Jets report card vs. Lions in Week 1
Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets looks on in the second half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 10, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Credit: Getty Images/Rey Del Rio
OFFENSE: All eyes were on Sam Darnold, and after the he threw a pick-6 on his first attempt, the rookie QB settled in nicely. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He hooked up with seven different receivers, and threw touchdowns to Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa. The offensive line more than did its job. They kept the pressure off Darnold. He was sacked two times -- just once after the second series of the game. And the line created holes for the Jets to rush for 169 yards. Isaiah Crowell ran for 102 yards and two TDS in his Jets debut. And
GRADE: A
DEFENSE: They made Matthew Stafford look really bad. The Jets picked off Stafford four times and Matt Cassel once. Darron Lee, who had two interceptions, said the Jets were calling out the plays when Stafford got to the line because they knew the formations and his hand signals. Lee felt the Jets got in Stafford’s head. Sure seemed that way. Lee returned one of his picks for the Jets' first defensive touchdown since 2013.
GRADE: A
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Jets dominated in this area as well, surprisingly. Andre Roberts totaled 182 return yards. That was 182 more yards than the Lions had. Roberts was huge in the punt game. He returned one for 78 yards for the first special teams TD since 2012 and another 43 yards to set up the Jets’ first score. Jason Myers kicked two field goals and made all six of his extra points. He also kept the ball away from Lions returners. All nine of his kickoffs were touchbacks. The Jets did everything to limit Jamal Agnew, who returned two punts for a touchdown last year. He made one fair catch of a Lachlan Edwards punt. Edwards’ other two punts were downed and went out of bounds.
GRADE: A
COACHING: Todd Bowles had his team more prepared in all facets of the game than Matt Patricia in his head coaching debut. New England’s former defensive coordinator didn’t look like a rocket scientist Monday night. The Jets' offense mixed it up against Patricia’s team. The Jets' defense controlled the game. The fact that they said they knew everything Stafford was doing speaks to how much they studied and wanted to make a statement this game. They did.
GRADE: A
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
