3 areas Jets need rapid improvement ahead of critical game against Bears

The New York Jets will travel and play the Chicago Bears in a massive Week 4 contest. Considering the Jets are 1-2 entering this game, they need to find a way to end their two-game losing streak and get back in the win column.

For that to happen, there are multiple areas where the Jets need to play better. If they want to get back on track, here are several areas where New York can improve.

3 areas the New York Jets need to improve on ahead of Week 3 matchup against the Bears

1. Pass rush needs to wake up

Coming into this game, the Jets are tied for sixth in the NFL in team sacks (8). You'd think that means they are consistently getting into the backfield, but that isn't the case. Head coach Aaron Glenn has been able to dial up some blitzes that have gotten home.

That's an improvement, but when Glenn doesn't bring extra bodies, New York hasn't been able to get home with four. David Bailey and Kingsley Enagbare both lead the team with two sacks each, but neither guy has really been able to consistently get pressure.

Bailey is a rookie who is still figuring things out. Enagbare is known for being more of a run defender, and Will McDonald's snap count has decreased in each of the last three weeks. Even when he's been on the field, there have been times when it's hard to see him out there. Glenn has the rest of the defense punching above their weight class, but New York needs their pass rush to wake up.

If they want to impact and rattle the quarterback more, they need to get home.

2. Run game has to find form again

The Jets want to be a ground-and-pound offense. For that to happen, they need their offensive line to play bully ball. That hasn't been the case in Weeks 2 and 3. New York has tallied 125 rushing yards during that span, failing to eclipse more than 67 yards in either game.

That's a downturn for an offense that had 152 rushing yards in the Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans. And while they'll be without Breece Hall for some time, that doesn't mean the Jets shouldn't find ways to improve this ground game.

Without any sort of run game against Detroit, Geno Smith still threw for 327 yards and three scores. Could you imagine the binds defenses will be in if the Jets get this run game back on the track with a vastly improved passing attack?

That would give this offense a more balanced attack, and that's something that needs to be hashed out. New York goes into Week 4 ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing offense (92.3), but based on the stats, Week 1 inflated these numbers.

Considering that the Bears rank 21st in run defense (117), there's room for them to get this run game rolling again.

3. Offense needs to start quicker

The Jets offense has found success, but they have started games off too slow. In the win over the Titans, New York's offense scored 10 points in the first half, but it felt like they left several points on the board. It didn't matter in that one, as the Titans had no answers, but those things followed into the next week.

Against the Packers, the offense failed to put the game away, as the defense gave Green Bay fits through the first three quarters. They blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and only had seven points in the first half.

Then, just last week, once again, the first-half offense left room for improvement, scoring only seven points. They picked things up in the second half, scoring 17 points.

New York's offense has shown they can be a productive unit, but they need to come out faster. Doing so will allow them to dictate the flow of the game more, while also opening up the playbook. It will also give the defense some much-needed breathing room.

The Jets offense has the pieces to be effective, but they need to come out faster in the first half, and that starts against the Bears in Week 4.

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