Ryan Fitzpatrick Isn't Good Enough to Mask Jets' Other Major Deficiencies

Ryan Fitzpatrick has struggled with consistency this season, but the New York Jets aren't going anywhere until they solve their countless other problems.

After a 4-1 start to the season, the squad is fading fast with three losses in the past four games and an ugly win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The latest defeat was a 22-17 disappointment at the hands of the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. All of a sudden a promising season is on the brink of collapse.

Many of the storylines before and after the game centered around former Jets coach Rex Ryan and his revenge against the team that fired him. He admitted afterward the positive feeling he had from the win, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News:

Despite the emotion from the opposing coach, the latest loss was more about what the Jets did to themselves than anything else.

While Fitzpatrick has held it together for much of the year, his true colors showed in a poor effort against the Bills. The quarterback completed just 15 of his 34 attempts for 193 yards. His two touchdowns were countered by two interceptions to equal a season-low 57.6 quarterback rating.

He will need to have surgery on the thumb on his non-throwing hand, although head coach Todd Bowles explained he should be back next week:

With the exception of the touchdown pass to Eric Decker, where he looked off the safety and threw a beautiful pass down the middle, Fitzpatrick struggled with his downfield throws. This had been a theme for much of the season, with the quarterback coming in just 8-of-32 on passes thrown over 20 yards, per Pro Football Focus.

The reality is, aside from quality numbers, Fitzpatrick is an inconsistent passer and a below-average NFL quarterback. There is a reason he has been on four different teams in four years.

For much of the season, however, the Jets were able to get the most out of the 32-year-old veteran by providing help around him. Chris Ivory has had a strong season as a powerful runner. When healthy, receivers Brandon Marshall and Decker have made great plays before and after catching the ball. The defense was among the best in the NFL through the first third of the season.

When these are going as planned, all a quarterback needs to do is make smart decisions and avoid turnovers. He doesn't need to win games; he just can't lose them. The problem is the Jets weren't able to help Fitzpatrick out on Thursday, and it led to a tough loss against a divisional rival. 

Some of the miscues against the Bills were obvious, from a pair of lost fumbles to some terrible drops all over the field. A minus-four turnover ratio is going to lose a lot of games, especially when a fumbled kickoff return leads directly to a touchdown. The first interception was certainly a bad decision by Fitzpatrick, but it was also potentially catchable by Marshall:

At the same time, the once-vaunted defense has now allowed an average of 27.3 points in the past four games after giving up just 15 points per game in the first five. Injuries in the secondary are a big part of the problem, but there were plenty of missed tackles as well.

Of course, not all of the blame goes to those wearing pads. Andrew Garda of Sports on Earth blamed the coaching staff:

Bowles will be under heat due to his decision to pass up two different field-goal opportunities in the fourth quarter, instead attempting and failing to convert a fourth down on each try. On the other hand, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey might deserve more blame for the terrible play calls.

Jason Smith of Fox Sports Radio summed up the thoughts from many fans watching the game:

Neither Marshall nor Decker were able to break the necessary tackles to convert the short-yardage attempts. On the final chance, Fitzpatrick lofted the ball in the end zone for Kellen Davis, who seemed to have no idea where the ball was headed. Yet another example of the team not helping out its quarterback.

An elite passer might be able to overcome these struggles. Fumbles and drops happen, but better teams have more opportunities to score. Missing out on one or two scoring chances shouldn't doom a team to a loss.

The Jets have much less margin for error. Everyone in the organization—both players and coaches—need to perform at their best in order to come out with victories against top competition. That didn't happen against the Bills, and it led to yet another defeat.

Fitzpatrick wasn't at his best, but if his team wants to win in the future, it will need to provide a lot more help.

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