After Monday's ugly loss to Chargers, Jets' offense looks as broken as it's ever been

EAST RUTHERFORD — Chargers all-world quarterback Justin Herbert didn’t eclipse 140 passing yards. Running back Austin Ekeler totaled just 47 on the ground. Five-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher Keenan Allen had only 77 — 23 courtesy of a ridiculous one-handed grab.

The Jets' defense, by just about every statistical measure, stood on its head on Monday Night Football — embarrassed, as Robert Saleh likes to say, one of the league’s more dynamic groups.

And it didn’t matter.

The Jets lost to the Chargers, 27-6, dropping their record to 4-4, because their offense, the Achilles heel of this team the better part of two years, is as broken as it’s ever been.

“We need to grow up,” running back Breece Hall said.

The Jets insisted they were close. They brushed off the varying levels of futility stacked atop each other each Sunday with that excuse. Clean up a missed assignment here, a wrong route there, an ill-advised penalty at an inopportune time and they would break out.

They had playmakers like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. They had an improved Zach Wilson. They had a better play-caller in Nathaniel Hackett, who brought with him an improved offensive scheme. It was not time to panic.

It’s Nov. 7. The Jets were the nightcap of Week 9.

According to OptaSTATS, they did so by becoming the only NFL team in the Super Bowl era to have their defense collect five-plus sacks, hold the opponent to under 200 yards and not allow any 25-yard plays … yet still lose a game by 20.

Forget panic. It’s Defcon 1.

“That wasn't what we expected to do,” said wideout Garrett Wilson, who finished with seven catches for 80 yards. “That's not what I expected to do today."

The Jets hid their offensive ineptitude behind praise for their opposition’s defense. That was justified and warranted earlier in the year. The Bills, Cowboys, Chiefs and Eagles are among the better in the league. The Giants and Patriots aren’t, but Wink Martindale and Bill Belichick are thorns in any young quarterback’s side. The Broncos, whom the Jets beat, 31-21, were the only outlier.

Until Monday. The Chargers entered MetLife Stadium a defensive mess. They ranked 28th in DVOA, 31st in yards per game, last in passing yards per game and 23rd in points per game.

The Jets had just one possession that lasted 10-plus plays on their first 12 series. Not one of those drives gained 50-plus yards. Their final drive did go 68 yards and 14 plays, but it came with the game decided and the Chargers playing a prevent defense. The Jets converted just three of 17 third downs. They did not score a touchdown on either of their two trips into the red zone.

“Today was not good, obviously,” Saleh said.

It’s actually been a nine-week plague.

The Jets entered Sunday ranked 31st in yards per game (273.3), 30th in passing (164.3), 25th in scoring (18.0), last in red zone touchdown efficiency (26.32 percent) and last in third down conversion rate (22.99 percent). That scoring is somewhat skewed, though, because of special teams and defensive scores.

The Jets have just eight offensive touchdowns this season. They have just three touchdowns in their last four games. They’re averaging just 14.4 offensive points per game, which would rank 31st. Only the Giants (11.2) are worse.

Mike LaFleur’s Jets offense averaged 17.4 points per game in 2022. The Jets kicked him to the curb this offseason because high-ranking decision makers believed the coach’s scheme wasn’t effective enough.

After an offseason of acquiring more talent, developing those on the roster, and getting back a healthy Hall … New York has managed to become worse than it was a year ago.

“It’s inexcusable, man,” said Zach Wilson, who finished 33-of-49 for 263 yards. The quarterback also lost two fumbles on strip sacks.

Wilson, who the Jets insisted is an improved player thanks to newfound confidence developed behind Aaron Rodgers, ranks last in EPA. He entered Monday night with a QBR (35.4) worse than his disastrous second season (38.5).

The Chargers sacked Wilson eight times. The reworked line (Mekhi Becton, Laken Tomlinson, Joe Tippmann, Max Mitchell, Billy Turner) wasn’t great, but the majority of those sacks came from Wilson holding the ball too long. Wilson’s average time to throw when pressured was an astounding 3.76 seconds.

Wilson was good against the Chiefs, completing 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, but it’s becoming abundantly clear that game was an anomaly — not the start of something. In his seven other games, he’s completed 132 of 228 passes (57.8 percent) for 1,355 yards (193 per game) with three touchdowns and five interceptions. That’s good for a quarterback rating of 70.34. He’s also fumbled eight times.

The Jets' decision not to pursue a legitimate backup option after Rodgers went down Week 1 is looking worse and worse by the day, especially after Joshua Dobbs’ heroics for Minnesota on Sunday.

“I don’t know if you can say it’s a step back,” Saleh said of Wilson’s Monday night performance.

The Jets had a chance to make a statement. They sat on their couches on Sunday and watched the Dolphins, Bills and Patriots all lose. A victory against the Chargers would have moved them within a half game of first place in the AFC East. Instead, they were slapped in the face with reality.

You couldn’t help but feel this team was lucky to be a game over .500. Josh Allen’s turnovers and a remarkable punt return gave them the win on opening night. Graham Gano’s injured knee led to a shanked field goal that would have given the Giants the win a week ago, despite their offense having negative-nine passing yards. 

Even the Broncos game felt like the Jets squeaked it out. The only game they truly won was, oddly enough, against the Eagles — whose slip-up in East Rutherford is their only of the season to date.

Eventually, the Jets' luck would run out and this would all catch up to them. Their defense truly is one of the game’s best, but it’s impossible to consistently win without complementary football. The offense is not doing its part, it hasn’t been all year.

“It sucks, bro,” Hall said. “It’s true.”

Saleh said he is not considering changing play -allers despite the fact these offensive struggles are eerily similar to the ones Hackett’s Broncos experienced last year. Something, though, must be adjusted. Continuing to do the same thing over and over again would be a green-and-white version of insanity.

A bewildered Saleh roamed the sidelines of MetLife for the majority of the game’s 60 minutes. Multiple times, ESPN cameras caught his despondent face — understandably so. Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers tormented Herbert and Co. The Chargers punted on seven of their first nine possessions. Despite this, at no point did the game feel in reach.

“I don’t know, man,” said Garrett Wilson when asked if the Jets were getting out-schemed. “I really don’t.”

That nauseating notion must have had Saleh in a Groundhog’s Day-like trance. Once again, the third-year coach’s defense is good enough to win. Once again, his offense is holding them back.

And that doesn’t look like it’s changing any time soon.

The Jets clearly aren’t close at all.