Jets desperately need Joe Tippmann to break out of his pass-blocking slump

There is no shortage of issues plaguing the New York Jets right now. From Aaron Glenn's chronic game management issues to the strange disappearance of Garrett Wilson to a defense that can't seem to get off the field when it matters most, not a lot is going right for the 2-5 squad.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of it all is watching an offense that actually can move the ball, just to stall at the most critical moments. The biggest culprit that has derailed the Jets has been pressure on Geno Smith. Smith is the third-most-sacked quarterback in the league, going down 21 times, just one fewer than the cement-legged Aaron Rodgers.

Even when he's not getting sacked, the pressure in his face has been enough to stall drives, turning potential touchdowns into field goals and potential field goals into punts.

Gang Green's line has been hurt by Dylan Parham's absence, as the former Raiders lineman looked like one of the offseason's biggest steals, and the drop-off to Jordan Meredith has been steep. At the same time, Josh Myers is what he is: a borderline starting-caliber center, at best.

But what has hurt New York more than anything has been the play of Joe Tippmann. The team gave the fourth-year guard a massive extension back in June, with the hopes of him being a cornerstone of the offensive line. In the run game, he's been just that, paving the way for Braelon Allen in recent weeks. In the passing game, it's been a different story.

After a hot start, Joe Tippmann has crushed the New York Jets' offensive line with pass-blocking ineptitude

Through the first four weeks of the season, Tippmann allowed just three pressures and shut out the opposition in the sack department. For that performance, he earned a 68.6 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, which isn't a dominant mark by any means, but is more than serviceable.

However, the last three weeks have seen a drastic shift. Despite a rash of injuries to the Cleveland Browns' defensive interior, Maliek Collins gave Tippman fits, notching 1.5 sacks during the Week 5 matchup. From there, things continued to go wrong for the Wisconsin product.

Over the last three weeks, Tippmann has allowed three sacks and six pressures. His Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade has plummeted to a horrific 48.0 over that span.

Exacerbating the issue is that Smith hasn't done well evading pressure up the middle (admittedly, a difficult task), and has occasionally held onto the ball for too long. Still, the Jets are counting on Tippmann to be the kind of player who elevates the play in the middle of the line, and instead, he's been dragging it down over the past few weeks.

The Jets need the former center to turn it around and live up to his billing as both a second-round pick and a guy they decided to pay as part of their future core. If he doesn't, we're going to continue seeing New York's offense stall at the worst possible moments as the losses pile up.

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