Usually, teams benefit from extra rest. The New York Jets opened the season with three games in 11 days; they were thankful for the 10 days off they had between their Week 3 Thursday night victory over the New England Patriots and Sunday’s Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
But they didn’t take advantage of that extra rest — a recurring theme throughout coach Robert Saleh’s tenure. The Jets are 2-6 when getting at least nine days of rest between games since 2021, Saleh’s first year (it’s 3-9 when counting Week 1 games, for which the team has an entire offseason to prepare). That includes Sunday’s ugly 10-9 loss to the Broncos, a game in which the Jets were beset by penalties. After the game multiple players, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, alluded to a lower level of focus than what they had in the first three games.
GOT ‘EMMMMMMM
📺: CBS | @Pjlocke4 pic.twitter.com/Z3PgH5VL9Z
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 29, 2024
It’s an alarming trend, to be sure. The Jets will have two more games on longer stretches of rest this season — following a Week 9 Thursday night game against the Houston Texans (a road game against the Arizona Cardinals) and after the Week 12 bye (when they’ll host the Seattle Seahawks). Maybe they’ll be better served this week with a normal amount of rest, though they do have to fly to London to face the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings, a team clicking in all phases and led by the early favorite to win Coach of the Year, former Jets backup quarterback Kevin O’Connell.
On Sunday, the Jets’ performance felt like last year, even with Rodgers at quarterback. We’re about to find out if this season will play out like it did for the previous Saleh-coached Jets teams.
Here are seven of the Jets’ biggest issues that have jumped out through four games, and how much concern there should be for each one heading into October…
1. The issue: Penalties
The Jets were penalized 13 times against the Broncos; two other penalties were declined. This has been a recurring issue during Saleh’s tenure: The Jets have been penalized the fifth-most times in the NFL since 2021, and they were the most-penalized team in the NFL last year. They’re currently sixth in 2024.
The biggest issue against Denver was pre-snap penalties, particularly on offense. They were penalized five times for false starts. A lot of focus has been on offensive linemen adjusting to Rodgers’ famously complex cadence — a conversation sparked by Saleh’s post-game comments, questioning “whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence.” Rodgers took exception to that take.
Pre-snap penalties were an issue last year too. The Jets were second in the NFL in false start penalties on offense last year (29); only the Tennessee Titans had more.
Saleh alluded to addressing it with the team on Monday but wouldn’t say specifically how they’ll go about fixing the problem. “From a pre-snap operation, there’s things that we can do better just to clear their minds a little bit,” he said.
Saleh called it an issue of “focus” — there’s that word again. “It’s not as simple as ‘well, the players aren’t focused.’ It’s, ‘are we as coaches adding too many things that create a lack of focus,’ where they’re thinking about too many things pre-snap?”
This is on Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and offensive line coach Keith Carter, to figure out. Thus far, that trio has been unable to fix the issue dating back to last season.
Level of concern: Major, until the Jets show signs that this problem is not as much of a problem. Running back Breece Hall alluded to being “antsy” anticipating the Broncos blitzing on Sunday. Denver leads the NFL in blitz rate. In second-place: the Vikings, this Sunday’s opponent.
2. The issue: Aaron Rodgers’ connection with Garrett Wilson
Something is off between Wilson and Rodgers — it’s been the case since training camp, when the two were seen having animated sideline conversations during practice. They showed signs of getting on the same page by the end of camp, but the regular-season performance so far suggests that perhaps they didn’t.
Through four games, Rodgers has a 72.1 passer rating when targeting Wilson, per Pro Football Focus. He only has a worse rating when targeting wide receiver Xavier Gipson. Wilson was expected to take off with some stability at quarterback. Instead, he’s currently in the midst of one of the worst four-game stretches of his career. Over a full season, his current numbers (20 catches, 191 yards, one touchdown) project out to 85 catches for 812 yards and four touchdowns. His offensive EPA per target (-0.01) ranks 71st among wide receivers with at least 50 routes run.
Wilson fumbled away his first target on Sunday and Rodgers didn’t look his way again until the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, on a key drive, Rodgers threw a pass that hit the ground without Wilson ever even turning his head. Rodgers glared in his direction.
“We were just not on the same page,” Rodgers said post-game.
This made me think back to a moment from “Hard Knocks” in training camp last year when Randall Cobb — a longtime Rodgers teammate from Green Bay — gave a pep talk to the receiver group. He said: “If he don’t trust you, he’s not going to throw you the ball. He do not like throwing interceptions. So if he can’t trust you’re going to run the right route, he’s not going to throw it.”
Wilson likes to improvise to get open sometimes. Rodgers prefers his receivers going where they are supposed to go. At some point, they’ll have to find a common ground.
Level of concern: High, especially since this was a topic during training camp. For three straight weeks, opponents have shadowed Wilson with their star cornerbacks (Tennessee’s L’Jarius Snead, New England’s Christian Gonzalez, Denver’s Patrick Surtain) and it’s worked. Top cornerbacks on the schedule coming up include Minnesota’s Stephon Gilmore, Gonzalez and Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. It’s on Wilson and Rodgers to overcome that in tough matchups, like Rodgers used to with Davante Adams.
3. The issue: Breece Hall’s slow start
The Jets’ star running back is off to a rough start. Against the Broncos, he rushed for 4 yards on 10 carries. He’s averaging 3.1 yards per carry, which ranks 46th of 52 running backs with at least 20 carries. He only has three carries of 10 or more yards and his first-down conversion rate (16.1 percent) ranks 45th. The offense’s worst sequence of the season came when the Jets had first-and-goal from the 1-yard line against the Broncos on Sunday: Hall was stuffed on the first two plays (after an incomplete pass and a false start, the Jets settled for a field goal).
Hall’s struggles haven’t been entirely his fault. The run blocking when he’s in the game, including on that goal-line sequence, has been subpar. (It might be time for the Jets to retire the package where defensive tackle Solomon Thomas subs in as a fullback, which was a disaster at the goal line against the Broncos.)
Per NextGen, Hall has an expected yards per carry — which factors in blocking — of 3.2 yards, which ranks 47th of 47 running backs with at least 25 carries. Still, Hall has lacked his signature explosiveness and he’s been outplayed by rookie Braelon Allen (4.8 yards per carry). Don’t be surprised if Allen starts getting, at least, more of the short-yardage reps.
“I wish I could tell you” what’s wrong, Hall said. “Obviously, I wish I could run for 100, 200 yards every game, but realistically right now, I’m the focal point of most defenses, so it’s just really not happening.”
Level of concern: Low… for now. Hall’s talent is unquestioned. Maybe it will benefit him to get into more of a timeshare with Allen. “It wasn’t his best game, but I don’t think there’s an issue with Breece with regards to explosiveness and all that,” Saleh said. “He still has plenty of juice. Just chalk it up to a bad day, everyone has them and I fully expect him to bounce back.”
4. The issue: Stopping the run
Per PFF, the Jets have the second-worst run defense in the NFL through four games.
The 49ers’ Jordan Mason (24 carries, 123 yards) gashed them in Week 1. The Titans averaged 4.6 yards per carry in Week 2. The Patriots averaged 5.2 yards per carry in Week 3, albeit on just 15 attempts as New England played from behind. Broncos running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin averaged 4.9 yards on 25 carries, with much of their damage coming in the second half.
“Towards the end of the game our gap discipline just wasn’t there,” linebacker Quincy Willams said.
Level of concern: Medium-high. The Jets have been able to overcome struggles defensively in the run game; the difference this season is they lack the same depth and talent on the defensive line as in past years. They’re missing Jermaine Johnson, certainly. Defensive tackle Leki Fotu was signed to be a run stopper, and he’ll return from injured reserve and practice this week. Defensive end Will McDonald has struggled in the run game, though that was expected. The Jets simply don’t have many options to help fix this particular issue unless general manager Joe Douglas makes a trade. The bigger concern is in the pass rush…
5. The issue: Rushing the passer
The defensive line only mustered four pressures against the Broncos — three from McDonald and one from defensive end Takk McKinley. They didn’t sack rookie quarterback Bo Nix; the defense was saved by stellar play from the secondary.
The Jets were able to get pressure against the Titans and Patriots, though those two teams might have the worst offensive lines the Jets will face this season. McDonald has had some success but he needs help. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams had zero pressures or hits against Denver. McKinley has four pressures in 50 pass-rushing snaps this season. Micheal Clemons has seven in 72. Braiden McGregor has zero in 23.
Level of concern: Significant. Haason Reddick might never wear a Jets uniform. The cavalry isn’t coming unless, again, Douglas makes a trade. Here’s the Jets’ upcoming opponents and their rank in terms of pass-blocking grade, via PFF: Vikings (15th), Bills (10th), Steelers (18th), Patriots (30th), Texans (9th), Cardinals (13th).
6. The issue: The offensive line
This group, for the most part, looked like a strength through three games — at least in the passing game. But the O-line was probably the Jets’ weakest unit on Sunday, and not just because of the aforementioned false starts.
Rodgers was hit 14 times, pressured 23 times and sacked five times as the Broncos brought a steady stream of blitzes that the offense — including the coaching staff — was not prepared to handle. Center Joe Tippmann called that “eye-opening” and acknowledged that the Broncos were able to “expose” them with the blitz.
The biggest culprits, per PFF: rookie right tackle Olu Fashanu, starting his first game and at a new position filling in for an injured Morgan Moses, and left tackle Tyron Smith. Fashanu allowed a team-high five pressures and one hit. Smith has allowed three sacks in the last two games — after not allowing three sacks in an entire season since 2017. The 33-year-old has not looked especially dominant.
“He’s doing fine,” Saleh said of Smith. “I know as he continues to get comfortable with everything he’s going to get better.”
That raises the question: Why does a 14-year veteran (and future Hall of Famer) need more than four games to get “comfortable”?
Level of concern: Not high … for now. Fashanu should get better with more experience — or the Jets will get better once Moses returns in a few weeks. Check back again next week after the Jets are done with the blitz-happy Vikings, though.
7. The issue: Greg the Leg
Kicker Greg Zuerlein hasn’t looked like himself since the preseason. Zuerlein was automatic for the Jets last year, especially from deep. He was 5 of 6 on attempts of 50-plus, 13 of 14 from 40-plus, and converted 86.7 percent of his field goal attempts overall in 2022 and ’23. He’s at 71.4 percent through four games, including a miss from 50 yards that would have given the Jets a lead late in the fourth quarter against Denver. He missed a 45-yarder against the Patriots and a 33-yarder in the preseason against the Giants.
The kick is no good! @Broncos win ✅#NFL #DENvsNYJ #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/0d8CHORfMf
— NFL Australia & NZ (@NFLAUNZ) September 29, 2024
Level of concern: Low… for now. “He’s fine,” Saleh said, adding that the 50-yard attempt “was a tough kick in the rain. Would have loved to get another 5 or 10 yards to make it a little bit easier for him, but it was tough sledding for everybody.”
(Top photo: Mike Stobe / Getty Images)
