Jets Week 1: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, The Flacco
Sunday in East Rutherford was an unhappy one for Jets fans falling to Baltimore 24-9. Jets fans have become accustomed to this feeling. With lots of young talent on this team hope were high throughout the offseason. Joe Flacco and company were not able to get anything going offensively throughout the game. We’ll start with the bad and work our way to the positives we saw from Gang Green.
The Bad
Joe Flacco
Lots of fans were excited to see Flacco get the start under center against his former team. There’s been lots of offseason hype surrounding Flacco. Elijah Moore even complimented the “receiver friendly” balls Flacco was throwing to him in camp. NFL talking heads even went as far as to say Flacco gives the Jets a better chance to win now then the injured Zach Wilson. However, it became very clear by the end of the fist half that Joe Flacco would not be putting the Jets in a position to win this game.
Flacco went 37/59 passing with 1 TD and an INT. The touchdown coming in the closing seconds of the game when it was very clear the game was out of hand. Flacco looked reluctant to take any deep shots to his young weapons in Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, who have been the talk of preseason. It was all out routes, curls, and screens all day for the Jets offense. These plays had mixed results, but mostly proved ineffective against Baltimore’s defense.
Perhaps worst of all, Flacco is totally immobile inside and outside the pocket these days. Baltimore’s pass rush was getting lots of pressure on Flacco all game and he did himself no favors getting the ball out slowly each pass attempt. Mobility in the pocket gets increasingly important to playing QB in this league each season. If you look at the top players in this league at this position it’s a strength to every single one their games. Back in his prime years, Flacco was very mobile and could make plays with his legs. These days not so much and with this being a strength to Zach Wilson’s game Jets fans could not be more eager to see him return to the field.
The Ugly
Play Calling
Now do I totally dislike what Mike Lafleur has done with offense? No. But do I think adjustments need to be made. Absolutely. You CAN NOT have old man Flacco throwing the ball 59 times in one game. You just can’t. There’s talent at the RB position on this roster. Second year back Michael Carter had 60 yards on 10 rushing attempts. Small sample size but six yards a carry is not too shabby. Rookie RB Breece Hall has also been one of the stars of camp and only saw six carries in the game for 23 yards.
Lafleur comes from the San Francisco system that thrived when they running the balls down the opponents throats. This is what led to their success in their super bowl appearance back in 2019. There were far too many check-downs and screen passes called in this game which didn’t allow the stars of the offense to shine. Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson would’ve been able to get open on at least a couple plays. Just take more deep shots. Flacco still has a cannon for an arm! They found some success on curl routes and running slants over the middle, but to really shine they need more opportunity beating their man downfield.
The Good
The Defense
I had my doubts going into this game about the defense. Boy did they step up in a big way! They were stout against the run all game. Lamar Jackson and company could not get anything going early on the ground. Holding Lamar Jackson to just 17 yards on the ground is a major win and accomplishment for this defense. The Jets D dared Lamar to beat them with his arm and it paid off for most of the game. However, the offense was not able to do them any favors.
Much to their success, they were effective most of the game against the pass. One of the highlights of the game ,was Sauce Gardner batting away what was sure to be a Mark Andrews touchdown. The rookie was able to contain one of the best TEs in the league for much of this game.
Although, the defense finally started to bend in the third quarter making a couple of mistakes in coverage. Baltimore’s slot WR, Devin Duvernay, had himself a good day hauling in 2 TDs. The Jets coverage were also beat badly on the deep ball to Rashod Bateman on the big TD play that put this game out of reach.
Overall, the Jets defense did their job against Baltimore. The game plan was working to a tee most of the game and with a little more help from the offense this game could’ve been a different story. I’m excited to see Coach Saleh’s defensive prowess and coaching ability finally rounding into form. If the Zach Wilson returns healthy and continues to develop, this team just might have a shot at getting in the win column.
Michael Carter
Jets second year back Michael Carter stepped up in a big way. Lots of people have gravitated towards the rookie Breece Hall, who had a great camp, but seem to forget Carter is still the starter for now. Clearly, he did his job Sunday making plays left and right averaging six YPC and hauling in seven passes with a total of 100 yards from scrimmage. You could tell Carter was extra motivated to keep his job and continues to develop into a solid RB.
His ability to catch passes out of the back field was on display on game. He provided Flacco with a nice safety net and opened up other opportunities for other pass catchers throughout the game. Breece Hall was also successful too grabbing six of his own receptions.
The Jets are capable of forming a two headed monster in the backfield this season. Carter has demonstrated that he has supreme talent and Breece Hall has been impressive throughout camp and had his own highlights on Sunday. They need to continue to pound the rock with these two as the 49ers did in 2019 with Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida. These guys are even more talented than those two backs who led a Superbowl run and are on track to become one of the best duos in the league. If the Jets continue to get this level of elevated play from Carter, this offense may round into form by the middle of the season.