The Jets dropped a heartbreaker 23-20 to the Chiefs on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. One thing that has come up more than a few times during Zach Wilson’s struggles was whether he was better than Sam Darnold. I always leaned toward Darnold because he had a few memorable games where it felt like he was carrying the offense (Packers in 2018, Cowboys in 2019 come to mind off the top of my head) and I could not think of one game I felt like that with Wilson … until Sunday night.
Wilson finally had a signature game where he was running the offense and he was the reason the Jets were having success. The running game did not exist (more on that later), so it was up to Wilson to move the ball and he did. That is my biggest takeaway from this game. Wilson finally had not just a play or a drive or a quarter where he played well. After a slow start, he looked confident and made plays in rhythm. When he needed to make an off-schedule play, he did that. He made some genuinely great throws and used his legs effectively, too.
The question now becomes: Was this a outlier or can he play like this consistently? I am skeptical that he can keep it up but this has to be a huge jolt of confidence for Wilson and he needed it. Things were getting deep last week with all the criticism he was facing.
I think if you injected truth serum into people inside the Jets before this game they would have taken a loss to the Chiefs if Wilson played well. After coming so close to winning, the emotions are now raw and no one was ready to talk moral victories Sunday night. After a few days, I think the Jets will see Sunday night was a major positive for this team — even in a loss.
2. I have seen some people suggest that what Wilson did after the game was more impressive than what he did during the game. I won’t go that far but it was definitely a major step for Wilson to take the blame for this loss after his fumble. He stood up in front of the team and blamed himself and then he did it in front of the media.
Wilson definitely seems like he has matured since last season. I think what happened last year humbled him and he learned from his mistake in New England when he did not think he let the defense down.
I’m a little tired of Aaron Rodgers getting all the credit for everything Wilson has done but I do think this is an area where Rodgers has probably helped him too. Good leaders take the blame after losses and deflect credit after wins. It’s a pretty simple formula that we have seen guys like Derek Jeter and Eli Manning execute perfectly in New York.
I will argue that what he did on the field is way more important because if you’re not playing well, nothing else matters but I do think Wilson’s postgame actions were noteworthy.
3. The Wilson story was a good one Sunday night but this is not how the Jets can thrive consistently. They can’t have 41 passes and 16 runs. The Jets need to figure out how to get the run game going.
There were some positive runs by Breece Hall on Sunday but the Jets never seemed to find any rhythm in the run game.
The Jets also have to be worried about Dalvin Cook. He is giving off heavy 2020 Le’Veon Bell vibes with the way he is running. He looks slow and is not seeing the running lanes well. The problem is the only way to possibly get him out of this is to feed him the ball more and see if he can find a rhythm out there. But that is a risk if he continues to struggle.
The Jets showed some creativity in the run game with Xavier Gipson getting two carries. That is a good start. I also would try to use Michael Carter more. He is speedy and is a nice changeup from Hall and Cook.
4. Bryce Huff continues to be a monster off the edge. He was a major factor in Sunday night’s game.
First, he drew the facemask call that resulted in a safety and completely changed the momentum in the game. He later flushed Patrick Mahomes out on a third down and forced him to make an off-balance throw.
Huff is a fascinating player. He is not an every-down player because he is not good against the run. But he is so quick getting off the ball in passing situations that he has huge value to the Jets.
Huff is scheduled to be a free agent after this season and he will present a fascinating case. It is hard to argue to pay him huge money because he is not a double-digit sack player and he is not on the field on first and second down a lot. But it is also hard to imagine the Jets letting him walk. When you watch him play, he is so damn quick off the ball.
That is a conversation for the offseason. Right now, he is making a big impact for the Jets’ defense.
Revealing stat
This is not that revealing but it should be pointed out that the Jets were penalized seven times. The officials had a terrible night. A few calls went the Jets way (horse collar tackle) but most did not. The penalty on Sauce Gardner was called way late. These penalties added up and killed the Jets in the end.
Surprising snap count
Carl Lawson played just 14 snaps (20 percent). Lawson has become a role player for the Jets, which has been surprising to see.
Game ball
Wilson has to get the game ball. Yes, his fumble was costly but he did so many other good things. He finished 28-of-39 for 245 yards with two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 105.2.
