How the New York Jets lost to the Buffalo Bills by only 10 points on Sunday is a miracle. Totaling just 254 yards of offense and poor discipline should have made this an utter blowout. In fact, if it was not for a pair of fumbles deep in Jets territory, the Bills could have been up 35-0 at halftime. Instead, it was only a 21-3 game at halftime, and the Jets were somehow in it.
Except for head coach Adam Gase, as he once again stuck to his plan and made no adjustments to his game plan for the second half. He essentially abandoned the run game while running screenplay after screenplay. The Bills locked down any receiver not named Jamison Crowder as they kept Sam Darnold from making plays on the move. Following the loss, Gase recognized that after one game, changes must be made. So what exactly are they? And will Gase, a coach who is notorious for not making adjustments actually make them?
New York Jets Week 2 Adjustments
Week 1 Takeaways
Offense
Offensively, there are only two positive outcomes of Sunday’s game – the play of Crowder and the blocking upfront. Crowder finished the game with seven receptions for 115 yards, highlighted by a 69-yard touchdown. That of course coming on a screenplay in the third quarter. As for the offensive line, they gave up only three sacks to a talented Bills front, while maintaining a 20.5 percent pressure rate per Pro Football Reference. Rookie Mekhi Becton finished with a 77.2 grade, and Alex Lewis scored the fourth-highest grade of any guard in the league per Pro Football Focus. Unfortunately, the positives for the Jets offense end there.
For starters, it was just not Sam Darnold’s day. With the exception of garbage time, Darnold never had a receiver to rely on from start to finish. Darnold’s final line for Sunday – 21 of 35 completed for 215 yards, a touchdown, and a horrible interception. From a stat sheet standpoint, it may not appear as the worst game possible. But given the fact they were in this game, fans are justified in expecting more from the third-year pro.
One of the main causes for the poor performance is what everyone already knew – Darnold lacks the weapons necessary to succeed. Rookie Denzel Mims is on injured reserve, and Crowder was not involved until the two-minute warning of the first half. Tight end Chris Herndon was just not used as a dynamic tight end but as an underneath blanket. Not to mention off-season additions Breshad Perriman and Chris Hogan could not separate at all on the outside. Simply put – this Sunday it was everyone except the offensive line that caused the disaster in the passing game.
As for the backfield, like last year, the run game was inefficient. Le’Veon Bell got nothing going prior to his injury, and Frank Gore only got six carries for 24 yards. In the end, the Jets only ran the football 15 times out of their 53 total plays. The bottom line – Gase is correct when he says “We have a lot to work on.”
Defense
From the start, the Bills offense seemed virtually unstoppable in the first half. They not only won the field position battle but walked up and down the field with ease. If not for Josh Allen’s fumbles, this would have been a blowout from the start. Even Gang Green’s usually lockdown run defense could not contain Allen early, although pieced it together in the second half. In the end, Allen and the Bills back combined for just 98 yards on 32 carries.
As the run game eventually improved, the Jets pass defense did not. Outside of Marcus Maye and Blessuan Austin, the other members of the Jets secondary could not slow down Stefon Diggs, John Brown, and Cole Beasley. On Allen’s way to a career-high 312 yards passing, starting corner Pierre Desir was benched to start the second half and his replacement Nate Hairston did not play much better. As for Marcus Maye’s counterpart Bradley McDougald, he performed well against the run but posted a 52.1 coverage grade.
Upfront, Jordan Jenkins and company were non-factors against the pass, with the exception of Folorunso Fatukasi, who continues to impress as a role player. At linebacker, between CJ Mosley’s opt-out, and Avery Williamson and Blake Cashman’s injuries, the Jets were once again onto their fourth and fifth string linebackers in Week 1. Just like that, the injury bug has already begun to haunt the Jets in 2020.
Week 2 Adjustments
Pound the Rock
Next week the New York Jets will be going up against the Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco 49ers. And of course, they happen to boast one of the best defenses in the league. As 6.5-point underdogs, it would shock the league if the Jets could pull off the upset, let alone come close. If there is any chance though, the Jets will need to have success in the ground game.
Before they can even focus on the 49ers, they will need to figure out who will be rushing the football with Bell’s hamstring injury landing him on injured reserve. Chances are, it will be 49ers legend Frank Gore starting this week for the Jets, joined by Kalen Ballage and potentially Josh Adams as a practice squad call up. For Gase, he must make sure he commits to the ground game, as rushing 15 times an entire game is not winning football. With the 49ers pass rush, they must have an efficient run game to support Darnold and the pass offense.
Get the Tight Ends Involved
Speaking of the passing game, with all the injuries at receiver, it was shocking to see the lack of involvement from the tight end group on Sunday. Chris Herndon finished with six receptions, but only wracked up 37 yards, most coming late in the game. Gase must let Herndon utilize his whole route tree rather than just being a safety blanket because of his chemistry with Darnold. Additionally, to see Ryan Griffin, who dominated down the stretch last season, and Trevon Wesco, who reportedly had a very strong camp get no targets was very disappointing. Gase must get more creative with the usage of his promising tight end group, otherwise, they will fall behind early.
Play Ashtyn Davis and Quinnen Williams More
When the Jets took safety Ashtyn Davis in round three, it became clear he would one day replace Jamal Adams or Marcus Maye. Little did anyone know just how soon it would be. Yet aside from handing return duties, Davis was a non-factor in Sunday’s game. Maye and McDougald took all the safety snaps. Maye dominated in the do-it-all role as McDougald had his issues handling the single high safety spot. Given Davis’ athleticism and range, the Jets must play Davis more to improve their pass defense.
Unlike the safety position, the defensive line continues to rely on the heavy defensive rotations that Gregg Williams loves to use. That being said, to see Quinnen Williams, only net 58 percent of defensive snaps is discouraging given the reports of his development this off-season. In better shape than a year ago, expectations are high for the second-year pro. He made a solid impact against the Bills, with three tackles, 0.5 for a loss, and one quarterback hit. Gregg Williams is not going to stop his rotations, but nobody can deny Williams is their most talented defensive lineman and he must get more playtime.
Adam Gase – Actually Make the Necessary Adjustments
When it is all said and done, it is Adam Gase who is the one who must make the adjustments. And given his track record, it is unlikely to change his game plan to fit his player’s abilities. Nevertheless, Gase has finally sensed the urgency around not just the team to win, but himself too. Now on the hot seat, anything worse than the 7-9 campaign from last season will cost him his job. There comes a point where a coach must stop making excuses and win games. For Gase, that time is now.
