NY Jets: The Good, Bad and Ugly from Week 4

Oct 4, 2015; London, ENG; New York Jets quarterback

(14) looks for a pass during the first half of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets had a great win over the Miami Dolphins but it wasn’t as perfect as it should have been.

Our Jets traveled to London to face off against the Dolphins. In a game that many saw as critical for the Jets to win going into the bye, Gang Green brought home the victory. It wasn’t the “blowout” many were predicting, but the Jets played well enough to secure the win, to stand at 3-1 at the bye.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly for this one.

Next: The Good

Brandon Marshall (15) catches a touchdown pass during the second quarter under pressure from Philadelphia Eagles free safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports” width=”850″ height=”565″ /> Sep 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) catches a touchdown pass during the second quarter under pressure from Philadelphia Eagles free safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

The Good

If this game proved anything, it proved the combination of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall is developing into a very potent weapon for opposing defenses to deal with. From the opening play of the game it was apparent Chan Gailey was going to use Marshall’s abilities to secure the victory. Marshall finished the day with seven catches for 128 yards and a 18.3 per catch average.

Besides the Marshall and Fitzpatrick show, Chris Ivory stole the show in this one. Coming back from his injury that caused him to miss Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Ivory ran with violence, ate up the clock and punished the Dolphins’ defense. The offensive line opened huge holes for Ivory and as always, Ivory delivered finishing the day with 29 carries for 166 yards and an incredible 5.7 yards per carry. The Jets ran for an impressive 207 yards and the offensive line deserves a bunch of the credit for it.

Gailey gets a shout out in this one for his play calling. He knows the Dolphins well, and had a game plan in place to give his players the best opportunity to bring home the win. The offensive line, even missing injured Willie Colon, dominated the line of scrimmage for most of the game. Gailey mixed things up quite well, keeping the Dolphins’ defense off balance and moving backwards from the start. Nice job by Gailey and his guys in this one.

The defense showed up in London trying to send a message to the NFL apparently. The front 3 were dominating the line of scrimmage, stuffing the run and bringing pressure at Ryan Tannehill with every snap. They set the tone early and clearly established early they were the better unit on the football field.

Great job also by the Jets’ linebacker corps, who were burnt badly in coverage last week by Chip Kelly and the Eagles. The group played within their game plan and kept everything in front of them. David Harris had a good game, posting three solo tackles and adding a sack of Tannehill. Demario Davis bounced back from a sub par performance for him last week recording two pass defenses and two quarterback hits on the day.

The defense had 3 sacks on the day, two coming from Muhammad Wilkerson up front and the other from Harris on the blitz. The defense dominated all day, bending at times in the second half, but there were no major missteps. Todd Bowles didn’t like what he saw from his defense, but to his credit, he called a great game plan today.

Next: The Bad

Steve Smith, Sr. (89) cannot make the catch as Cleveland Browns cornerback Buster Skrine (22) is called for pass interference in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports” width=”850″ height=”605″ /> Dec 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. (89) cannot make the catch as Cleveland Browns cornerback Buster Skrine (22) is called for pass interference in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The Bad

The Jets were pretty good in this game. Trying to find anything truly bad is a stretch, but there were a few things the Jets will still need to work on in the bye.

The Jets’ defensive secondary was a bit sloppy in this one. Three defensive pass interference calls against Dolphins wide receivers cost the Jets some big yardage and it is just unacceptable coming from this talented unit. Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine all picked up defensive penalties that kept the Dolphins in this game much longer then the should have. Todd will clean this up in short order undoubtedly, but for this one the secondary was a problem. They did finish the game with two interceptions, but the play was sloppy at times.

Fitzpatrick and the Jets’ offense failed to put this one away in the second half. Exploding for twenty points in the first half, Fitzpatrick and company stalled in the second half. Adding only seven points in the second half, the Jets’ offense failed to put this one out of reach for the Dolphins. It might be a bit nit picky, but I was disappointed in their performance in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter where they were lacking the killer instinct you’d like to see from this unit.

Special teams had another below average performance against the Dolphins. After some horrendous tackling against the Eagles in the return game, I’d had hoped to see improvement against the Dolphins. It wasn’t there, poor tackling was again a problem with this group. Despite another great day by Ryan Quigley in the punt game, the Jets’ special teams tackled poorly at times.

Jarvis Landry, a potent returner managed a whopping 122 yards on just five opportunities, he finished the day with a 24.4 yard average. That sort of yardage and that kind of average just can’t be allowed. The Jets will need to get better on special teams during the bye week.

Next: The Ugly

Oct 4, 2015; London, ENG; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) looks downfield as New York Jets outside linebacker Calvin Pace (97) closes in during the second half at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports

The Ugly

The Jets team as a whole was ugly in tackling. While the defensive front was dominating the offensive line all day long, they failed to tackle well. The Jets managed just four tackles for loss in the game, and with defensive lineman and linebackers in the back field all day long, it should have been more.

Arm tackles at the point of attack were apparent for the second week in a row. It is great to get penetration against the run and disrupt the play, but they need to start wrapping up opposing runners. It didn’t hurt the team the last two weeks, but it needs to be cleaned up before the Jets face some of the better offensive lines and running backs as the season goes on.

The injuries that the Jets incurred this week could prove to be ugly if they are serious. Already missing some key players going into this one, the Jets chose to play all their hobbled stars for this one. Eric Decker played sparingly, it was apparent from the get go, that he wasn’t 100%, but took himself out on several occasions after tweaking the injury. I thought the Jets should have sat Decker to give him the rest, but they chose to play him, and it may prove to be a costly call down the line.

Harris went down with what appeared to be a knee injury as well. Taken from the field after making a tackle, Harris’s injury appeared to be serious, if he misses any amount of time, it could be costly for the Jets’ linebacker corps. Harris is the veteran out there over the middle and Rex Ryan and Bowles have offered up praise for his leadership and game awareness. A loss of Harris could prove to be a huge blow to the Jets’ defense.

Calvin Pryor also was injured in the fourth quarter. Pryor went down after making a big hit across the middle. While the injury isn’t considered serious at this point, it will be one the Jets will want to keep an on. Pryor is playing much better then he has in the past, and has begun to develop into a leader in the Jets’ defensive secondary..

Leonard Williams also went out of this one late in the fourth quarter. Williams, a growing star for the Jets in his rookie season, reportedly has an ankle sprain. He did walk off under his own power after being looked after by the medical staff but he was limping badly and ankle injuries can sometimes linger. Losing him to injury would be a huge blow for the defensive front.

Next: Final Thoughts

Oct 4, 2015; London, United Kingdom; New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) in Game 12 of the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium.The Jets defeated the Dolphins 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Final Thoughts

The Jets’ defense came out and set the tone for the team in this game. They dominated the line of scrimmage and brought the heat down on Tannehill all day long. They brought the blitz, they stunted and the shutdown the run. The most dominant performance we’ve seen to date from the Jets’ defense this year. Hopefully they can get over the injuries during the bye week and return as dominant as they were today.

Fitzpatrick bounced back from a sub par performance last week to go 16 for 29 in the passing game for 288 yards, a touchdown and one interception. Fitzpatrick is never going to be a great quarterback for the Jets at this point in his career, but he is playing well enough for the Jets to end the first quarter of the 2015 season standing at 3-1.

The end of the first quarter of the 2015 season finds the Jets standing at 3-1 headed into the bye week which is a great position to be in. The Jets get the chance to rest, heal up and get ready for their next contest against the Washington Redskins in Week 6. Sheldon Richardson is slated to return after his four-game suspension is satisfied on Monday. If the NFL doesn’t add any more time to Richardson’s suspension, the Jets’ defense will get that much better. Good way to reach the bye for the Jets!

What’s your take on Week 4? Who was the MVP for the first quarter of the season? We here at The Jet Press invite you to leave us a comment. We value your opinion and we enjoy discussing all things Jets with our readers. So please, leave us your thoughts below and Let’s Talk Jet Football!!

Next: Jets bounce back with big win over Dolphins

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