NY Jets offensive grades for Week 4 loss to Chiefs

The NY Jets almost pulled off the 17-point comeback on Sunday night to shock the NFL world but fell just short late in the fourth quarter.

It took an unbelievable effort from Zach Wilson and the Jets' offense in the second and third quarters to spark the comeback. Wilson played by far his best game of the season, and his ability to spread the ball around created quite a few solid performances from his teammates.

Below are six offensive grades for the Jets' offensive players from Sunday night's 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, starting with Zach Wilson himself.

Zach Wilson, QB, NY Jets

It was an almost perfect night for Wilson, who proved his doubters across the NFL world wrong, myself included.

Wilson flashed every single ability he was drafted for back in 2021, including incredible arm strength and touch, as well as an athletic ability to escape the pocket and create plays down the field.

He finished 28/39 for 245 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also finished with two carries for 14 yards and an additional carry that went for two yards and a successful two-point conversion.

After a slow start, Wilson was just 2-of-5 for 12 yards and led the Jets on two short drives that both resulted in punts. The Chiefs were already up 17-0 before Wilson got the ball the third time, and even then, the team was forced to punt.

However, once the second quarter rolled around, Wilson found a groove that we've arguably never seen before. Following a safety as a result of a Chiefs penalty in the red zone, Wilson led the Jets on a 62-yard drive that ended in a field goal, as well as a 41-yard drive that ended in a touchdown. Wilson also led the Jets down the field a third time, but the Jets missed a field goal right before the half.

Wilson's drive out of half-time inspired confidence in fans, teammates, and coaches. He was 5-of-5 for 75 yards, including a laser of a throw to Allen Lazard for a touchdown. He then scampered two yards in for the two-point conversion right after, topped off by a dive and a ball spin.

However, Wilson made one crucial mistake. With the Jets driving down 23-20 late midway through the fourth, Wilson dropped a shotgun snap that was recovered by Kansas City. He would never get the ball back.

With his career on the line, Wilson answered the call, delivered the best performance of his career, and nearly beat the defending Super Bowl champions. If he plays at this level for the rest of the season, there is no reason the Jets cannot win games.

If nothing else, he bought himself a couple of more starts.

Grade: A-

Dalvin Cook, RB, NY Jets

It's time for the Dalvin Cook experiment to end. For a guy who was so sought after by multiple teams this offseason, I cannot believe how bad Cook has been. It's almost as if once Rodgers got hurt, Cook gave up on the year.

Once again, he delivered a very lackluster effort, finishing with five carries for just 16 yards and adding one catch for two yards. That's just three yards per touch for Cook, who has failed to find any space in any game so far this year.

For the year, that is now 30 carries for just 74 yards, only 2.5 yards per carry. He has also added eight carries for 44 yards this season as well and is yet to find the endzone once. He is on pace for just 315 rushing yards this season. For reference, he hasn't finished with under 1,100 in five seasons.

In terms of advanced stats, it's not a pretty picture either. He is second-to-last in the NFL with -1.6 rushing yards over expected per carry, only slightly nudging ahead of Cam Akers. He has seen his snaps diminish every week, playing just 15 snaps last night and was outplayed by both Breece Hall (26 snaps) and Michael Carter (18 snaps).

The entire Jets offense slows down with Cook on the field; in the 14 plays run with Cook on the field, the Jets totaled just 44 yards (3.4 yards per play) and two first downs. In the 43 plays without him, the Jets totaled 292 yards (6.8 yards per play), 16 first downs, and both touchdowns.

The solution is simple. Breece Hall and Michael Carter need to be playing all of the snaps. Carter has been phenomenal in pass protection all year, and both Carter and Hall offer more explosiveness in the run game. Cook is only a handful of bad weeks away from Israel Abanikanda being called up.

Grade: F

Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson, WR, NY Jets

The Jets' top two receivers, finally getting an NFL-level game out of their quarterback, showed what they could do.

Wilson finished with 14 targets and nine catches for 60 yards. Quarterback Zach Wilson was routinely finding him on early downs for short gains, creating favorable second and third-down situations. Wilson also made a handful of spectacular catches, including a diving catch on a crucial third down.

Lazard also had his best game as a Jet, catching all three targets for 61 yards and the highlight reel touchdown mentioned before. His most impressive catch came early in the second quarter as Wilson rolled to his right.

Lazard drifted downfield and came back to make a beautiful grab over the defender for 39 yards. It was eerily similar to the Corey Davis catch from two years ago against the Tennessee Titans.

Seeing Lazard and Wilson amass 17 targets and turn that into 12 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown is a huge step for the receiver group. This is what they were supposed to do all year.

It's also a great sign for future growth and development of the offense, assuming Zach Wilson can keep his efficiency up.

Grade: A

Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, NY Jets

It was another quality game from the entire offensive line as a whole, allowing just two sacks and giving Wilson the time he needed to deliver the ball. I will also say that Wilson did a much better job throwing the ball quickly, helping the line look better than in weeks past.

The offensive line also produced 108 rushing yards on just 16 carries, good for 6.8 yards per carry out of the backfield.

Rookie Joe Tippmann finished the week as the highest-graded offensive lineman by PFF for week 4. He allowed only one pressure on 43 pass block snaps and managed to finish the week as the team's highest-graded run blocker as well.

For the year, Tippmann is now the 4th highest-graded guard to register at least 120 snaps, according to PFF, behind only Tyler Smith, Chris Lindstrom, and Zach Martin. Not bad for the rookie who came into the league as a center.

Vera-Tucker continues to show why he should be an All-Pro. After switching from guard to tackle for the second consecutive season, he ranks as the third-best run blocker amongst all offensive linemen in the NFL so far this year.

Through 143 pass block snaps at right tackle across both seasons, Vera-Tucker is yet to allow a sack and has only surrendered six pressures. Not bad for a guy playing out of position.

It should be no surprise that when running behind Vera-Tucker and Tippmann on the right side of the line, the Jets have been averaging over six yards per carry, including last night's 43-yard run. When Ruckert is lined up at tight end with them, it even gets better.

Grade: A