Biggest Takeaways from New York Jets' Week 8 Loss
Well, that was ugly.
The New York Jets got their hats and heads handed to them by the Oakland Raiders in a 34-20 beatdown that sent the Jets' playoff hopes into a tailspin.
Their season is not over yet—far from it—but their margin for error just got a lot smaller. The Jets had a perfect opportunity to respond to the adversity of their 30-23 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 7.
However, whether it was a case of jet lag or the Jets simply got thrown off by the end of Daylight Saving Time, while they arrived on time for the game, they were a no-show for almost the duration of regulation.
If there's one thing we've learned about Jets head coach Todd Bowles, it's that he is much closer to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick than he is to former head coach Rex Ryan on demeanor alone. He won't get too high on the highs and won't get too low on the lows. The Jets will need the latter if they are going to rebound from a tough couple of weeks and snap their two-game losing streak in Week 9.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the Jets' loss to the Raiders.
Blitz Not Working Quite Like Todd Bowles Hopes
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According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets sent a blitz after Raiders quarterback Derek Carr on 22 of his 36 dropbacks. The result was 14 completions on 22 pass attempts, 227 yards, three touchdowns and a 137.7 passer rating.
Blitz or not, Carr was on point all day, but the Jets weren't even successful in creating pressure—Carr felt the heat on just six of his 36 dropbacks.
That's a continuation from Week 7 against the Patriots, when the Jets blitzed quarterback Tom Brady on 28 of his 60 dropbacks but allowed him to go 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Brady was pressured on 19 of his dropbacks, but overall, the Jets blitz-heavy defense was unsuccessful in keeping the Patriots aerial assault grounded—particularly late in the game.
Does this mean the Jets should abandon their aggressive defensive game plan? Heck, no. This defensive scheme is what landed Todd Bowles his gig as head coach, and he needs to dance with the one that brought him.
That being said, perhaps it's time the Jets dig into the playbook to find some blitz packages they may not have used just yet.
Poor Fundamentals to Blame for Jets' Defensive Collapse
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Before the Jets start thinking about wholesale changes to the defensive scheme, they might just want to focus on the fundamentals of defensive football: shedding blocks and making tackles.
The Jets defense didn't do either of those two things very well on Sunday, and according to Pro Football Focus, they missed a total of 19 tackles as a team. Before Sunday, their season-high for missed tackles in a game was nine.
This included four missed tackles by the Jets on a 59-yard catch-and-run from Raiders running back Taiwan Jones, and two missed tackles on a 36-yard catch-and-run from Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
Indeed, no fewer than 14 of the Raiders points could be attributed to poor fundamentals by the Jets defense. How much did the Jets lose by again? Oh, right, 14 points. Clean up the tackling and who knows how much differently this game could have gone.
Of course, tackling wasn't the only problem the Jets defense had on Sunday.
Antonio Cromartie Is as Wildly Inconsistent as He Was in His First Jets Run
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Sometimes, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie can completely stifle his man. According to Pro Football Focus, he has yielded completions on 50 percent or less of the throws in his direction in three of the Jets' seven games this season. Other times, he has a bull's eye on his back the size of Long Island, and he's now given up receptions on 70 percent or more of the passes thrown his way in four of the Jets' seven games.
"I feel like I played like s--t, to be honest with you," he said on Sunday after the loss, per Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media. "I didn't play up to par at what I need to play at, or to what my teammates expect me to play."
This is the reality of playing opposite Darrelle Revis in the Jets secondary. Any quarterback with half a brain probably isn't going to target Revis frequently, if at all. That means the No. 2 and 3 cornerbacks need to be on top of their game at all times.
And make no mistake, Cromartie isn't the only burn victim in the Jets' secondary. Cornerback Buster Skrine has given up completions on 60 percent or more of the passes thrown his way in all but one game this season, including 14 of 20 passes in the past four games. He allowed a reception on both of the passes into his coverage before exiting the game with an injury.
When the Jets' pass rush is struggling as mightily as it did against the Raiders, they need their coverage to hold up. On Sunday, the secondary fell way short of that goal.
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The Jets Have a Quarterback Emergency
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The Jets' quarterback situation gets at least one thumb down after Sunday's loss to the Raiders.
According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered torn ligaments in his left thumb with 11:41 remaining in the first quarter, and backup Geno Smith suffered shoulder and abdomen injuries after taking a few big hits in replacement duty for Fitzpatrick.
The Jets know how bad their quarterback quandary is. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Jets didn't even wait until the conclusion of the game to start inquiring about the availability of some quarterbacks who could be signed or who could be available via trade. That report came literally minutes after the injury to Fitzpatrick.
You might think the Jets would show some faith in rookie third-string quarterback Bryce Petty, but he's been inactive for the past three weeks. Plus, Bowles seemed set on either Fitzpatrick or Smith being his starter as his press conference on Monday, only even mentioning Petty in a tertiary manner when asked about exploring other options at quarterback.
This is a situation that could easily go from bad to worse.
At 4-3, the Jets Are Not out of It
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Two weeks ago, the Jets were the darling of the NFL at 4-1 and appeared to be on a surprise run to the postseason. Eight days later, they sit at 4-3 and appear to be in a tailspin that's headed for a fifth straight season out of the playoffs.
With the exception of the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts (3-4 record), each division leader is three games up on second place. The Jets, likewise, are three games back on the Patriots in the AFC East. The Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders are all within one game of the Jets' 4-3 record. If the Jets can finish with a better record than three of those teams, they're in.
That being said, 4-3 is far from the end of the world. The way the AFC is playing out right now, the Jets could be in contention for a wild card spot if they can make it to 10-6.
That's a final record that's not out of reach for these Jets, especially considering their remaining schedule. Up next, the Jets host the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills in back-to-back games at MetLife Stadium. Both teams are below .500.
With wins in both of those games, the Jets will be 6-3 and right back on course for the postseason.
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