NY Jets: 7 takeaways from a sluggish London loss to the Falcons

The NY Jets traveled to London to take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 riding a wave of momentum following their 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans a week ago.

But that momentum came to a screeching halt as the team put together a dud of a performance en route to a 27-20 loss that was more one-sided than the final score would indicate.

The Jets were soundly beaten on both sides of the ball. The offense struggled to get going for most of the game while the defense folded at inopportune times.

Let's take a look at a few takeaways from this sluggish game.

1. Zach Wilson still struggles with the easy stuff

Zach Wilson is a frustrating quarterback. He couples off-script, highlight-reel throws with back-breaking mistakes that leave you scratching your head.

He'll bounce a screen pass on one play and fire back with a 50-yard bomb on the next. In this game (and through five weeks so far), the Jets have seem much more of the former than the latter.

Wilson needs to work on the easy stuff. His short game is a much bigger issue than most expected it to be and he needs to improve on working inside the pocket.

The off-script stuff is fun, but it won't always work. His lack of fundamentals is plummeting his floor on a game-to-game basis.

2. The NY Jets defense had its worst game

This loss can't fall solely on the shoulders of the defense, but they chose a poor time for their worst game of the season.

The Jets pass rush disappeared while the Falcons recorded 450 yards on the day. Matt Ryan picked apart a Jets secondary that had played so well this season finishing 32-of-45 for 342 yards and two touchdowns despite being without his top two receivers.

Meanwhile, the Falcons rushed for over 100 yards on the ground with Cordarrelle Patterson giving the Jets fits both in the air and in the running game.

It was a disappointing performance for a Jets defense that has shined this season.

3. The NY Jets pass rush disappeared

Let's expand upon one of those points because it's worth talking about. The Jets pass rush completely disappeared in this game after a dominant performance a week ago.

The Jets didn't sack Matt Ryan a single time on Sunday. There were some pressures and QB hits, but for the most part, Atlanta managed to stymie the Jets pass rush.

Sure, some of it was a result of the Falcons getting the ball out quickly, but there were moments when Ryan had all day to throw in the pocket.

The Jets defense failed in Week 5 as a direct result of their lack of pressure on the quarterback. Perhaps it would be wise to send your best pass rushers after the quarterback as opposed to having them drop back into coverage.

4. The NY Jets first-half woes continued

The Jets are still yet to score a single point in the first quarter this season. They've scored just 13 points in the first half. That's 10 total quarters resulting in 13 points.

They've been outscored 74-13 in the first half of football games through five weeks. Whatever the cause, that needs to change.

This team can't keep looking like they don't belong on the same field as their opponents in the first half of every game. The Jets outscored the Falcons 18-7 in the second half, but they were already fighting an uphill battle trailing 17-3 at the halfway point.

That's on Mike LaFleur, Zach Wilson, Robert Saleh, and the entire team. The Jets need to start games better going forward.

5. Quincy Williams is an absolute menace

Perhaps one of the only bright spots from an otherwise dull game was the play of Quincy Williams. For the second consecutive week, Williams was all over the field making superb tackles in the run game and forcing two fumbles, the second of which was recovered for a turnover.

Williams finished second on the Jets with eight tackles and many of those tackles were well-earned. Even at just 5-foot-11, 225 pounds, Williams might be the most physical player on that Jets defense.

Is Williams a long-term answer at the linebacker position? That much remains to be seen.

But he's been a hell of a waiver-wire pickup for Joe Douglas and the Jets. It's impossible to take your eyes off him each week.

6. Where has Elijah Moore been?

Elijah Moore returned from a concussion this week, although you wouldn't know it by looking at the box score. Moore finished with zero catches for zero yards in his return, although he was targeted a couple of times.

His most notable contribution came when he drew a huge pass interference call to set up a 1st-and-goal for the Jets that result in a Michael Carter touchdown.

He made an appearance a little earlier when he made a nice grab along the sideline, only for it to get called back because he stepped out of bounds before making the catch.

After a standout summer, Jets fans were understandably excited to see what Moore could do. In five weeks (he missed last week with a concussion), Moore has managed just eight catches for 66 yards.

Not the impact most probably expected.

7. This game isn't on Mike LaFleur

Jets fans have been hard on Mike LaFleur through the first five weeks of the season, and a lot of it has been deserved. LaFleur has done a poor job maximizing the talent at his disposal and has left a lot to be desired with his play calling.

But this game was not on him. Was he perfect? Not exactly, but LaFleur called a good game against the Falcons.

He leaned on the run game at times (to success!) despite trailing my multiple scores for most of the game. He pressed the right buttons at the right times only for his quarterback or other players to let the team down.

Wilson bounced a bubble screen to Jamison Crowder before tossing another one into the back of Morgan Moses. On both plays, the Jets caught Atlanta off guard and, if executed, likely would have gone for big gains.

The Jets were also set up for a potentially sizable gain on the throwback across the field to Crowder only for Alijah Vera-Tucker and others to miss their blocks. The Jets had numbers on the play, it should have been a chunk gain.

Mike LaFleur did his job on Sunday. That doesn't mean he's perfect and it certainly doesn't mean he's done a great job this season.

But this loss is not on him.