FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It wasn’t a memorable first NFL start for Jets third-string quarterback Luke Falk.
The Jets lost to the Patriots 30-14, but none of the those 14 points came from Falk and the offense. One touchdown came on a special teams fumble recovery in the end zone and the other on a pick-six.
“It’s my job to put us in the end zone and I didn’t do that today,’’ Falk said.
Falk, starting in place of Sam Darnold, who’s recovering from mononucleosis, completed 12-of-22 passes for 98 yards, an interception and a 47.2 passer rating. The Jets offense, which had 13 possessions, failed to convert a single third down on 12 tries, which led to 10 punts, the pick, the end of the first half and a turnover on downs.
Falk, however, didn’t get a lot of help. The offensive line was atrocious, allowing five sacks and an embarrassing rushing average of 1.8 yards per carry.
“I think there were a lot of things that he did really well that he didn’t get a lot of help with,’’ Jets coach Adam Gase said. “I mean, he got to some really good checks there and we didn’t execute them, and that was a little frustrating to see that the guy that’s in his first NFL start knows what’s going on and other guys aren’t executing it the way it should be done.’’
Falk most lamented the interception he threw right into the arms of New England’s Devin McCourty in the third quarter with no receiver within 20 yards of the Patriots safety. That led to a Patriots field goal and a 23-0 lead.
“I’m kicking myself on that interception,’’ he said. “We can’t afford that. It was an errant throw. Right as I threw it … it was a bad decision. In that situation, just check it down if we don’t have [the first option] available.’’
Falk said his first option was receiver Jamison Crowder.
“It was supposed to go to Jamison … [a New England defender] was holding him and I’ve got to see that and move on,’’ Falk said.
Asked what positives he can take out of his first start, Falk said, “I’ve got to go find the positives right now. I thought, operation-wise, it was OK. I think it was a good lesson to learn that when you play a team like this you can’t have errors. You’ve got to get going early.’’
Falk said the Patriots’ defense “threw a lot at us,’’ adding, “We just couldn’t get things going. They did a good job, had some good answers for us. I’ve got to be able to put the ball in play and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that. When we go back [and look] on film, it might not be as bad as it seemed out there.’’
No, it probably will be.
“I thought on our first drive we did some good things, but on third down we’ve got to convert,’’ Falk said. “We’ve got to find ways to make plays on critical downs. It will be a good bye week for us to try to hone in.’’
It’s uncertain whether Falk will be the starting quarterback when the Jets return to the field for their next game, on Oct. 6 against the Eagles. It’s possible Darnold will be healthy enough to play by then.
“His presence was fine, but it’s tough to play quarterback when we can’t keep the guy clean, so we have to do a better job,’’ center Ryan Kalil said.
“Obviously, it’s hard to be thrown into the fire playing the Patriots at home,’’ guard Brian Winters said. “I felt like he did a decent job.’’