Jets vs. Jaguars: Top 5 takeaways from Week 4 matchup

The New York Jets got embarrassed in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars as here are the top five takeaways from the game.

Coming off a tough loss last Thursday, the New York Jets took a huge step back in moving in the right direction in Week 4 as they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the final score 31-12. Throughout the game, the Jets were outplayed from start to finish.

Looking at the offensive side of the football, the mental mistakes during the game was one of the many key factors for the loss. After starting off strong, the Jets momentum was gone and it got out of hand.

With the loss, the Jets are now 1-3 and will head home for three straight games with time to think about this loss and prepare for a tough Denver Broncos team in Week 5. In this game, there were a lot of things that as a fan you shake your head. Now, let’s take a deeper look and break down the top five takeaways from this Week 4 matchup.

5. The offensive line continues to struggle

The weakest part of the team continues to be exposed for a third week straight as the offensive line struggled. They went up against probably the best defense in the league and were simply overmatched throughout Sunday’s loss.

They aren’t communicating on when they make adjustments or who is everyone blocking. They struggled against Marcell Dareus, Calais Campbell, and Dante Fowler Jr. who are all game changers for the Jaguars. When they had made positive plays the line made costly mental mistakes.  When the Jets receivers made big catches it would be called back on holding calls. The game was out of reach but these are the type of plays you hope don’t happen.

Sam Darnold was sacked twice in this matchup due to the lack of consistency by the offensive line. He was on the run all day long and will continue to be if he does not get the protection he needs. They really need to get it together because they still haven’t provided a complete game all season long. There is still a lot of football left to be played but it has to change sooner rather than later.

Next: 4. Atrocious strategy on offense

4. Atrocious strategy on offense

It just continues to get worse for the Jets play calling as offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates needs some serious tuning. The offense looked completely flat and once again not opening up the field for the talent the Jets have at the running back or wide receiver position. Granted, he had the challenge of going up against a very talented defensive secondary, Bates needed to show something that the Jaguars secondary couldn’t handle.

By utilizing the run, it will help keep the defense of the Jets rested and it would wear down the Jaguars defense. They will also need to step up their usage of the passing game by utilizing cross routes, screen routes, and vertical routes. This can be achieved by being creative with Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, and Terrelle Pryor. It’s time to open up the playbook and allow Darnold to continue to air it out.

Maybe on first down plays, they could try to do a halfback screen or even a wide receiver screen, something to get the team excited to execute on. Even on second or third down situations, the Jets can try cross routes to open up the field especially with Anderson and Enunwa’s speed. With utilizing Kearse you can use him on short yardage situations as well as sideline routes and five-step route passes.

Bates will need to look at different ways from the Lions and Dolphins games to use some of the more successful plays on offense and put points on the board. He needs to listen and utilize the information he gets from his players and come up with something different to surprise teams.

Next: 3. Sam Darnold has an abysmal performance

3. Sam Darnold has an abysmal performance

It was a very long day for Darnold but he continued to grow in his rookie year. Even though he had no interceptions, he continued to make mental errors as a rookie player. He should have checked into a new play or made better decisions with the football. He showed some promising moments with certain throws when was out of the pocket.

Darnold was able to go 17 for 34 in passing and threw for 174 yards. Darnold was very lucky to not have thrown any interceptions because Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, and Barry Church should have had one each.

He finished with a 74 percent quarterback rating which is horrific and something he would want improve on each week. He was on the run most of the game and was sometimes forcing the football into tight windows. He still needs to work on making the right decisions in the heat of the moment and utilize his playmakers while not just focusing on one player.

Next: 2. Secondary struggles yet again

2. Secondary struggles yet again

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For a third straight week, the Jets had a horrific performance when it came to their defensive secondary which makes it frustrating to see. Three very costly penalties and many missed coverages allowed the Jags receivers and tight ends to get open. There were too many mistakes by missed tackles and blown assignments which led to big plays for Jacksonville.

Clearly, the secondary of the Jets has major work to be done before they can proclaim themselves “New Jack City” to the football world. If this isn’t fixed sooner rather than later other elite quarterbacks will embarrass them even more.

Obviously, the secondary needs to work as a cohesive unit, but yet again they are really lacking in the fundamentals of coverage and executing as a cohesive unit. They need to get things fixed quickly and get it together and be the group they know they can be.

Next: 1. Blake Bortles picks apart the Jets defense

1. Blake Bortles picks apart the Jets defense

Many people believe Bortles is a mediocre quarterback for the career he has had thus far.  Bortles was able to attack the middle of the field and draw the attention to the Jets defense being confused and allow big plays to happen. Bortles also looked very comfortable in the pocket which allowed him to make his check downs easier and make the best decision on whom to throw to.

Bortles was able to go 29 for 38 in passing and threw for 388 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception that could have been costly. Some of those throws were thrown into double coverage which Bortles usually makes a mistake on.

He finished with a 114.8 percent quarterback rating which is probably one of his highest in his career.  If they applied more pressure he would have made more mistakes that would have allowed the Jets defense to get off the field and stay in the game. Unfortunately, he had a field day and rightfully so.

The way Bortles performed made him look like an elite quarterback but he is a mediocre player at best. Bortles should have never been this comfortable in the pocket as the Jets should have brought delayed blitzes and maybe even stayed home with the safeties to not allow the cross routes over the middle patterns to happen. Either way, Bortles seized the moment and delivered which was a big part in the Jets losing this game. They now have a three-game losing streak early on this season.