New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills: Full Report Card Grades for New York
Embarrassing. Disheartening. Shaming.
Those are just a few of the adjectives to describe the New York Jets' pathetic performance against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night in a 38-3 blowout at Ford Field in Detroit.
Gang Green was awful on offense, defense and special teams, despite having 15 days to prepare for the contest following the bye week.
The defeat almost assuredly sealed Rex Ryan's fate and probably John Idzik's too.
Click through for full grades and analysis for each of New York's positional units in the horrific five-touchdown blowout.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Following a solid performance in the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10, Michael Vick was expected to lead New York's offense.
However, he folded under the intense pocket pressure provided by the Bills defensive front, as he was consistently flustered and failed to build a decent rapport with any of his receivers.
Vick completed just seven of 19 passes for 76 yards, along with an interception. However, the veteran signal-caller was even more ineffective than the stat sheet suggests.
He threw three or four passes that should have been picked off, and he missed several open receivers.
Midway through the third quarter, Vick was benched in favor of Geno Smith.
Nonetheless, Smith also couldn't lead the Jets to a touchdown, despite completing 10 of 12 passes for 89 yards.
The quarterback position continues to be New York's most pressing issue, and it's clear the answer is not on the roster.
Grade: F
Running Back
2 of 10
The Jets running game was far from dominant, but it was by far the team's best unit in the Monday night blowout.
Chris Johnson put together one of his most efficient games of the year, totaling 40 yards on seven carries along with 22 yards on three catches.
He found holes throughout the night, despite the subpar blocking ahead of him.
Chris Ivory was also solid, averaging 4.4 yards per touch on seven carries.
Gang Green's pair of runners ran hard all night and seemed to be the only two players on the team who were playing with maximum effort.
There are a lot of problems on the Jets roster, but the running backs aren't one of them.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
The quarterback play was awful, but the receiving corps did little to help Michael Vick out.
Eric Decker dropped what should have been an easy 69-yard touchdown catch in the waning seconds of the first half, and it began an awful run of play for New York's offense.
The pass was overthrown a little, but Decker is paid to make plays like that.
Percy Harvin also dropped an easy catch in the second half, and Jace Amaro and Jeff Cumberland were invisible at the tight end position.
The only decent performer was Jeremy Kerley, who made several impressive catches throughout the night.
Right now, the receivers are part of the problem. They struggle to get open consistently, and their hands are anything but amazing.
Grade: F
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line has had some bad performances this season, but the play on Monday night was downright horrific.
The unit was dominated from start to finish by Buffalo's defensive front, both in the passing game and the rushing attack.
The line allowed seven sacks and nine quarterback hits, and the mobility of Michael Vick and Geno Smith prevented other surefire takedowns.
Vick and Smith were pressured each and every time they dropped back from seemingly every angle.
Breno Giacomini and D'Brickashaw Ferguson were awful on the edges, and Willie Colon was equally terrible.
The offensive line needs to be upgraded this offseason, as it's too inconsistent to build around.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line wasn't the dominant unit it's been hyped to be in recent weeks.
The unit didn't get any pressure on Kyle Orton throughout the game, as the opposing quarterback sat comfortably in the pocket for several seconds every time he dropped back.
The run defense was also up-and-down, despite going against an average rushing game.
After a decent first half, the run defense collapsed in the second half.
Boobie Dixon rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, including a 30-yard scamper that turned the game into an utter blowout.
In all, Buffalo ran for 116 yards and two scores.
It didn't help the defensive line that star Muhammad Wilkerson was on the sidelines for most of the game, but it has to be better than what it showed Monday night.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebacker corps was equally as unspectacular as the defensive line on Monday.
The unit failed to do much to slow down Buffalo's rushing attack, and it was subpar in both pass coverage and pass rushing.
David Harris allowed a touchdown to Robert Woods for the first score of the game, and Scott Chandler was left wide open for an easy receiving score early in the second half.
Apart from one special play by Quinton Coples, the outside linebackers didn't get any sort of pressure.
Calvin Pace was virtually invisible, and Jason Babin barely even saw the field.
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 10
Remember that great performance against Ben Roethlisberger and the high-flying Steelers passing attack in Week 10?
Well, that seems like an eternity ago.
New York's secondary was its typically horrific self, allowing Kyle Orton to look like Tom Brady and Robert Woods to look like Randy Moss.
Orton completed 75 percent of his passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, while Woods totaled nine catches for 118 yards and a score.
The cornerbacks played soft all night, and Jaiquawn Jarrett crashed down to earth.
The defensive back end might be the worst unit in the entire NFL, and that's not even an exaggeration.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
The special teams were solid in the first half apart from a bad punt by Ryan Quigley, as Nick Folk nailed his lone field goal and Jeremy Kerley returned a punt 41 yards to put New York in scoring range.
However, things fell apart quickly in the final 30 minutes.
Percy Harvin and Kerley were shut down on their kick and punt returns, and Quigley's punt inside the 10-yard line was blocked and recovered in the end zone for a Bills touchdown.
The third unit managed to be just as bad as the first two units, and that's saying something.
Grade: F
Coaching
9 of 10
There are no excuses for the kind of performance the Jets displayed on Monday night.
They were coming off a bye, playing a divisional opponent who stomped them at home a few weeks ago and had the advantage of practicing several more days than the Bills.
The offense was dreadful. The defense couldn't get stop anyone for most of the game, and the special teams also contributed to the disaster.
New York's players continue to make unacceptable mistakes every week, and that has to be put upon the coaching staff.
Rex Ryan was going to be fired before this game was played, but performances like this may cost him in the job market this offseason.
Grade: F
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | F |
| RB | C |
| WR/TE | F |
| OL | F |
| DL | D |
| LB | D |
| Secondary | F |
| Special Teams | F |
| Coaching | F |
Cumulative Grade: F
This is up there with the "Butt Fumble" in terms of pure ineptitude.
All three units were disasters, even though seemingly everything pointed in the Jets' favor heading into the Monday night matchup.
Gang Green is now 2-9 on the year, and it's difficult to envision a win anytime soon.
Jets fans can't wait until this season is in the books.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
