A lack of patience and discipline define Jets in Week 1

The New York Jets played a dud of a game in their Week 1 matchup on the road against the Buffalo Bills as they lost 21-12. Gang Green clearly lacked patience and discipline to get the job done.

Ah yes, where does one begin? Well, first off, the New York Jets played uninspired football from start to finish. As expected, their offense was abysmal and their defensive front, a strength of the team everyone, including myself believed it would be, failed to do much of anything.

The Buffalo Bills had their way against the Jets in every aspect of the game. They took it to the air, played physical on the ground, and yes, they intercepted quarterback Josh McCown not once but twice in this Week 1 AFC East clash. Their defense stopped everything the Jets threw at them and it’s no shocker that Gang Green, as usual, adjusted when it was too late.

In the grand scheme of things, the Jets lacked patience and discipline. They failed to establish the run and for some odd reason, didn’t even try to put running back Bilal Powell in a position to bring some kind of spark. Yeah, he was used later on in the game but for a team that’s clearly rebuilding with youth, they dropped the ball in their decision at starting running back.

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

Clearly, Matt Forte wasn’t getting any kind of traction or momentum when running the football early on in this matchup. Why didn’t the Jets change things up, put Powell in, and commit to running the football after their first few failed drives? The defense of the Bills is very stout against the pass but if you pound the rock and wear them out, you’ll be able to chip away slowly but surely.

Powell is easily a young, faster, and more versatile player than Forte but the Jets weren’t patient enough to at least try and establish the ground game. From there, their offense continued to head in a downward spiral. Just like in life, patience is critical to success. The Jets passed for way too much in this matchup as receivers dropped some pretty easy passes.

Besides patience, the Jets lacked discipline when it came to their efforts, or rather, a lack thereof, especially on defense. They brought no pressure against quarterback Tyrod Taylor, caused unnecessary penalties, and the kicker? They couldn’t tackle anyone wearing a red and blue jersey holding the football. Even the basic fundamentals of tackling effectively were nowhere to be found on this team.

Where were all the “leaders” on defense trying to rally the troops in the heat of the moment? Muhammad Wilkerson, Darron Lee, and even Leonard Williams must have been hiding all game since you couldn’t find them doing much of anything on the field even if you had their jersey number. They all looked tired, confused, and again, lacked the proper discipline to execute on their specific roles and bring this defense back in the game to turn things around.

Must Read: An open letter to the Jets about not tanking in 2017

Overall, the Jets, as expected, have a plethora of work ahead of them to correct their laundry list of issues as the season goes on. If you thought things were bad this week against the Bills, you might want to skip Week 2. They have another big road trip except for this time around, a date with the Oakland Raiders. Yeah, I’d be pretty worried, too.