Jets get no help from their run game in gut-wrenching loss to Packers

The New York Jets had several problems plaguing them throughout their overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but some of the biggest issues came from the offensive side of the ball.

After a positive Week 1 outing in Tennessee, the Jets came back home and looked like a shell of themselves, particularly up front. Geno Smith did his best to keep things moving in the right direction, but he was facing a lot of pressure from Green Bay's defensive front, and they couldn't get anything going in the run game.

The Jets ran the ball 27 times for 67 yards, good for an average of 2.5 yards per attempt, and that's including one rush for Isaiah Williams on a trick play that got 14 yards. Take that play out, and the numbers get even worse-- 26 rushes for just over two yards per carry.

What was it about the Packers' defense that was able to stifle the Jets' run game? Did they have a player who was wrecking New York's game plan? Or was it all self-inflicted, as these losses often feel for the Jets?

Josh Myers explains how the Packers shut down the New York Jets' run game

Speaking with reporters after the loss, Jets center Josh Myers did his best to explain away the Jets' struggles on the ground, and he pointed to what Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was attacking with his game plan.

"There was a lot of interior pressure, and the safety was down in the box a lot today. "

Josh Myers

Green Bay's increased defensive pressure could've been due to several factors, but none larger than the fact that it feels like the Packers did not respect the Jets' downfield passing game.

That's not even necessarily because Geno Smith played a poor game or anything, but likely more because the Jets only had four wide receivers active for the Week 2 matchup. Garrett Wilson, Isaiah Williams, and Adonai Mitchell all played 60-plus snaps, while Arian Smith was only on the field for one offensive snap.

While Williams can bend a defense with his great speed and athleticism, he is not a dynamic enough playmaker to demand respect on every single play. It also didn't help that he struggled in the run game. The Jet Press's Justin Fried pointed out that the return specialist earned a run-blocking grade of 34.6, the worst on the team.

For a multitude of reasons, the Jets couldn't run the ball on Sunday afternoon. Breece Hall's 29 yards on 16 carries and Braelon Allen's seven yards on five carries were abysmal. You can't win football games like that.

The Jets will have to go back to the drawing board and figure this one out, because it's hard to have a competent offensive showing when running the ball is completely taken out of the equation.

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