On Sunday the New York Jets lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 45-19 at Lincoln Financial Field. The loss drops the Jets record to 8-6, which is still good enough for the #6 seed in the AFC. Here are some notes from the game, a performance that Gang Green and their fans will quickly want to forget.
Offense
Offensive line- Just when you thought the Jets offensive line got their “mojo” back in terms of dominating the line of scrimmage the Eagles went out and completely manhandled the unit. Quarterback Mark Sanchez (sacked 4 times) was hit early and often which completely disrupted the passing game. Wayne Hunter once again struggled and for whatever reason the Jets refused to give him any help with a back or a tight end. This was a concerning performance by the offensive line, especially with the Giants pass rush coming up next Saturday.
Santonio struggles- New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes had a tough day on Sunday as his early fumble and dropped pass (which resulted in an interception) put the team behind the eight ball early on. Santonio did bounce back to score a touchdown, but then inexplicably got a taunting penalty after his endzone celebration. Not exactly what you expect from a team leader when your team is getting blown out.
Defense
Complete meltdown- There is no way to sugarcoat the performance of the New York Jets defense on Sunday. The Jets defense was awful as they could not stop the run (McCoy 3 tds), could not contain Mike Vick, and once again failed to cover the tight end as Brent Celek torched them for 156 yards and a touchdown. Blown coverages, missed tackles, and dumb penalties all contributed to a pathetic performance that yielded 420 yards.
Summary
At the end of the day the Eagles team speed killed the Jets. On offense the Jets had no answers for the Eagles pass rushers and on defense Gang Green’s lack of speed at the linebacker and safety positions was exposed as well. Add in 11 penalties and 4 turnovers and you have a recipe for a blowout loss. A loss that I am so disgusted by that I barely even wanted to break it down.
Next up for the Jets is a HUGE match-up against the New York Giants. There is a pretty good chance that the loser of the game will be knocked out of the playoffs.