On Sunday, the New York Jets took on the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium. It was the battle between former Ravens QB and now Jets backup Joe Flacco and current Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. It was Jackson who stole the show with a 24-9 victory over the banged up Jets. All of the emotions regarding 9/11 quickly faded away with the disastrous performance put together by Gang Green.
In terms of the offense, they were very inefficient. Flacco completed 37 of 59 passes for 307 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. A majority of those 307 yards and the lone touchdown on the day came in garbage time with the Ravens already having a 24-3 lead. To make matters worse, new Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 45-yard field goal and an extra point. Even though the Jets still would have lost this game, they do not need to be having problems in the kicking game. It also did not help that Flacco who is now 37 years old is no longer as mobile as he used to be and he was under constant pressure all Sunday afternoon. This isn’t to say that Zach Wilson would’ve done any better but he is certainly much more mobile than the aforementioned Flacco. On a positive note, second year RB Michael Carter and rookie WR Garrett Wilson had excellent games. Carter looks like he picked up right where he left off last year as he has a tremendous ability to pick up yards after contact. As for Garrett Wilson, his speed and athleticism are worth noting as he was able to make some big plays while he was out on the field.
In terms of the defense, while they had a solid game, it was not enough to win with a stagnant offense. Robert Saleh’s defense, which was ranked dead last in the NFL last year, looked significantly better on Sunday. For a large portion of the game, they were able to put pressure on Lamar Jackson and shut down Ravens TE Mark Andrews as well. “Sauce” Gardner has backed up his talk with his play on the field and he has already provided a major boost in the Jets secondary, which was an area that has been horrible for years. In addition, they did not commit stupid penalties like they have the past few seasons and gave their offense many chances to win this game.
Next week, the Jets will travel to the Dawg Pound to take on the Cleveland Browns. Even though the Browns beat the Panthers last weekend on a last second 58-yard field goal, this should be a very winnable game for the Jets just as long as the defense plays like they did today and the offense is able to move the ball down the field and cover in the red zone. Don’t worry Jets fans…it is Week 1 for everybody and your team will hopefully uncover some hidden talent soon.
-Jack Henry Cicio
Comments
Post a Comment