Jets' grades vs. Patriots in Week 8: Another report card they'll want to hide
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich shouts to his players from the sidelines in the first half of an NFL game against the New England Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
OFFENSE: D
There were way too many wasted opportunities throughout the game to overcome later in the Jets' 25-22 road loss to the Patriots. That includes burning three timeouts in the first quarter, going three-and-out on the first possession of the third quarter, and a go-nowhere drive later in the third. Tyler Conklin was a bright spot (3 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD) and Garrett Wilson caught five for 113 but that never really made much of an impact. Braelon Allen and Xavier Gipson each scored touchdowns, but when the Jets needed to convert a two-point play after Allen’s scoring run they couldn’t even run what they wanted and were flagged for a costly delay before Aaron Rodgers’ pass to Mike Williams was caught well short of the end zone.
DEFENSE: D
The Jets had two chances to stop the Patriots from taking a lead in the fourth quarter and allowed go-ahead points on both drives. On the first of those, they even let New England convert a third-and-11 on a 12-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett to Hunter Henry and a third-and-9 on a 14-yard pass to Tyquan Thornton before allowing a field goal. On the 12-play, 70-yard game-winning drive, Brissett scrambled 14 yards to convert a third-and-9 and Sauce Gardner gave up a 34-yard reception to Kayshon Boutte to get to the 9 on a play when Jarius Monroe blitzed and hit Brissett but couldn’t push him off his spot. These are supposed to be the Jets’ closers.
SPECIAL TEAMS: F
In a tight competition for the worst unit of the day, these guys won. Greg Zuerlein’s kicking has been a detriment to the team for the past month and it continued to be so on Sunday with a missed 44-yard field goal attempt and a failed extra point kick that he yanked to the left. He should not be the team’s kicker on Thursday. But even beyond him were other breakdowns that included allowing a 62-yard punt return to Marcus Jones that set up a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and the inability to down a punt at the 1 after the Jets eschewed a 58-yard field goal attempt.
COACHING: F
Jeff Ulbrich has absolutely nothing he can point to with this team and honestly say it is improving. Even the defense that was reliable under his watch as a coordinator has taken a nosedive, and he must consider handing off the play-calling there to someone else. There is no connection between offensive play-caller Todd Downing and Rodgers which leads to wasted time and confusion at the line of scrimmage. The eight penalties for 55 yards still points to an undisciplined team.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
