Tuesday Morning Quarterback: New York Jets vs. Chicago Bears

Sep 22, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback

Geno Smith

(7) readies a pass during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

It was another tough one last night at MetLife Stadium. The Jets fell behind 14-0, fought back to make a game of it, but ultimately fell to the Bears by a score of 27-19. The Jets move on at 1-2 and have the daunting task of facing Megatron and the Detroit Lions next week. Let’s talk about the game from last night.

The Jets did not lose this game because of the referees. Granted, Jerome Bogar stinks. He and his crew did a terrible job last night, and made calls that made a huge impact. The penalty on Darrin Walls was terrible, it was pass interference on Alshon Jeffery. The fumble was a bad call. Jeremy Kerley was interfered with on the final play of the game. I was very vocal about the refs for most of the game. But, despite all of that. The Jets had opportunities to win this game.

The Jets posted 414 yards of offense. This offense can move the football, they did it for most of the game. But, you CANNOT go 1-6 in the red zone. It can’t happen. You are not going to win football games in the NFL with that poor of a percentage in the red zone. Moving the ball between the 20’s is one thing, finishing your drives is another. The Jets did not do that last night. They were inefficient, and it showed on the scoreboard.

I still believe in Geno Smith. He is miles beyond what he was as a quarterback in 2013, and I believe the Jets will win a lot of games with him behind center. However, the bad decisions must stop. The two interceptions were very bad. The screen pass was just ridiculous, and the throw in the end zone should never have happened. Geno has to throw that one into the fourth row, and live for another down. He also took a bad sack in the red zone as well.

Geno also has to make a better throw at the end of the game. Yes, Jeremy Kerley came down with the football, but he had no chance to come down in bounds. Geno has to know the situation, and throw that ball short. That way, Kerley can come back to the football, and the defender will have no choice but to interfere with the receiver.

But, we have to remember, ladies and gentlemen, that Geno Smith is in his second year. And, he was a second round pick. This is not a top ten pick, folks, that was expected to light the world on fire. He is improving, but we have to take the good with the bad. One game like this does not mean that Geno Smith is not the quarterback for the Jets. It just means he needs to get better.

Sep 22, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Chicago Bears strong safety

Danny McCray

(29) tackles New York Jets running back

Chris Ivory

(33) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s talk about the decision-making of Marty Mornhinweg for a second. Chris Ivory was running like he was mad at the grass. Late in the game, and down deep, where was he? Why was he standing on the sidelines? Designed Geno Smith runs? Spread formations? Line it up, take your short yardage back, and run it down the other team’s throat. Period.

They also ran the ball only 26 times. The Bears entered the game allowing five yards per carry. The jets should have been running the football down the Bears’ throats, but they didn’t. 46 out of 72 offensive plays were pass plays. We have talked before about offensive coordinators getting that disease of being too cute. Marty Mornhinweg is starting to show symptoms. Give him something for this, stat!

More from Jets News

Rex Ryan is the perfect coach for this football team. Would you like to know why? Because this football team never quits on him. Never. There have been a lot of teams, and frankly, a lot of Jets teams that would go into the tank down 14-0 that quickly. But not the Rex Ryan Jets. They fight every down, every week, from opening kickoff to final gun. That is a tribute to the head coach, and the fat that he belongs here.

After Eric Decker went down for the game, the Jets offense had a very interesting phenomenon. Nobody at wide receiver, other than Jeremy Kerley, could get open. Have we seen this movie before? Yes we have, last year. Other than Jeremy Kerley, the Jets don’t have great depth behind Eric Decker. Between that, and the fact that Chris Johnson did not look like himself last night, the Jets offense was very 2013-esque last night for a good portion of that game.

Maybe Nick Folk can play wide receiver too. He sure was the best weapon out there last night.

The Jets did get a pass rush, but it was not consistent enough, and it didn’t come without the blitz. We know the Jets secondary is suspect at corner. Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls weren’t terrible, but they have all they can handle. This is especially true of Antonio Allen, who did corral Brandon Marshall, and make some big tackles, but got beaten by Alshon Jeffery more than once. But Allen is a safety, he never played corner before. He needs help. The help can come if the Jets can rush four and get to the quarterback. Without that, the Jets will continue to play a lot of man to man coverage, which is not advantageous to them with the condition of the secondary.

But, the Jets defense did tighten up after the first quarter, and kept the team in it with a chance to win it at the end. The Jets are a resilient football team, which is the biggest point to take out of this one. The Jets could have won this game, as they could have last week. They are close. If they learn how to close it out, the Jets will be come very dangerous.

Sound off with your thoughts on the game below…

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