New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for New York
The New York Jets suffered another gut-wrenching loss in Week 14.
The Jets put together another solid performance against the Minnesota Vikings, but key mistakes on both sides of the ball cost them a victory.
New York's offense was responsible for two turnovers that resulted in a 14-point swing in the first half, and the secondary continued to struggle to defend speedy wide receivers.
There were certainly some positives in this game, and it's clear Gang Green has improved since its embarrassing effort against the Bills in Detroit a couple of weeks ago.
Nonetheless, the team was plagued by the same issues it has dealt with all season, and it drops to a miserable 2-11 with the 30-24 defeat.
Click through for full grades and analysis for each positional unit in Sunday's overtime loss on the road.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Geno Smith began the game about as poorly as one could imagine—on the first play of scrimmage, he threw a horrendous pick-six.
However, Smith bounced back in a big way following the interception.
Smith was confident in the pocket and made accurate throws throughout the game, and he made several terrific plays in which he eluded pass-rushers and found his receivers downfield.
The second-year man finished with 18 completions on 29 passes for 254 yards, a touchdown and the interception.
Smith did a great job of leading New York's offense downfield, but the unit couldn't turn those drives into touchdowns.
Gang Green went a horrific 0-of-5 in the red zone, and a lot of those struggles have to fall on Smith.
Nonetheless, it wasn't a bad performance from Smith at all.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
The Jets ran the ball 49 times a week ago, and they came out with a similar strategy on Sunday.
New York rushed the ball 42 times, but it was much less effective than it was against the Dolphins.
The team only mustered 4.0 yards a carry, as it often forced a running play when it was clear it should be put into Smith's arms.
Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson both received 16 carries, but they combined for just 126 yards. Against Minnesota's 24th-ranked run defense, a lot more was expected.
Additionally, Ivory was responsible for a killer fumble inside the 5-yard line. The mistake was one of the main reasons the Jets lost this game.
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
The Jets receiving corps is made up of two great players and then everybody else.
Percy Harvin and Eric Decker put together terrific performances in this one, as it was somewhat of a homecoming for both.
Harvin began his career with the Vikings, while Decker played college football at Minnesota.
Harvin caught six passes for 124 yards, including a terrific touchdown catch in the first quarter in which he adjusted perfectly to the ball.
Decker reeled in six passes for 89 yards, including several big first-down gains.
However, the rest of the receiving corps was invisible, as it combined for a ghastly six catches and 41 yards.
It's time for guys like Jeremy Kerley and Jeff Cumberland to step up, as it's impossible to build a solid passing attack around just two players.
Grade: B
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 10
It seems I say this every week, but the offensive line had an up-and-down performance in this one.
At times, it got tremendous push up front and opened up holes for the runners. In others, it was dominated off the line of scrimmage.
The pass protection wasn't anything to write home about either. The Vikings recorded three sacks, but it should have been much more than that. Smith's mobility and elusiveness probably cost Minnesota an additional three takedowns.
D'Brickashaw Ferguson struggled with future Pro Bowler Everson Griffen throughout the day, and the interior of the line wasn't as strong as it needed to be.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
No Muhammad Wilkerson, no problem.
The defensive line put together a nice performance, limiting Vikings running back Matt Asiata to just 2.8 yards per carry and getting consistent pressure on Teddy Bridgewater.
Sheldon Richardson was absolutely phenomenal in the game, and there's no doubt in my mind that he will win Defensive Player of the Week.
Richardson set the tone early with a safety, and he ended up recording each of New York's three sacks. The second-year man also totaled seven tackles and four quarterback hits in the game.
The Missouri product single-handedly made this unit a dominant force on Sunday.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebacker corps played second fiddle to Richardson and the defensive line all afternoon.
The outside pass rush wasn't anything special, as it didn't get to Bridgewater quick enough on numerous occasions. Veteran pass-rushers Calvin Pace and Jason Babin continue to disappoint in their roles.
Demario Davis also didn't do much, recording just five tackles while also being penalized for an unnecessary roughness penalty that gave Minnesota great field position.
Veteran David Harris was the only true standout in this unit. He put together nine tackles and stuffed numerous runs at or near the line of scrimmage.
Additionally, tight end Kyle Rudolph wasn't able to do much, as he caught just two passes for nine yards on the day.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
What a sorry performance from the secondary.
The Vikings receiving corps has to be considered among the weakest in the league, but it looked like Denver's corps on Sunday.
Charles Johnson embarrassed Darrin Walls in the first quarter on a double-move that went for a touchdown, and he finished with over 100 yards on the day.
Jarius Wright was also troublesome. He picked up a couple of big first downs in regulation, and then he took a screen pass 87 yards for the game-winning score in overtime.
On that play, New York's defensive backs couldn't get off their blockers, and Jaiquawn Jarrett missed a key open-field tackle.
Walls, Kyle Wilson and Marcus Williams also struggled mightily throughout the day, and the ineptitude of the secondary has to be considered responsible for this defeat.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 10
After a disastrous last couple of weeks, the Jets special teams unit put together one of its best games in recent memory.
Nick Folk rebounded from a horrible Week 13 and a nagging hip injury to have a career day, as he nailed all five field goals he attempted.
Meanwhile, Harvin took back on kickoff 47 yards to put New York in field-goal range, and Trevor Reilly and Bilal Powell forced a fumble on the opening return of the second half to put the offense in scoring position.
Ryan Quigley also had two punts that landed inside Minnesota's 10-yard line.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
It's hard to coach a team that only possesses a few weapons, and Rex Ryan and Co. have learned that the hard way.
Ryan attempted to make Bridgewater uncomfortable with numerous blitzes, but it only left the secondary to be exploited in single coverage.
The beleaguered head coach can't do much to hide the complete ineptitude of the secondary, however.
Marty Mornhinweg was a bit too conservative on offense once again, but he did let Smith fling it a little bit, even after that early pick-six.
It was clear Mornhinweg has trust issues with Smith, and rightly so, but he often tried to build a running game when there was nothing to be had.
The offensive coordinator's red-zone play-calling also needs a drastic makeover, as New York has struggled in the opponent's 20 all year long, and an 0-of-5 showing is just unacceptable in the NFL.
Grade: C+
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | C- |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | C- |
| DL | A- |
| LB | C+ |
| Secondary | D- |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | C+ |
Cumulative Grade: C+
In a game where you total 400 yards, tie in the turnover battle, maintain possession for nearly 36 minutes and reach the red zone four more times than your opponent, you expect to win.
However, the Jets just couldn't do that.
In a game that was very reminiscent of last week's letdown, the Jets controlled the pace for the majority of the day, only to shoot themselves in the foot with missed opportunities and key mistakes.
You can't win in this league when you commit costly turnovers. Or allow big passing plays. Or fail to convert in the red zone.
The Jets have learned that the hard way this season, and they will continue to do so until they fix their problem areas.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
