Grading the Jets: Poor performances across the board in Week 2 loss

OFFENSE: D

It didn’t help this statistic that their only touchdown of the game came on a one-play drive with a 68-yard touchdown catch and run by Garrett Wilson, but the Jets just could not sustain any extended possessions and had just one that lasted longer than seven snaps. They were 1-for-10 on third downs. That can’t happen and when it does the result is something like Sunday’s time of possession scale which tipped toward Dallas by an overwhelming 42-plus minutes to a little less than 18. The running backs did next to nothing and, when they made a play in the passing game, did worse than nothing as Dalvin Cook fumbled at the end of a 5-yard catch in the third quarter. The Jets won’t be the first team to look inept up front against Micah Parsons and his crew, but they allowed two sacks, four quarterback hits, and three tackles for a loss to the All-Everything linebacker.

DEFENSE: D

Sauce Gardner had a chance to change the entire game but dropped an interception that might even have been a pick-six for the lead on the drive that eventually gave the Cowboys an 18-7 lead. “I was just thinking too much about scoring and staying in bounds and not looking the ball in to catch it,” he said. Too bad, because it was one of the few opportunities the Jets had to stop the Dallas offense. Dak Prescott completed 31 of 38 passes, including his first 14 in the game, for 255 yards and two touchdowns while the Jets managed to sack him just once. The secondary had no answer for stopping CeeDee Lamb (11 catches, 143 yards). Not only were the Cowboys able to sustain drives (they were 9-for-18 on third downs), they had some huge chunk plays too (four for over 20 yards, three on passes) and totaled 382 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

The Jets showed one of their few razzle-dazzle plays early on with a fake punt from their own 19 in the first quarter, shooting a direct snap to upback Ashtyn Davis who ran for 4 on fourth-and-1. Too bad it was wasted as the Jets' offense went three-and-out after it and wound up punting anyway. Kicker Austin Seibert was exactly what you hope a kicker will be when he is signed on a Saturday before a Sunday game: A non-factor. He put his kickoffs through the end zone, put his extra point through the upright, and even nailed a 34-yard field goal at the end of the first half. (His reward will probably be a release assuming Greg Zuerlein’s groin is well enough for him to play next week, but he got a game check and some film to show other teams. No huge returns from rookie Xavier Gipson this week; he had only one for 7 yards.)

COACHING: D

All week the Jets talked about how much they trusted and believed in Zach Wilson, but when they took the field they showed the complete opposite of that in their play calls. They wanted to establish the run to the detriment of the offense. They need to figure out a way to integrate Wilson into their gameplans, not avoid him completely. Normally, the secondary can just line up to play opponents and usually get the better of them, but this game required some creativity that the Jets didn’t flex. The one good thing the staff did was fight off any indications of malaise or woe from the loss of their starting quarterback last week. They definitely miss Aaron Rodgers on the field and in their locker room, but it hasn’t affected their psyche.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

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.