New York Jets Report Card: Week 7
New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Quarterback: B-
Fitzpatrick: 22/39, 295 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 5 rushes for 29 yards, 1 fumble
I thought this was one of the better Fitzpatrick performances of the season. He was highly efficient in the face of a surprising amount of pressure from the Patriots front 7. He continues to make plays both on the ground and through the air, and his passes showed as much life as they have all season. It was his first game without an interception, but the Pats generated a field goal off his fumble on the 1st possession.
Running Backs: C-
Ivory: 17/41/0, 2 receptions for 12 yards, 1 TD
Stacy: 7/19/0, 1 reception for 11 yards
Bohanon: 2 receptions for 36 yards
Ivory was banged up early and that really hurt his effectiveness in the 1st half. He did snag a touchdown grab and really picked things up in the 2nd half. Stacy is a clear drop-off from what Ivory gives you.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B-
Marshall: 4/67/0
Decker: 6/94/0
Kerley: 3/27/1
Owusu: 2/25/0
Cumberland 1/16/0
Smith: 1/7/0
Marshall was quiet in the early game, drawing double teams. Both he and Decker were both big contributors once again and it was great to see Kerley get more involved in the gameplan. It’s difficult to remember the last time Kerley looked so smooth in his routes. Marshall’s dropped touchdown pass hurt the Jets dearly, however. The Jets still can’t seem to get the tight ends involved in the passing game.
Offensive Line: C-
Fitzpatrick was sacked twice and the rushers never had much space to operate in as the Jets offensive line struggled to contribute in both aspects of the game.
Defensive Line: B-
This was a tough call, given the way the Patriots offensive line committed holds so consistently without getting called for them. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed at the inability of the defensive line to create consistent interior pressure against a mediocre unit. While they struggled in penetration, they did effectively clog up the middle, forcing the Patriots to abandon the run up the middle.
Linebackers: B+
The Patriots only netted 16 yards on the ground, as they abandoned the running game rather early. Jets linebackers acquitted themselves well in coverage, for once.
Secondary: C-
Too many soft cushions (and, admittedly, some fatigue) enabled the Patriots to convert too many of their 3rd downs in the 2nd half. The Jets defense did not create a turnover for the 1st time in 6 games this season.
Special Teams:D-
Can any punter be worse than Quigley? Weatherford can. The Jets lost field position time and time again due to poor special teams. They even committed a 15 yard penalty in coverage just to top it off.
Coaching: D
While Todd Bowles’ team did hang tight with one of the best teams in the NFL, he made a number of mistakes that cost the Jets the game. He threw up the white flag in the 1st half by not even attempting to score with 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter and 3 timeouts left on the clock. He dropped 7 in coverage on a key 3rd and 17 that enabled the Patriots to move the chains. He failed to rush his team to the line to get off a play to prevent a successful Patriots challenge early. He also bumbled with his time management in the 4th quarter, refusing to take any timeouts while the Patriots held the ball.