They love winning the first game of the season to mess with their fans’ hearts.
On Sunday, the Jets beat the Oakland Raiders 19-14. While, yes, it’s nice that they kicked off their season with a win, fans and the team need to look at the bigger picture.
The Jets turned the ball over twice and committed 11 penalties, which resulted in 105 yards. This is not acceptable against any team, but specifically against the Raiders.
Simply put, the Raiders are just not a good team. They lack skilled players on both sides of the ball and are starting a rookie quarterback. By turning the ball over and committing these penalties, the Jets allow inferior teams to stay in the game.
Quarterback Geno Smith was 23 for 28 with 221 yards and one touchdown and interception, to go along with one fumble lost.
While his completion percentage is good and he threw for a touchdown, overall Smith had an average game. He had flashes of brilliance, but he was too careless too often.
Early in the game he was not sliding and thankfully did not get hurt. He fumbled twice, but fortunately only one was lost. Going forward, he is going to have to make sure he takes better care of the ball and himself to help the Jets win more games.
Wide receiver Greg Salas forced the Jets to settle for a field goal when he dropped a touchdown pass from Smith. This can not happen, especially from a player like Salas who has few opportunities to make a big play like that in a close game.
The one-two punch of running backs Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory looked great. They combined for 193 total yards and one touchdowns. If they can keep this up, they will keep defenders on their feet because of the threat for a touchdown on any play.
I didn’t like the way quarterback Michael Vick was used besides the one trick play where his throw was just out of reach of wide receiver Eric Decker. Smith is the team’s quarterback, so let him play. There’s no need to put Vick on the field for gimmicks that rarely work out.
On defense, the Jets’ secondary surprised me. Cornerbacks Kyle Wilson and Darrin Walls also held their own for the most part and made some great open field tackles. If they can keep this up with Dee Milliner expected to return soon then the Jets will have one of the best defenses in the entire league.
Now, the Jets begin a difficult nine-game stretch until their bye week. They play the Packers, Bears, Lions, Chargers, Broncos, Patriots, Bills, Chiefs and Steelers. They must make sure they are clicking on all cylinders to come away from this run of games with a winning record.
This week against the Packers at Lambeau Field will be a big challenge for the Jets. The Packers had a difficult week one game losing to Seattle 36-16. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a difficult game against Seattle’s monstrous defense.
I expect the Packers to have a big bounce back game and beat the Jets 31-20. Rodgers will throw for four touchdowns and the Jets’ defense won’t have an answer for one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Smith and the rest of the offense will be able to score some points, but not enough to compete with the high-profile players the Packers have on offense.
So Jets fans, enjoy the win this week, but prepare to go back to reality on Sunday afternoon.