Jets offensive line woes need to turn around after another lousy outing vs. Lions

Going into the season, the New York Jets offensive line was supposed to be a strength for this team. In the Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans, they seemed up to the part, but over the past two weeks, that unit has taken a step back.

It was once again a letdown against the Lions, and if the Jets want to be the team they expected of themselves, the offensive line needs to pick things up.

The Jets want to be a mauling, physical team that leans on the ground game. The offensive line is the driving force for that, and throughout the offseason, they were labeled as a strength. In Week 1, they ran for 152 yards on the ground, consistently opening up holes in the run game.

New York Jets' offensive line struggles expose a problem nobody expected entering season

The run game has been nonexistent in the back-to-back losses. Against the Packers, New York logged 67 rushing yards; then, versus the Lions, the Jets had 58 rushing yards.

They haven't created the same space in the run game, and head coach Aaron Glenn acknowledged that's an area that needs improvement. There was also some trouble with pass protection in Week 3.

New York gave up 19 pressures and five sacks. Olu Fashanu had a rough showing, allowing team highs in sacks (2.5) and pressures (5).

Fashanu's outing comes one week after Armand Membou had arguably the worst game of his promising career, giving up four pressures and a sack against GB. While those games may happen, the Jets need these guys and the entire front to improve.

They need to start getting a serious push in the run game and give Geno Smith time in the pocket. As pointed out by The Jet Press's own Justin Fried, Smith was pressured on 19 of his 44 dropbacks in Week 3, per Pro Football Focus. He still managed to go 12-of-13 (92.3%) for 152 yards on those dropbacks.

That is a testament to Smith and the pass catchers getting open. Yet, with the game on the line, there was a miscommunication that allowed Chuck Clark to get a free shot on Smith and led to the game-sealing fumble.

For two consecutive weeks, the offensive line has had its fair share of difficulties. For the offense to take some positive steps forward, the trenches need to elevate their play. There's too much talent upfront for them not to be one of the more stable units in the league.

In Weeks 2 and 3, their performance hasn't been good enough. They know. The coaches know. And the fans at home can see it.

The beauty of this sport is that they will get another chance to improve, and the next opportunity comes in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. The Jets need the offensive line to play better, and it starts against the Bears. This offense will go as far as the offensive line takes them, and as of now, it isn't good enough.

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