The Bills steamrolled the Jets 45-17 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. The Jets defense is historically bad. This has to be embarrassing for Robert Saleh, who has made his reputation in the NFL coaching defense. The Jets have given up 54, 31, 45 and 45 points in their last four games. It is unbelievable how bad it has been.
Here’s the thing: this is not something there is a quick fix for.
The Jets need better players. That is where this starts. Jets GM Joe Douglas knew he could not fill every hole on the Jets roster this offseason. He chose to not address cornerback other than with some third-day draft picks. That decision looked like a poor one Sunday when Josh Allen was throwing at will against the Jets secondary. You can’t say Douglas ignored the defense. He had some bad luck when Carl Lawson, his biggest addition to the defense, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the preseason. But it was clear the Jets prioritized offense in the offseason and that is understandable. They wanted to give Zach Wilson some playmakers and protectors, something they failed to do with Sam Darnold.
This offseason needs to be about fixing the defense. He needs to draft a cornerback early and possibly sign one in free agency. He needs to address linebacker and safety and add to the depth on the defensive line. The Jets may need an offseason spending spree on defense. That goes against what Douglas has preached, but desperate times make desperate GMs.
That is months away, though. For now, Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich must do everything they can to help their players. They seemed too committed to their scheme on Sunday and did not adjust when Stefon Diggs was lined up one-on-one against their young cornerbacks. After the game, Saleh said they don’t believe in having cornerbacks follow wide receivers, but they should have put Bryce Hall on Diggs when they saw Allen targeting Javelin Guidry. “Players over scheme” is a common mantra around the NFL. Saleh needs to embrace that right now and design his scheme to fit his players, not force his players to fit his scheme. This offseason can be about finding players to fit his scheme.
Saleh can’t fix this completely in the eight remaining games, but he needs the defense to show some improvement.
2. The defense also can get some help from the offense. The Jets need to be able to run the ball, control the clock and keep the defense off the field. The Jets offense has shown some signs of life recently but they still can’t run the ball. They had 70 yards rushing on Sunday and have failed to break 100 yards rushing in every game but one this season.
The game plan was head-scratching against the Bills, who have the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL. In the first half, the Jets threw the ball 22 times and ran the ball just eight times. The game was still close at that point, so they did not need to throw to get quick points. It made no sense against that defense with a quarterback making his third start to throw that much.
Mike LaFleur and run game coordinator John Benton need to find some answers in the running game, not just to improve the offense but also to help out a hurting defense.
3. The Jets have gotten some bad schedule luck recently. Their last four losses have all come to teams who were coming off a loss the week before and looking to “get right” against the Jets. The Bills were the latest ones. They lost to the Jaguars 9-6 last week. That surely helped the Bills focus on the Jets and an angry Buffalo team played like it Sunday. The Colts had lost to the Titans before facing the Jets. The Patriots had just lost to the Cowboys before beating the Jets. The Falcons lost to Washington before they beat the Jets in London.
The Jets beat the Bengals, who may have been riding too high after a win over the Ravens. For the Jets, they are becoming the opponent struggling teams want to see. That is not a good place to be. The good news for the Jets is their next opponent, the Dolphins, just had a big win over the Ravens on Thursday night. Maybe the Jets can catch an overconfident Miami team.
4. Something struck me after Sunday’s loss. There was a time when losses like that felt cataclysmic for the Jets. The sky would be falling the next day. Now? It feels normal. There is a numbness that is setting in when the Jets get blown out. I think back to some bad losses under Rex Ryan or Todd Bowles and people were screaming for coaches to be fired the next day or quarterbacks to be benched. Fans were upset after Sunday’s loss but there is also an acceptance that has set in about the Jets. They are not a good team and I think fans have accepted this reality. That is not to say they are happy about it. They’re not. But it also is no longer shocking to see the Jets get blown out. That is not a good development for the organization.
Revealing stat
The Jets have allowed 1,890 yards in the last four games. That is the most yards allowed in Jets history, according to ESPN.
Surprising snap count
DE Ronald Blair played 30 snaps (52 percent) in his first action of the season. The Jets are searching for some pass rushers on the edge with Bryce Huff now on IR in addition to the preseason loss of Carl Lawson.
Game ball
No one on the Jets deserves a game ball after that one. I’ll give this one to the Jets fans. They filled the building Sunday and left disappointed. I don’t know how you fans stay loyal year after year when the team keeps losing.