New York Jets: Week 4 Report Card

The Jets fell to the Detroit Lions by a score of 24-17. Let’s get to the report card grades:

Sep 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback

(7) reacts on the field against the Detroit Lions during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Lions won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK:C Emphatically, the Jets signal caller did not receive a low grade due to the turnovers. As I said earlier today, the fumble lost was a questionable call, and the interception was caused in part by a big hit on Geno Smith. He received a low grade because he was horribly inaccurate during the game. Geno was barely over 50% passing, at 17-33 for 209 yards and one touchdown to go along with the one pick. He missed open guys all day long.

Geno Smith had the opportunity to continue drives for the Jets will accurate throws, and that just didn’t happen with any sort of consistency. That is why he received a “C” for his performance yesterday.

Sep 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back

(33) carries the ball as Detroit Lions outside linebacker

(59) and outside linebacker

(54) defend in the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACKS: B+ Chris Ivory ran the football like he was mad at the grass today. He ran for 51 yards on nine carries on the Jets opening drive, and 84 yards on 17 carries overall. Chris Johnson added 44 yards and one touchdown on six carries.

So why didn’t this group receive an A? Two reasons. The first was Chris Johnson didn’t run it all that well today. Of his 44 yards, 35 of them came on one play for the touchdown. The second reason was that Chris Ivory had dropped passes out of the backfield. He did catch two for 16 yards, but he should have had more. That is the reason they received the B+.

Sep 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver

(87) scores a touchdown as Detroit Lions cornerback

(23), middle linebacker

(55), and strong safety

(32) defend in the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS: C+ Nobody was terrible in the group, but nobody was great either. Eric Decker showed us a lot, rebounding off of a tough week last week to catch four passes for 48 yards and one touchdown yesterday. Greg Salas has come out as an underrated weapon for the Jets, catching two more passes for 60 yards.

Jace Amaro is breaking out as a very effective tight end. Yesterday, Jace led the team in receptions with five for 58 yards. He is getting better and better every week. Nobody was spectacular, they were just OK. So, they received a grade of C+.

OFFENSIVE LINE: C+ Yesterday was a good day and a bad day for the Jets’ offensive line. The line did a great job with the run overall. The team averaged 4.9 yards per carry on the ground, which gives credit to the offensive line just as much as the running backs. Geno Smith was also sacked only twice, so they protected him well overall.

But, the only interception on the day was caused by a big hit that Geno Smith took. He did have his share of pressures all day long. They couldn’t reestablish the run when they need to, late in the game, to get and/or keep the momentum on their side when they needed it. That is why the best I could give them was a C+.

Sep 14, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; New York Jets defensive end

(96) fights with Green Bay Packers offensive tackle

(69) and defensive tackle

(94) tries to get between them in the third quarter at Lambeau Field. Wilkerson was ejected from the game. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE LINE: C+ The feisty New York Jets defensive line had its moments yesterday. They were their typical stout selves against the run. They yielded a mere 88 yards on the ground yesterday, 3.3 yards per carry average. They also got in the face of Matthew Stafford, with Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson combining for 2.5 sacks on the afternoon.

More from Jets News

• NY Jets should target TE Hunter Henry in free agency
• NY Jets: Why the team should target cornerback Shaquill Griffin
• NY Jets reportedly non-tendering linebacker Harvey Langi
• NY Jets: Why the team should not cut Jamison Crowder
• NY Jets should try to sign Kenny Golladay in free agency

But, they couldn’t get it done when the Jets needed it most. They couldn’t get the game back in the hands of the offense when the score was narrowed to 17-10. They couldn’t get the ball back for Geno to give him one last shot at 24-17, so the grade takes a big nosedive.

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

(56) comes in for the tackle on Chicago Bears running back

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

LINEBACKERS: C Today was an average day all around for the linebackers. Other than Demario Davis, who posted 6.5 tackles, three solo, nobody else made a real impact on the game. They got caught in too many mismatches against Golden Tate, and couldn’t help the Jets get off the field when they needed it the most.

Sep 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver

(12) carries the ball to score a touchdown in front of New York Jets cornerback

(39) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

SECONDARY: D Yesterday was not good a good day for this group. Dawan Landry did post 7.5 tackles, four solo, to go along with half a sack, and Antonio Allen did add five tackles, four solo. But, that was the extend of the good work this group gave the Jets on Sunday. They allowed Golden Tate to look like Megatron, with eight catches for 116 yards. They allowed someone named Jeremy Ross to be a down the field threat, and couldn’t stop Eric Ebron either.

Aug 28, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Jets punter

(4) punts during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Jets, 37-7. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

SPECIAL TEAMS: A The special teams were the lone group that performed at top level for the Jets during yesterday’s game. For all of the hassle we give Ryan Quigley, we have to give him credit when he performs well, and that is exactly what he did yesterday. Quigley punted six times for nearly 50 yards per punt, per the NFL.com boxscore. Whether you like him or not, Quigley was a big factor in the Jets ability to keep the game close, by turning over the field position.

Nick Folk was his usual self, and Walter Powell became a fairly reliable punt returner. Good job out of this group.