NY Jets survive to fight another day

The NY Jets end their two-game losing streak with a sloppy win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jets on Sunday did just enough to beat the Jaguars to the tune of 28-23. While it was great to get the win and bring the Jets record to a respectable 5-3, it was not a good day for the team. There should be no celebration over this win, as it raised some huge concerns going forward. They chalked up another win, but they can’t continue to play at this level if they have any serious thoughts of making a playoff run.

I said last week that this team came down to earth against the Oakland Raiders, but their play against the Jaguars, was subterranean. The Jaguars now stand at 2-6 and 0-4 on the road. This was a team the Jets should have handled easily, yet they struggled at every turn to get the victory. Late mistakes by the Jaguars gave this victory to the Jets, it was hard to claim the Jets won this one, it was a gift.

The offensive line played poorly and the Jaguars, like the Raiders, stacked the box and challenged the Jets to throw. Chan Gailey never gave up on the run game, but it never truly got going. Nick Mangold started but was removed from the game with further neck concerns. Willie Colon once again sat, and the offensive line couldn’t open holes for Chris Ivory who ended the game with 23 carries for just 26  yards.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was playing injured and saw pressure throughout the day, the Jaguars sacked him twice and had him dancing around the pocket all day. Mangold and Colon were missed badly, there absence created problems both in the run game and the passing game, as we have talked about the drop off to second string is a big one along the Jets’ offensive line.

The defense showed up against the Jaguars, they brought pressure all day and managed to sack Blake Bortles six times for 46 yards. It sounds like the Jets’ defense had their way with the Jaguars’ offense, but that wasn’t quite the case. The Jets’ defense on Sunday surrendered 381 yards through the air, and another 98 on the ground.

Those are totals reminiscent of the Raiders game last week, and they cannot continue to allow this many yards and expect to win games against the better teams in the league. Antonio Cromartie was picked on all day, and it was obvious from the get go that he wasn’t up to the job. The Raiders and Jaguars singled out Cromartie the past two weeks, and he’s proven to be a liability at this point. I understand he’s banged up, but you can’t give up that sort of yardage!

Special teams lost Nick Folk, and the results were evident. Fitzpatrick led several drives into the Jaguars end of the field, that resulted in nothing as they failed to get in the end zone, and Folk wasn’t there to kick the field goals. Folk’s absence was notable but it brings up another concern with this offense.

Simply put, somehow this offense needs to finish drives and put teams away. They didn’t do it on Sunday and nearly lost this game as a result. Look, the Jets’ offense did enough to win, but they need to get that killer instinct, allowing better teams to hang around could prove costly down the line.

November 1, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Jets kicker Nick Folk (2) kicks a field goal out of the hold by punter Ryan Quigley (4) against the Oakland Raiders during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

This game was nothing short of ugly, the Jets need to play better if they want to make the playoffs. The injuries have piled up undoubtedly, but if you want to win in this league, your depth players need to step up and fill the void. Unfortunately for the Jets, their depth is questionable.

It wasn’t all bad, there were some good signs of development in this game and a few players that deserve a shout out for their efforts. Lorenzo Mauldin had his best game yet as a Jet. The rookie outside linebacker showed a ton of development over the last two weeks, and is becoming a force off the edge.

Maudlin brought pressure all day and sacked Bortles twice in the game. Mauldin also stuffed a run play for loss. In limited snaps, Maudlin had a big impact on this game, I expect we will be seeing more and more of this youngster as the season progresses.

Hats off to Ryan Quigley for his efforts on Sunday. Quigley had never before attempted a field goal or extra point in his entire career, encompassing both his pro and college career. The Jets obviously were concerned about trying field goals with Quigley, but he came through big time going 4-4 on extra points.

Considering the Jets only won by five points, the extra points were crucial. Quigley stepped up when called on, and that is a team player. Great job by Quigley yesterday under some tough circumstances, I’d consider him for a game ball for his efforts.

Marcus Williams was returned to his natural position of cornerback on Sunday and continued to show development. Though Bowles did try once again to slide him over to safety, it is apparent the young corner is not a fit there at this point.

Williams was all over the place on Sunday and his hustle earned him 4 tackles, three of them solo, a half sack, 3 pass defenses, a quarterback hit and two interceptions. I’ve been saying it all year, Marcus Williams is developing into a future force for the Jets. Keep your eye on Williams, he’s been a pleasant surprise for the Jets this year.

The Jets won another football game, a win is a win and I’m happy to have it. The Jets are beat up badly though and have a short week before they face the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, which gives them little time to get healthy.  The Jets stand at 5-3 and have played far better than they did last year.

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As a Jets fan I need to be happy, but analyzing this team I can see problems on the horizon. This team has a number of older players, and the toll of the season is beginning to show itself. The Bills offer a divisional game, and Bowles will need to work hard to clean things up before the game begins.

How did you see this game? Am I being too hard on the Jets? I didn’t like what I saw this week, how about you? We here at The Jet Press value our readers opinions and I like to discuss football with my readers. So, please leave us a comment and Let’s Talk Jet Football!!