Jets Flying At Low Altitude, Host Peyton Manning and the Broncos

To say that the Green and White were Jet lagged on Sunday against the Chargers in San Diego would be an understatement. All word play aside, the New York Jets suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in the Rex Ryan era, losing 31-0 to Philip Rivers and the Bolts. The Jets fall to 1-4 on the season and are quickly losing ground in the AFC east.

Rivers showed why he is an early MVP candidate by going 5-5 with 85 yards on the Chargers first scoring drive. Darrin Walls was targeted early and often as Rivers absolutely picked apart an already spotty Jets secondary. Rivers threw for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns with only one interception taken away by Phillip Adams. The Chargers were able to do whatever they wanted through the air and on the ground. Despite leading the league in sacks heading into the week with 15, the Jets put almost no pressure on Rivers. The Jets had a measly three sacks on the day, two of them belonging to veteran Calvin Pace. The Chargers even ran the ball effectively with their 4th string running back against an above average Jets run defense. Branden Oliver totaled 114 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown. He also added 68 yards through the air and another touchdown. Even the Jets biggest strength didn’t work and the Chargers had their way on offense all day long. Philip Rivers had a QBR of 94.5 and passer rating of 125.3 and leads the NFL in completion percentage as well as total QBR.

There isn’t much to say about the New York Jets offense at this point in the season, they just aren’t playing well and they need to get better collectively. However, the quarterback play Sunday was as bad as it’s been all season and not just for Geno Smith. In his regular season debut, Michael Vick came out to start the second half already down 21-0. Geno Smith was pulled at halftime for his insufficient play and adding to his giveaway total on the season with an interception thrown. Geno Smith went into the game Sunday with 7 giveaways on the season already, the most in the NFL. Geno Smith was 4-12 for 27 yards in the first half with a QBR of 3.1 and a passer rating of 7.6.  On the season his total QBR is around 24 which places him 31st in the NFL.  So after halftime, on came veteran quarterback Michael Vick, who most fans thought should start from week one. However, Vick wasn’t much help either as he made several mental errors, like trying to throw the ball while over the line of scrimmage negating a Greg Salas touchdown on their only trip to the red zone all day. Vick was 8-19 for 47 yards with 14 yards on the ground on 2 rushes. His QBR was 6.6 and his passer rating was 49.7. The Jets longest pass of the day only traveled eight yards, and they also punted 8 times while having three drives result in negative yards.

The run game wasn’t there to lean on as the two-dreaded monster of Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson combined for just 68 yards on 16 carries along with a Johnson fumble. There really isn’t much to say about the Jets performance on Sunday, all they can do is throw the game film away and start fresh. Rex Ryan addressed the Jets followers saying, “I apologize to our fans… the ones that are left.” He also acknowledged the fact they have to improve quickly saying, “We better get better in a hurry.” The Jets aren’t playing with the swagger I watched them play with in training camp and don’t have an identity on offense. There’s no question that until the quarterback play becomes consistent they need to be a run based offense but they’re struggling there too. The New York Jets need to get back to basics on both sides of the football and just play. Everything on offense for the Jets looks forced, nothing looks crisp or smooth as it should.

The Denver Broncos come to Metlife for Week 6 and they bring yet another AFC West power offense to the field led by Peyton Manning. Like Rivers came into his game against the Jets, Peyton rolls into Metlife Stadium after throwing for 489 yards and four touchdowns against a solid Cardinals secondary and all pro Patrick Peterson. Peyton Manning is a field general and a surgeon on offense and the only thing the Jets can do is try and replicate what the Seahawks did to the Broncos in the Super Bowl XLVIII at Metlife Stadium and hope the curse of Metlife continues for Manning. The Seahawks brought the pressure no matter how many times Peyton audibled or yelled “Omaha.” Peyton Manning is not a mobile quarterback, probably the least mobile the Jets will face all season besides Tom Brady. Granted, the Jets secondary isn’t at the same level as the LOB in Seattle, the Jets still need to bring the pressure. If the Jets sit on their heels and play zone coverages Peyton Manning will dissect the secondary, and the Jets need to respect Manning’s football IQ

The key is pressure, but for that to happen the Jets need to get healthy up front. Damon Harrison who tweaked his ankle against the Chargers was able to practice fully on Wednesday but linebacker David Harris did not participate at all due to a shoulder injury. While it looks like Harrison will be able to go Sunday, David Harris may be sidelined, which is a huge blow to the Jets usually vaunted front seven. On top of those injuries, cornerbacks Dee Milliner and Darrin Walls are both on the Injury Report for leg injuries. Walls did not play at all and Dee Milliner was limited. This makes pressure all the more important as the Jets are now almost completely depleted in the secondary. Eric Decker looks to make a return in time to face his former team this Sunday after being out in San Diego due to his nagging hamstring injury. David Nelson is also nursing an ankle injury and did not play on Wednesday. Geno Smith will get the start with or without his top two wide receivers, but without them it won’t be easy for Geno to get into a rhythm and improve his play against a Broncos defense full of studs like DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, Von Miller and Aquib Talib.

The Jets need to run the ball effectively if they have any chance of winning against Denver at home. Running the ball sets the tempo for an offense and can dictate the passing game. The Jets can’t afford to get down early so they need to come out, set the tempo and replace bells and whistles with blood and sweat on offense. Geno Smith is already under the gun along with his biggest fan, Rex Ryan but another bad game could put both men on the hot seat for losing their jobs. We’ll see if the Jets can avoid turbulence in New Jersey on Sunday, as another blowout loss could force them to put their landing gear on early and forget any chance of making the playoffs.