Game Observations (DEN)

[KRL]

Observers of the league knew this was going to be an ugly, defensive and low
scoring game.  If the Jets were going to win they would have to overcome an
excellent DEN defense and the altitude.  But who knew they would also have to
overcome losing four offensive starters: Elijah Moore (pouting), Corey Davis
(knee), Breece Hall (knee) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (elbow).  With all that
adversity it would've been easy for the "Same Old Jets" to re-appear, but a new
day seems to be dawning as they gutted out a 16-9 win:

Special Teams

- Greg Zuerlein was the difference in this game as he was perfect (3/3 FGs, 1/1
XP) generating 10 of the team's 16 points.  While Brandon McManus of DEN left 4
points on the field with a missed FG and XP.  Those 4 points made a HUGE difference
at the end of the game, protecting a 16-9 lead is easier than a 16-13 lead.

- Braden Mann was excellent with a 54.8 average but he's got to eliminate the
"shanks".

- No opportunities for Braxton Berrios on punts (fair catches) or KOs.

Defense

- Solid effort by the defense but DEN offense has been garbage so it must be graded
on a curve.  Particularly with Russell Wilson out and Brett Rypien making the start.
But only giving up 9 points on the road against a team with weapons like Jerry Jeudy,
Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler and Melvin Gordon can't be "sneezed at".

- The "front seven" was solid in controlling DEN running game (105 yards) which kept
Rypien out of easy down and distances.  But I was surprised at the DLine only generating
one sack with Rypien attempting 46 passes.

- Quinnen Williams followed up his "Hall Of Fame" GB game with a solid effort (4 Tackles,
2 QB Hits)

- But the stars of the defense was the secondary:

  * Ahmad Gardner was a beast with 10 Tackles and 3 Passes Defensed.  And I apologize to
    him for being critical of his tackling, he's improved dramatically during the season.
    Gardner has also earned respect from the officials in only seven games, they are
    letting him get away with "chicken fighting" WRs without calling pass interference
    penalties.  The battles he had with Sutton on the last drive were very physical, but
    no flags.  And here's an amazing stat, Gardner has 12 Passes Defensed in only seven games
    he's on pace for 30 Passes Defensed over a full season, that's crazy!!! 

  * DJ Reed had 8 Tackles with 3 Passes Defensed and I thought he put Jeudy out of the game
    with the tackle he laid on him.  What a free agent pickup (3 years / $33 million) and to
    think JC Jackson (5 years / 82.5 million) is being benched by the LAC.

  * The safety tandem continues their solid play.  Jordan Whitehead had 4 Tackles and a Pass
    Defensed while Lamarcus Joyner had a Pass Defensed and a big INT that set the offense up
    for a FG.  And most importantly on deep passes both of them are providing excellent support
    to the CBs.  Nice to see "busted coverages" disappearing.

  * Michael Carter and Brandin Echols both deserve credit for their contributions.  They rotate
    in and there is no visible drop off in production when the starters take a break.

  * CJ Mosley (8 Tackles) and Quincy Williams (5 Tackles) have been physical with excellent range
    as the starters at LB.  But Kwon Alexander and Marcell Harris have been valuable as backups,
    providing excellent speed off the bench.

Offense 

- The best thing that could be said is the offense didn't turn the ball over and was able to
provide one explosive play.  Other than that it wasn't a good effort, particularly as they shot
themselves repeatedly with 11 penalties for 85 yards.  

- Breece Hall was terrific with 4 Rushes for 72 yards and a TD before getting hurt.  And most of
the rushing offense that was generated (24 Rushes / 155 Yards) came off of Hall's legs.

- With Hall out Michael Carter and a RB committee will have to carry the load.  I wouldn't mind
if Joe Douglas sent a pick to CLE for Kareem Hunt.  We need a RB with power to balance out Carter
and Ty Johnson.  If Hunt isn't an option keep your eye out for Tevin Coleman being brought back.

- I like the creativity that Mike LaFleur brings to the offense but he has to be better in short
yardage situations. We shouldn't have to be passing the ball on 3rd & 1 or 3rd & 2

QB

- The best things to say about Zach Wilson is he's 4-0 since coming back, he didn't turn the ball
over and he was able to escape pressure.  Other than that going 16/26 for 121 yards isn't good and
he MUST SHOW better awareness when escaping the pocket.  He was lucky he didn't give up a "scoop &
score" on that STUPID double "spin-a-rama".  Other than the 4th quarter of the PIT game we have not
seen much out of Wilson in terms of flashing "franchise QB" ability.  I understand the MIA, GB and
DEN games focused on the ground game and the NE & BUF games won't be easy.  But I'm definitely
looking for that "franchise QB" ability to appear and remain before his second season is over. 

[Larz]

Nothing about the free rushers and pass pro ?

[EM31]

I just get the sense that Belichik is licking his chops based on this performance.  The Miami and Green bay games might have given him some pause but this one, not so much.

[Jack Straw]

Braden Mann has turned into an underrated weapon, as well.

[CanadienJetsFan]

3 maybe 4 3rd down Boneheaded penalties in the first half almost gave the game away.

Them adjusting in the 2nd half was a tremendous sign of improvement.

Good team win.

Now this guy:

[Ron Rico]

I'm not sure if it was 6 3 and punts in a row, or if it was six total but the Jets offense was absolute sh*t 75%  of the time. This was a 1 point game most of it and it could have went either way. The Broncos left 4 points on the field (Missed extra point and FG) and Rypien's two INT's were the difference. Jets won is spite of Zach. Period. At best, his accuracy is inconsistent, at worst, it's horrible. He has no "touch". Zips balls when he shouldn't and lobs up medicine balls when he needs to throw darts. 

Positives: He didn't throw any interceptions. Even though the defense AGAIN cost us a 15 yard penalty for roughing the passer, and Breece got hurt and out for half the game, the Jets hung in there and won the game.

4 weeks ago this would have been a loss. So there is progress. 

[Charlie Brown]

KRL

Missed you….

Great write up as usual. 

I’m concerned with the Hall injury. I want ro see want Lafluer does now as his bread and butter staples going forward to drive the offense now that Hall is down.   

[SuicidalSince98]

3 minutes ago, Jack Straw said:

Braden Mann has turned into an underrated weapon, as well.

He shanked a punt 

[Dunnie]

KRL - Stellar post as usual.

Thoughts ...

Mike LaFleur called a terrible game. There was no effort to establish rhythm or pacing. Breece made this less painful to watch.

I posted this in another thread regarding Zach ....

The only positive in Zach's game is that he is making the shorter passes start to look routine.  He has been leaving the pocket WAY to often and early.  Zach is exceptionally accurate throwing from a solid platform.  This idea that he is at his best running backwards to play off script is laughable.  Its lazy coaching and i hold them alone accountable for his regression.

There is NO timing to his dropbacks, he is not being coached to get the ball out quickly,  and his dropback footwork should be mechanical 3 or 5 step drops until he has mastered that concept.  Once this is routine, then the off script sh*t can kick in.  This kid has an elite arm that needs to be harnessed... our current coaching staff does not seem capable of understanding this.

If I were coaching him, at this point.... timing on the drop backs and release would be my only focus .. if he then ignored this during the game i would yank him every week early until he does learn ... like you train a dog ... you dont reward failure.

Edited October 24, 2022 by Dunnie

[nycdan]

Few add-on thoughts of my own:

• Although the defensive effort overall was great, we seemed particularly vulnerable to the TE, Dulcich, on short, outside passes.  He wasn't just open, but a few times, he was completely uncovered.  It feels like a weakness in our zone and one that Belichick will undoubtedly exploit the hell out of if it's not addressed.
• The low punt from Mann that ripped past the PR in the second half was weirdly effective.  I think it might have spilled into the end zone but if it was aimed a bit more to the side, or got a luckier bounce, it could have been even more so, while being unreturnable in any case.  I wonder why we don't see that more often.
• Cannot say enough good things about Zuerlein.  Feeling confident about a 45-yard FG attempt in less-than-ideal conditions is something to be celebrated.  Look at the difference vs. Denver's kicker.
• Mims...good block, good catch, but that penalty.  Without that, you had an argument to stay on the active roster.  You still will if Davis can't go next week, but we need you to step up and BE Davis if that's the case.  This is your chance to shine.  Don't make dumb mistakes.
• On that note, how can we not talk about the penalties.  Duane Brown, you are still a big, sexy beast, but 3 penalties (that I recall - maybe there were more by you) are game-killers that we were lucky to withstand yesterday.  Overall, that was the biggest takeaway from yesterday for me.  The team has been pretty clean this season, but yesterday felt like the entire team was melting down and I can't even blame the refs.  Against NE and BUF, we need to be clean.
• Sauce - great day, but I wonder if he won't get flagged for those same plays against the Patriots.  Might have to be a little more mindful next week.
• There were a few tackling issues.  Not many and not awful, but a few cases where we whiffed on first contact, which I don't recall much of over the past few weeks.  Also something to keep and eye one for next week.  Stevenson is a tough out.
• Garrett Wilson made a really incredible catch on a badly thrown ball.  He probably needs to be featured more next week, but will undoubtedly see a healthy dose of NE's really good rookie CB.  Not sure who the next man up will be with question marks on Davis and Moore.  I actually think Berrios may need to eat a lot more next week and I'm here for it. 

 

[Ron Rico]

32 minutes ago, SuicidalSince98 said:

He shanked a punt 

After Zach went 3 and out. 

Again.

[Ron Rico]

9 minutes ago, nycdan said:

• Sauce - great day, but I wonder if he won't get flagged for those same plays against the Patriots.  Might have to be a little more mindful next week.

 

Oh, rest assured Bellicheat has been on the phone all morning about that.

[bostonmajet]

41 minutes ago, KRL said:

Observers of the league knew this was going to be an ugly, defensive and low
scoring game.  If the Jets were going to win they would have to overcome an
excellent DEN defense and the altitude.  But who knew they would also have to
overcome losing four offensive starters: Elijah Moore (pouting), Corey Davis
(knee), Breece Hall (knee) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (elbow).  With all that
adversity it would've been easy for the "Same Old Jets" to re-appear, but a new
day seems to be dawning as they gutted out a 16-9 win:

Special Teams

- Greg Zuerlein was the difference in this game as he was perfect (3/3 FGs, 1/1
XP) generating 10 of the team's 16 points.  While Brandon McManus of DEN left 4
points on the field with a missed FG and XP.  Those 4 points made a HUGE difference
at the end of the game, protecting a 16-9 lead is easier than a 16-13 lead.

- Braden Mann was excellent with a 54.8 average but he's got to eliminate the
"shanks".

- No opportunities for Braxton Berrios on punts (fair catches) or KOs.

Defense

- Solid effort by the defense but DEN offense has been garbage so it must be graded
on a curve.  Particularly with Russell Wilson out and Brett Rypien making the start.
But only giving up 9 points on the road against a team with weapons like Jerry Jeudy,
Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler and Melvin Gordon can't be "sneezed at".

- The "front seven" was solid in controlling DEN running game (105 yards) which kept
Rypien out of easy down and distances.  But I was surprised at the DLine only generating
one sack with Rypien attempting 46 passes.

- Quinnen Williams followed up his "Hall Of Fame" GB game with a solid effort (4 Tackles,
2 QB Hits)

- But the stars of the defense was the secondary:

  * Ahmad Gardner was a beast with 10 Tackles and 3 Passes Defensed.  And I apologize to
    him for being critical of his tackling, he's improved dramatically during the season.
    Gardner has also earned respect from the officials in only seven games, they are
    letting him get away with "chicken fighting" WRs without calling pass interference
    penalties.  The battles he had with Sutton on the last drive were very physical, but
    no flags.  And here's an amazing stat, Gardner has 12 Passes Defensed in only seven games
    he's on pace for 30 Passes Defensed over a full season, that's crazy!!! 

  * DJ Reed had 8 Tackles with 3 Passes Defensed and I thought he put Jeudy out of the game
    with the tackle he laid on him.  What a free agent pickup (3 years / $33 million) and to
    think JC Jackson (5 years / 82.5 million) is being benched by the LAC.

  * The safety tandem continues their solid play.  Jordan Whitehead had 4 Tackles and a Pass
    Defensed while Lamarcus Joyner had a Pass Defensed and a big INT that set the offense up
    for a FG.  And most importantly on deep passes both of them are providing excellent support
    to the CBs.  Nice to see "busted coverages" disappearing.

  * Michael Carter and Brandin Echols both deserve credit for their contributions.  They rotate
    in and there is no visible drop off in production when the starters take a break.

  * CJ Mosley (8 Tackles) and Quincy Williams (5 Tackles) have been physical with excellent range
    as the starters at LB.  But Kwon Alexander and Marcell Harris have been valuable as backups,
    providing excellent speed off the bench.

Offense 

- The best thing that could be said is the offense didn't turn the ball over and was able to
provide one explosive play.  Other than that it wasn't a good effort, particularly as they shot
themselves repeatedly with 11 penalties for 85 yards.  

- Breece Hall was terrific with 4 Rushes for 72 yards and a TD before getting hurt.  And most of
the rushing offense that was generated (24 Rushes / 155 Yards) came off of Hall's legs.

- With Hall out Michael Carter and a RB committee will have to carry the load.  I wouldn't mind
if Joe Douglas sent a pick to CLE for Kareem Hunt.  We need a RB with power to balance out Carter
and Ty Johnson.  If Hunt isn't an option keep your eye out for Tevin Coleman being brought back.

- I like the creativity that Mike LaFleur brings to the offense but he has to be better in short
yardage situations. We shouldn't have to be passing the ball on 3rd & 1 or 3rd & 2

QB

- The best things to say about Zach Wilson is he's 4-0 since coming back, he didn't turn the ball
over and he was able to escape pressure.  Other than that going 16/26 for 121 yards isn't good and
he MUST SHOW better awareness when escaping the pocket.  He was lucky he didn't give up a "scoop &
score" on that STUPID double "spin-a-rama".  Other than the 4th quarter of the PIT game we have not
seen much out of Wilson in terms of flashing "franchise QB" ability.  I understand the MIA, GB and
DEN games focused on the ground game and the NE & BUF games won't be easy.  But I'm definitely
looking for that "franchise QB" ability to appear and remain before his second season is over. 

Nice balanced write up as usual. If we want to be sniffing a playoff spot the O needs to reduce (or eliminate) all of the penalties. They have been killing drives. With ZW struggling, the O cannot be making the game harder than it already is. They also need to regroup with the loss of AVT and give ZW more time. LaFluer has to find a way to get ZW in a rhythm (coupled with reduced flags); we cannot rely on Breece saving the day and waiting for the 4th quarter for ZW to warm up.

ZW has to get better - period. He is a 2nd year Qb and needs to start showing progress if he expects to keep his job in year 3 or 4.

Can't wait to see how the D responds to Buffalo in particular. Go JETS.

[SuicidalSince98]

3 minutes ago, Coquito said:

After Zach went 3 and out. 

Again.

No relevant 

[#27TheDominator]

I get that the dude missed an extra point, but you guys are really calling out McManus for missing that field goal?  I know about the altitude, but it was 56 yards.  I don't think you sh*t on guys for missing field goals from mid-field.  

[Dunnie]

15 minutes ago, nycdan said:

 

 

• Sauce - great day, but I wonder if he won't get flagged for those same plays against the Patriots.  Might have to be a little more mindful next week.

 

Bill will dial up at least 3 plays where they chuck it deep hoping for PI on 3rd down .. better chance of that than hoping for a bobbled punt. And my guess is that they get at least one of those.

[nycdan]

1 minute ago, Dunnie said:

Bill will dial up at least 3 plays where they chuck it deep hoping for PI on 3rd down .. better chance of that than hoping for a bobbled punt. And my guess is that they get at least one of those.

Imagine the constipated look on Bill's face if Sauce keeps getting 'Brady' non-calls next week.  

[peekskill68]

38 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

KRL - Stellar post as usual.

Thoughts ...

Mike LaFleur called a terrible game. There was no effort to establish rhythm or pacing. Breece made this less painful to watch.

I posted this in another thread regarding Zach ....

The only positive in Zach's game is that he is making the shorter passes start to look routine.  He has been leaving the pocket WAY to often and early.  Zach is exceptionally accurate throwing from a solid platform.  This idea that he is at his best running backwards to play off script is laughable.  Its lazy coaching and i hold them alone accountable for his regression.

There is NO timing to his dropbacks, he is not being coached to get the ball out quickly,  and his dropback footwork should be mechanical 3 or 5 step drops until he has mastered that concept.  Once this is routine, then the off script sh*t can kick in.  This kid has an elite arm that needs to be harnessed... our current coaching staff does not seem capable of understanding this.

If I were coaching him, at this point.... timing on the drop backs and release would be my only focus .. if he then ignored this during the game i would yank him every week early until he does learn ... like you train a dog ... you dont reward failure.

Agree with you on Zach.  I think LaFleur needs to do a better job calling the game to get him in tempo.  Yesterday I feel Denver did a great job in coverage - I doubt Zach missed many open receivers.  He had free runners coming at him constantly, extended multiple plays with his mobility, and didn't turn the ball over.  I think he played better than the stat sheet...

[More Cowbell]

Didn't  see the game yesterday.  Just turned off the DVR. I honestly hate games like this. Just one mistake after another and Zach being chased all over the place makes for really ugly football. Now that Breece is going to be on the shelf, I have no idea what the Jets will transform into. 

[Claymation]

48 minutes ago, SuicidalSince98 said:

He shanked a punt 

He also flipped the field on more the one occasion. 

[peekskill68]

25 minutes ago, nycdan said:

Few add-on thoughts of my own:

• Although the defensive effort overall was great, we seemed particularly vulnerable to the TE, Dulcich, on short, outside passes.  He wasn't just open, but a few times, he was completely uncovered.  It feels like a weakness in our zone and one that Belichick will undoubtedly exploit the hell out of if it's not addressed.
• The low punt from Mann that ripped past the PR in the second half was weirdly effective.  I think it might have spilled into the end zone but if it was aimed a bit more to the side, or got a luckier bounce, it could have been even more so, while being unreturnable in any case.  I wonder why we don't see that more often.
• Cannot say enough good things about Zuerlein.  Feeling confident about a 45-yard FG attempt in less-than-ideal conditions is something to be celebrated.  Look at the difference vs. Denver's kicker.
• Mims...good block, good catch, but that penalty.  Without that, you had an argument to stay on the active roster.  You still will if Davis can't go next week, but we need you to step up and BE Davis if that's the case.  This is your chance to shine.  Don't make dumb mistakes.
• On that note, how can we not talk about the penalties.  Duane Brown, you are still a big, sexy beast, but 3 penalties (that I recall - maybe there were more by you) are game-killers that we were lucky to withstand yesterday.  Overall, that was the biggest takeaway from yesterday for me.  The team has been pretty clean this season, but yesterday felt like the entire team was melting down and I can't even blame the refs.  Against NE and BUF, we need to be clean.
• Sauce - great day, but I wonder if he won't get flagged for those same plays against the Patriots.  Might have to be a little more mindful next week.
• There were a few tackling issues.  Not many and not awful, but a few cases where we whiffed on first contact, which I don't recall much of over the past few weeks.  Also something to keep and eye one for next week.  Stevenson is a tough out.
• Garrett Wilson made a really incredible catch on a badly thrown ball.  He probably needs to be featured more next week, but will undoubtedly see a healthy dose of NE's really good rookie CB.  Not sure who the next man up will be with question marks on Davis and Moore.  I actually think Berrios may need to eat a lot more next week and I'm here for it. 

 

Not 100% sure that OPI was all on Mims.  I recall he engaged the defender a tad early on a bubble screen.  It could have been Zach was late on the throw.  It also could be a situation where a star WR doing the exact same thing would not get flagged.  

[Paradis]

1 hour ago, Larz said:

Nothing about the free rushers and pass pro ?

No

[Claymation]

 

[nycdan]

2 minutes ago, peekskill68 said:

Not 100% sure that OPI was all on Mims.  I recall he engaged the defender a tad early on a bubble screen.  It could have been Zach was late on the throw.  It also could be a situation where a star WR doing the exact same thing would not get flagged.  

Fair points.  The penalty wasn't a back-breaker as it turned out, but Mims has to be extra careful while he's got this opportunity to help, and not hurt, the team.  He didn't get much of a chance to help yesterday, but I think he could have a lot more of an opportunity next week if Davis is still not 100% or Moore isn't back.  

[Claymation]

That's how you get someone killed

 

[HighPitch]

If you wanna mess up bellichecks gameplan, start mike white at the last second

[section314]

18 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

Bill will dial up at least 3 plays where they chuck it deep hoping for PI on 3rd down .. better chance of that than hoping for a bobbled punt. And my guess is that they get at least one of those.

Chuck it deep? Guess BB will be staying with the rookie QB??

[Claymation]

 

[Barry McCockinner]

11 minutes ago, Claymation said:

 

Zach out there making pass rushers look like fools. Watching this in real time I was wishing he would have just taken off and run after making the last guy miss. Seeing it again it looks like he had a lot of green ...

Tomlinson must have had the wrong snap count on this play. This would have been an insta sack/fumble with Flacco at QB.

[section314]

2 minutes ago, Claymation said:

 

Wow. That would keep me up at night if I were Salah.

[Dax89]

Zach has to improve his ball placement.  There's throwing a ball that's theoretically "Catchable" but even then it's behind the receiver, too high/low.  And this happens even on passes that should be "high percentage" and this leads to drops or doesn't allow the receiver to run with it.  It's absolutely killing our offensive efficiency.  

[Larz]

1 hour ago, Coquito said:

After Zach went 3 and out. 

Again.

1 vs 11 is a tough assignment 

[CanadienJetsFan]

1 hour ago, Claymation said:

 

YUP

This will bite them in the butt eventually.

[DjHoldyHold]

1 hour ago, Dunnie said:

Bill will dial up at least 3 plays where they chuck it deep hoping for PI on 3rd down .. better chance of that than hoping for a bobbled punt. And my guess is that they get at least one of those.

That strategy was effective for Miami

[56mehl56]

1 hour ago, nycdan said:

Fair points.  The penalty wasn't a back-breaker as it turned out, but Mims has to be extra careful while he's got this opportunity to help, and not hurt, the team.  He didn't get much of a chance to help yesterday, but I think he could have a lot more of an opportunity next week if Davis is still not 100% or Moore isn't back.  

Speaking of penalties what about when Mims got drilled in the helmet after a clear 3 seconds following an incompletion. I can see how things get missed in the trenches but the play was focused to MIms so all the refs eyes were there .