard differential was crucial to field position on several occasions.
Quigley also shanked a couple of his punts, while Jalen Saunders fumbled a punt in the second half. Thankfully, no Packer was there to pick it up.
In all, it was a sloppy performance from the third phase.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
Rex Ryan and Co. came into the game with a beautiful strategy, and it resulted in a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Ryan confused Rodgers with seven-man coverages and Marty Mornhinweg did a great job of creatively mashing up runs and passes.
However, once Aaron Rodgers and the Packers made the necessary adjustments, the Jets couldn't manage to stay ahead.
Ryan and Mornhinweg have to improve their in-game adjustments over the coming weeks.
The offense also blew several timeouts early in the second half—timeouts that would have been very handy to have late in the game.
A lot of people will pin this loss on the offensive coordinator. Mornhinweg's timeout was silly, and it ended up costing the Jets the game.
New York's coaching staff did a lot of things right, but it's the things it did wrong that stick out.
Grade: B-
Cumulative Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | B+ |
| Running Back | C- |
| Wide Receiver/Tight End | B |
| Offensive Line | C |
| Defensive Line | C+ |
| Linebacker | A- |
| Secondary | D- |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | B- |
Cumulative Grade: B-
The Jets were competitive on the road against one of the NFL's best teams, but there will be a bitter taste in fans' mouths for weeks following this one.
New York had a golden opportunity to steal a huge victory on the road but ended up choking away a big lead through costly mistakes and missed opportunities.
From Jeremy Kerley's would-be touchdown to David Harris' near-interception, the Jets had plenty of what-if plays in this game.
This is a loss that will sting Rex Ryan and Co., but the team has to bounce back quickly, as the road only gets tougher from here on out.
A desperate Bears team awaits on Monday Night Football.
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