In Monday night’s 27-19 loss to the visiting Chicago Bears, the New York Jets showed that:
*They can move the ball effectively across much of the field via both the pass and run, as evidenced by the 414 yards they racked up on offense, 300 of which came through Geno Smith’s 26 completions, and the remaining 114 on the ground.
*The defense can prevent even a potent offensive unit like the Bears’ from effectively moving the ball across the field, as evidenced by the mere 257 yards the Jets yielded and the near-constant pressure they put on QB Jay Cutler through inspired line play and an astute mix of blitzes, resulting in four sacks and a host of hurried throws. They were similarly staunch against the run, giving up just 60 yards at less than three a clip.
*None of the above really matters if they spot the opponent 14 easy points off of dumb mistakes in the first five minutes of play and show such stunning ineptitude in the red zone that they come away with only one touchdown in six trips inside the Bears’ 20 yard line.
The final try, of course, was Smith’s last-minute pass from deep in the red zone to Jeremy Kerley, who held on to the ball but landed out of bounds amid tight coverage from a depleted Bears secondary that suffered so many injuries that former Bears greats Gary Fencik, 60, and Doug Plank, 61, were both late-game call-ups. (Aiming to inject a bit of youth, Chicago GM Phil Emery also made a move for ex-Bear Jeff Fisher, 55, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell emerged from the secure location he’s been borrowing from Dick Cheney long enough to nix that transaction because of Fisher’s exclusive contract with the St. Louis Rams.)
At least the pass to Kerley wasn’t batted down or picked off, as were several other Smith attempts -- including the screen pass that was intercepted by Bears safety Ryan Mundy and returned for a TD on the game’s second play. A few minutes later, a muffed punt return by Jets rookie Jalen Saunders-- on a kick that was nearly blocked -- was quickly followed by a short Bears scoring drive (aided by a questionable pass interference call on cornerback Darrin Walls) that put the Jets down by two touchdowns just a third of the way through the first quarter.
The Jets held their own (if not the ball) for the next 55 minutes—until they got near the end zone. Against a team like the Bears, that just wasn’t enough. Against the likes of the Chargers, Broncos and Patriots—three of the next four opponents—it won’t even be close. They need to fix things fast.
Pete Zwiebach writes about the Jets for NBCNewYork.com. Zwiebach lives in New York City with his wife and two kids, who without fail manage to block his view of the TV whenever a game-changing play occurs.
