New York Jets: Week 6 Report Card

Let’s get right to the grades from yesterday’s fifth straight loss for the New York Jets. They stayed in it, but utimately fell to the Denver Broncos, 31-17.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback

(7) reacts on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK: C+ Geno Smith did not play a terrible game. 23-43 for 190 yards and two touchdown passes is not the worst day a guy can have. I don’t hold the interception against him either. Any quarterback in the universe is going to force the action, down by a score with less than a minute to go. OK maybe not ANY quarterback, but many of them. He also did a good job keeping the Jets in the game, closing the game from 24-7 to 24-17.

The grade is low because he couldn’t come up with the drive when the Jets needed it most. We have talked about it earlier today, the drive with 6:09 remaining. It was 24-17, and Geno had his chance. He couldn’t get it done, and THAT is what keeps his grade down.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back

(33) is stopped by Denver Broncos defensive tackle

(92) as he runs the ball during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACKS: F There isn’t much to say here. If a “Q” could be a grade, the Jets running attack would have received a “Q” for yesterday’s performance. The team that is built to run the football ran for a grand total of 31 yards, 11 of them by the quarterback. The Jets didn’t get it done, and they needed to. Bad day.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver

(87) catches a touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS: C+ Eric Decker and Jace Amaro both played well. Between the two of them, they gave the Jets 16 receptions and two touchdowns. Eric Decker looked healthy, and Jace Amaro is improving with every rep he gets.

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But nobody else played well. There were too many drops, including a couple from Jace Amaro. They didn’t play well enough to propel the Jets in this one, so the grade cannot go too high.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F What was once a strength of the New York Jets has actually become quite pedestrian, and that is being polite. The line was awful for the second straight week. Geno Smith was sacked four times, and th e running game posted 31 yards. Enough said.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end

(96) sacks Denver Broncos quarterback

(18) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE LINE: C) The Jets did a good job at getting in Manning’s face, especially early in the game. Muhammad Wilkerson posted another sack, and the Jets increased their league leading sack total to 19 with two more sacks during the game. They get credit for that.

But they gave up 100 yards on the ground to Ronnie Hillman. The Jets allowed again over four yards per carry on the ground. The grade cannot be higher than a C.

Oct 5, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Jets inside linebacker

(56) warms up before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LINEBACKERS: C Basically, the same reasons as the previous page. These guys did a good job early, especially getting physical with wide receivers. But, they couldn’t stop the run. Henceforth, the C.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets free safety

(25) shoves Denver Broncos linebacker

(57) after Barrow punched a Jet and was ejected from the game during the third quarter of their NFL football game at MetLife Stadium. The Broncos defeated the Jets 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE BACKS: D This group did get a lot of help early from the Jets pass rush. There were a couple of nice plays made downfield, and Calvin Pryor was laying some guys out. But, Manning figured them out, and torched them for a 22-33 passing day.

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

(2) kicks during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

SPECIAL TEAMS: D The Jets need a kick returner, stat! Walter Powell fumbled twice, luckily one was called back after further review. The Jets have no spark back there, and yesterday, it hurt the team. D, easily.