It was the tale of two halves for the New York Jets (4-9) as the team displayed grit down the stretch to secure a 23-17 victory against the San Francisco 49ers (1-12) at Levi’s Stadium. Despite digging itself into a 14-0 hole, the Jets buckled down and shut down the 49ers in the second half.
This marks the first time the Jets have won on the road after trailing by 14 points at halftime. They were 0-64 previously. The offense also overcame a slow start and scored 20 unanswered points thanks in large to running back Bilal Powell who ran for 145 yards on 29 carries and tacked on two touchdowns. Below are a few takeaways from the Jets victory.
New York Jets Week 14 Takeaways
Looking to the Future
With the Jets officially eliminated from playoff contention, head coach Todd Bowles gave the reins to second-year quarterback Bryce Petty. The game couldn’t have started any worse for Petty as safety Jimmie Ward picked off his first pass setting up first and goal for the 49ers at the seven-yard-line. On the ensuing drive, Colin Kaepernick‘s pass to Carlos Hyde resulted in a touchdown. Petty improved as the game continued finishing 23-of-35 for 257 yards and an interception.
While Petty persisted and led the team to victory, there are plenty of areas he needs to improve upon if he wants to be the franchise quarterback. Petty was sacked six times and while the offensive line played poorly, there were plenty of times where he held on to the ball too long. Petty also had difficulty going through his progressions. Again, the offensive line didn’t give him much time, but he often broke down when his first read wasn’t available.
Petty showed flashes of decent quarterback play including a deep pass to Brandon Marshall in the third quarter as well as his 26-yard throw to Robby Anderson in overtime. The potential is there, but he’s a project quarterback and needs more time to develop. Barring injury, he will have three more games to get more experience and show the Jets brass that he’s their future signal caller.
Run Defense
Both teams run defense was putrid as both Hyde and Powell had big days. Hyde nearly had 200 yards, finishing with 193 on 17 rushing attempts. The 49ers had 180 rushing yards at halftime, which was the most that the Jets have allowed in a half in two decades. However, the Jets settled down in the second half and only allowed 68 yards. After accumulating 56 yards on the ground in the first half, the Jets flipped the switch and ended up with 188 total rushing yards. With Matt Forte‘s knee injury, which he sustained in the first quarter, and Powell’s effective day, expect him to carry most of the load for the remainder of the season.
Kicker Woes
Normally it’s the Jets that get burned by special team blunders, but this time the Jets were the beneficiaries. The 49ers left points on the board when kicker Phil Dawson missed two field goals in the first half. Had he made those kicks, the Jets would have had to climb out of a deeper hole. Instead, it was Nick Folk‘s 50-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining that sent the game to overtime which ultimately led to a Jets victory.
Mixed Feelings
The victory serves a nice confidence boost for Petty as he continues to audition for a potential starting role in 2017. It also may potentially save Bowles’ job as the team displayed heart and determination in the come from behind win. However, some question whether the end result was worth it as they drop out of potentially having a top five pick. But who’s to say the Jets won’t find a gem whenever they pick. There is a chance the Jets wind up with a top five pick and end up with a bust. The truth is that nothing is guaranteed, so why not win and build morale?
The Jets have a tough task ahead of them as the 8-5 Miami Dolphins visit MetLife Stadium in week 15.
