Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter
The Jets got the ball first on Sunday, but the first possession set the tone for what was to follow. Two runs went nowhere as the revamped offensive line gained no traction and rookie tight end Trevon Wesco allowed his man to make the stop each time. On third down, stand-in quarterback Luke Falk couldn't even get a throw off as veteran Brian Winters was beaten for a sack.
After the Jets punted, the Eagles marched downfield for a touchdown to take the lead, which they then doubled when Falk threw a pick-six on fourth down on the Jets' next possession. That was as close as it got all day as the Eagles comfortably swept the injury-plagued Jets aside.
To their credit, the Jets' defense stiffened for most of the rest of the first half, but Falk's second interception set the Eagles up with good field position and they worked the two-minute drill to go up 21-0 with 34 seconds to go in the first half.
While the Jets' defense showed some competitive spirit, they were completely outmatched on the other side of the ball. They ended up with 128 yards. It will be interesting to see how much Sam Darnold's return will elevate this group.
The Jets' offense finally got on the board in the fourth quarter when recent-signing Vyncint Smith ran for a 19-yard touchdown on an end around. That came one play after Trenton Cannon recovered a fumble on special teams.
However, the Eagles still had time to make it 31-6 on a wacky play that saw Orlando Scandrick return a fumble for a touchdown after having snatched the ball out of Falk's hands near midfield.
Ultimately, it's difficult to know what to make of this team while both their quarterback and their defensive leader, CJ Mosley, remain out. Unfortunately, with a win-less record to start the season and a couple of tough games coming up, it seems like their season is essentially going to be over before we ever find out.
Here are more takeaways from the loss that dropped the Jets to 0-4 ...
1) The shake-up on the offensive line failed to have the desired effect, as the Jets were arguably worse than they've been all season in pass protection, giving up 10 sacks. Some of the blame must go to Falk, though, as he was slow to read the field and held onto the ball too long on several of those plays.
2) Rookie Chuma Edoga's inclusion in the starting line-up ahead of Brandon Shell was a surprise and he struggled badly, as he was beaten badly on two sacks and got blown up on a crucial 3rd-and-short run. Unless there is more to Shell's benching, it seemed strange for the Jets to throw the rookie into the mix when they've been desperate to establish some continuity.
3) The other offensive line change was an enforced move due to Kelechi Osemele's shoulder injury suffered during the week. Alex Lewis, an off-season trade acquisition, didn't fare too badly in Osemele's place at left guard.
4) The Jets clearly over-used Le'Veon Bell once again, as he was actually the only player with a catch or carry in the first quarter. This rendered the Jets offense predictable and, while he had some flashy moments on the way to racking up 88 yards on 22 touches, Bell continues to average less than three yards per carry this season.
5) Other than Bell, the only player who was targeted more than three times was another veteran; Demaryius Thomas. He was thrown to nine times, catching just four passes for 47 yards. However, he also had a horrible drop on a deep ball that probably should have gone for a touchdown.
6) There was also a shake-up on defense this week with Trumaine Johnson back in the line-up as the starting cornerback. Johnson gave up several plays in coverage and had two penalties. On the other side, Darryl Roberts wasn't targeted as much, but was beaten for a first half touchdown.
7) As if the Jets didn't have enough injury problems, they lost veteran defensive lineman Henry Anderson to a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Undrafted rookie Kyle Phillips and Jordan Willis, who was making his Jets debut, saw extra playing time as a result.
8) While the game felt out of reach for virtually the entire game, the defense continued to play hard throughout, led by Jamal Adams - who made several nice plays - and Neville Hewitt, who led the team with 10 tackles.
9) A loss like this is sure to pile more pressure onto Adam Gase, whose ability to generate much offensive production in spite of the injuries has been disappointing. Fans are already frustrated at the apparent lack of creativity. In addition, some of his in-game decision-making, for example when he opted to attempt a 55-yard field goal into the wind on 3rd-and-3, is also easy to second-guess.