The Jets traveled to Buffalo for their week 17 season finale. Ending on a two-game losing streak wasn’t ideal, but it wouldn’t be fair to say that the Jets gave up. Considering how atrocious the offense has been, you have to give credit to the defense for giving it their all until the 2012 season came to an end.

With that being said, let’s look at a couple of plays from the Jets vs. Bills AFC East matchup…

Enjoy!

First, we’re going to check the touchdown pass to C.J. Spiller.

This was a designed screen pass, to the speedy Spiller, who is able to follow lead blocks up the middle of the field.

The vertical routes in blue are considered decoys by design. By taking the Jet defenders in man-to-man coverage, the Bills are able to get their linemen up the field and take care of the remaining defenders.

From the end zone angle, it’s easier to see how the Jets applied pressure. The Bills allowed the Jets to rush up field to get past the front 7.

In the next picture, you’ll see C.J. Spiller circled in blue. Ryan Fitzpatrick (yellow arrow) throws the screen before LaRon Landry can get upfield.

The next end zone shot will show how Landry (white) gets “picked”. He takes an angle that simply erases him from making a play. He ends up out of position, chasing C.J. Spiller from behind.

When we’re talking about containing Spiller, this is the last thing you want to end up doing… allowing him to get into the open field.

Once Spiller gets in between the hash-marks, he’s off to the races. Yeah, the Jets have their DB’s left to make a play… but the Bills also have a hat on each of them.

The next shot shows the lead blockers (in black), in position to make a block down-field. This is where Spiller turns it up and takes off.

Yeremiah Bell is the closest Jet to Spiller, but he is forced to take an angle that Spiller is able to beat.

Like I said before, this is the last thing you want to see when defending this guy. If you’re chasing him from behind, it won’t end well.

This was devastating to watch. Not only because it went for a long touchdown, but because this came on a 3rd down. The Jets defense did everything right up until this point, and with the offense struggling, it put the Jets in catch-up-mode.

Please take the jump with us to the next page, where JETSerious will break down the touchdown run by Brad Smith…

One more time, to put a period and wrap a bow around this 2012 debacle, we go inside the film room and take a look at the Jets offense. This afternoon, JETSerious will take his final look at the defense, but now, the offense.

There are a lot of poor things we could take a look at, we all know this. But, it’s the last one of 2012, so let’s look for the positive. And, despite all of the problems, there was one major positive this year. That positive was Jeremy Kerley, and more specifically, the talent of Jeremy Kerley that Mark Sanchez was able to draw upon. Mark Sanchez gets a lot of heat for not making anybody better, well he made this guy better.  First we will look at the 40 yard gainer, see the formation to the right.

Jeremy Kerley is lined up one on one on the outside.  As we move this forward, you will see how Mark Sanchez has established great trust in Kerley, to put the ball where he knows he will be.  Kerley will just make a simple move to the inside, and then go right around the defender’s outside shoulder.

Kerley take 1-2 steps to the inside of the defender, and then cuts to the outside, following the green arrow.  Let’s move it forward.

Kerley isn’t exactly wide open, the defender actually has decent coverage on him.  But, unlike he does most other occasions, Mark puts the ball up where his guy can make a play.  And the result?

40 yards down the field, Kerley makes the catch, and it’s first down Jets.  See?  Out of all of the muck that was the 2012 offense, Mark Sanchez did establish a good relationship with one guy.

Turn the page, and we will look at a play that shows Kerley’s maturity.

Dec 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets running back Shonn Greene (23) runs against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

For the final time in 2012 the grades are in, so let’s get right to it:

QUARTERBACK:D Another bad day in the 2012 season for one Mark Sanchez. 17-35 for 205 yards and 1 INT (pick 6). He never got a real rhythm going with the offense, missing guys, putting players in awkward positions, and generally being his inconsistent self. Is it his final game in a New York Jets uniform? Hard to say at this point. But SOMETHING has to change.

RUNNING BACK:B- The running game actually did a decent job, especially early in the game. Shonn Greene rushed 19 times for 74 yards, for a little over 4 yards per carry. He seemed to have some burst in his step, and looked pretty good in getting to his second straight 1,000 yard season. Bilal Powell did an excellent job in a secondary role, with carries for 56 yards. It would have been higher had the running game looked as good in the second half. But early in the game, there were some great signs in the running game.

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS:C The receivers were OK. Nothing horrible to bring them down to a “D” or an “F”, but nothing great to make it a “B” or an “A”. Jeremy Kerley had an excellent game, with 3 catches for 88 yards. Mark Sanchez, for what it’s worth, has brought a lot of talent out in Kerley. Braylon Edwards had one particularly excellent catch, going over the top of his defender, and finished the day with 4 catches for 42 yards. Jeff Cumberland added 3 catches for 36 yards. No terrible plays, but nobody did anything to act as a game-changer. Hopefully, the Jets will bring back Braylon Edwards next year, as he could be a vital cog as an influence over the younger receivers.

OFFENSIVE LINE:C The line did a decent job, only allowing Sanchez to be sacked one time, in what might be his final game as a New York Jet. The two running backs did average over 4 yards per carry, although for the game they were slightly under 4 yards as a team. The line was good, just not spectacular, as the running game did fall off the map a bit in the second half.