The Jets looked incompetent in a variety of ways during Sunday's 37-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The coaching decisions were questionable, the offense and defense were both lousy, and special teams contributed nothing.
Coming off a bye week, the Jets had plenty of time to prepare, yet their unimaginative game plan on offense doomed the team from the start. Expecting the run, Buffalo stacked the box and the Jets lacked any sort of creativity or versatility to keep them honest.
A quick look at the stat sheet shows that the Jets had a good day rushing the ball. But it's completely misleading. Subtract Chris Ivory's 69-yard gain, and they ran for just 65 yards on 21 attempts.
The running game actually looked great in comparison to Geno Smith's terrible performance. Smith completed just eight of his 23 passes, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble deep in his own territory. To say Smith would've been better off crossing the nearby border and playing in the Canadian Football League would be an insult to quarterbacks in the CFL.
Smith was yanked in the third quarter in favor of backup Matt Simms. While Smith hasn't done too much to keep his starting job of late, Simms shouldn't be handed the role just because of his play in garbage time. The offensive line did a horrendous job of protecting Smith from Buffalo's blitzing attack, yet the Bills mercifully called off the dogs once Simms entered the game. Simms also threw a ball right into the chest of a Buffalo defender, but the would-be interception was dropped.
On defense, the Jets opting to have their cornerbacks play off coverage made zero sense. The Bills were without two of their best receivers and it allowed the reserves space to make plays. Making matters worse, the coaching staff failed to adjust when it wasn't working.
Coach Rex Ryan's loyalty to Dee Milliner and Ed Reed also didn't help much. Milliner continues to look lost and is a defensive liability on the field. The 34-yard touchdown he got beat on was comically bad, and the 40-yard completion he gave up led to another score.
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Despite another poor outing for Milliner, Ryan stated in the postgame press conference that he will remain in his starting role. But if Milliner can't keep track of the ball when it's in the air, then he shouldn't be playing.
Reed made a few tackles in his first game with the Jets, but that was about all he did. It was a curious decision to start Reed in place of Antonio Allen rather than have him come off the bench. At this point, Reed's name is far better than his game.
Bills quarterback EJ Manuel was given much too much time to throw, which provided him with the opportunity to exploit Gang Green's inability to defend in the secondary. The front seven got very little pressure on Manuel, and he was far too comfortable in the pocket.
To their credit, the Jets did a terrific job of stopping the run. They allowed just 1.8 yards per carry, but it wasn't enough to make up for their deficiencies in the defensive backfield.
Strong winds filled the air throughout the game, making Ryan's choice to try for a 48-yard field goal early in the first quarter debatable. Kicker Nick Folk's wind-aided first miss of the year was so ugly, it should've counted for two misses.
It isn't often that a team goes for it on fourth down and long, but it might have been worth the gamble in this situation.
In addition to Folk's miss, Leger Douzable committed a huge no-no on special teams when he was penalized for a neutral zone infraction on a Bills punt attempt. The blunder led to Buffalo opting not to punt and picking up the first down. Just a few plays later, Milliner was left looking clueless on the 34-yard touchdown he gave up.
Even after suffering such a lopsided defeat, it's hard to write the Jets off just yet due to their ability to bounce back each time they've looked atrocious this season. The Jets set an NFL record by becoming the first team to alternate wins and losses in their first 10 games, but the streak will be snapped if they play like this again next week.
To blame this loss though on the team's Saturday night trip to Dave & Buster's is completely asinine. Had the Jets won, the running joke would be how the team should take a trip there before every game.
If the Jets want to have another team outing in advance of their trip to Baltimore to play the Ravens, they should have a bonfire and burn this past Sunday's game tape.
