After the Jet’s offense powered them to a win in week 12, lead by White, this Sunday was a heartbreaking loss for the Jets, as the lack of Red-Zone success dooms the Jets who fell to the Vikings by a score of 27-22. The defeat dropped the Jets to a 7-5 record with five games remaining in the season.
The Jets started very slow in this game, immediately falling behind in the first quarter and having a 20-6 deficit heading into halftime. The defense struggled over an extended period for the first time in weeks, giving Minnesota receivers room to operate and allow chunk plays in the run game. In addition, the pass rush was ineffective in the first half and did not generate much pressure. On offense, the Jets struggled to generate much of anything in the first half, having a few key drops and interceptions. With all the early struggles on both sides of the ball, it seemed this would be a game over quickly.
Things changed rapidly in the second half, though. First, the defense tightened up, not allowing the Vikings’ offense to have the same room to operate. Sauce Gardner and D.J Reed kept the yards to a minimum for the majority of the second half; Kirk Cousins ended up being held to 173 passing yards, and Justin Jefferson only had 45 yards receiving in the game. The defensive line also stepped up, as the likes of Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson generated pressure and got to Cousins in critical moments.
Mike White made many impressive throws on offense and helped bring the Jets back in this game. Garrett Wilson looked like a superstar once again, having eight receptions for 162 yards. Zonovan Knight also had another good game, going over 100 yards from scrimmage with 90 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving.
But despite all the second-half positives, the Jets came up short in this game. The main reason for this was the team’s red zone offense, as the Jets could not capitalize on the various opportunities afforded to them.
In six trips to the red zone, the Jets only converted one of them into a Mike White rushing touchdown. Mike LaFleur had a rough game in this regard, as he called plays that were not ideal for the situations the team was in. Whether it was calling multiple passing plays from the shotgun on the one-yard line or going away from Garrett Wilson and Zonovan Knight in crucial situations, the Jets’ offensive coordinator did not put the offense into advantageous positions. It did not help the situation when wide receiver Braxton Berrios, a normally sure-handed player, dropped a go-ahead touchdown on a 4th down late in the game.
Head Coach Robert Saleh spoke about the lack of red zone success after the game.
Lack of Red-Zone Success Dooms the Jets
“They were three-for-three and one-for-six, or one and one-of-three in goal-to-go situations. Can’t win the game just kicking field goals.”
Saleh also spoke about the overall scope of the game and the Jets’ ability to battle back from their early deficit.
“Schematically there were a few adjustments we had to make on defense. We were just giving up too many things, especially on third down. But at the end of the day, there were just missed opportunities all over the place in the first half that we felt like if we could just play a little bit more efficiently, we’ll start moving the ball, we’ll get our stops and make it a game. We just couldn’t score in the red zone.”
The loss to the Vikings makes the road harder for the Jets, but it by no means eliminates them from the AFC playoff picture. As of Sunday night, the Jets are in the number seven seed, slotting in ahead of the Chargers and Patriots and behind the Dolphins and Bengals. They are a team that is very much alive and in the thick of contending for a spot in the postseason.
After Sunday’s game, the Jets travel to Buffalo for a crucial AFC East matchup with the Bills. It is a tough matchup against one of the best teams in the AFC, if not the entire NFL, and will be another massive test for a team with playoff aspirations.
As I mentioned in my article last week, the Jets needed to beat Buffalo or Miami if they dropped the game to Minnesota. The Jets have already proved they can compete with, and beat, Buffalo, and that game was with the offense operating at a worse level than they are now.
Do the Jets need to clean up some aspects of their game as a team? Absolutely, and the red-zone offense must be at the top of that list. But with a defense that continuously plays at a high level and an offense that is showing more signs of consistency, the Jets will be a tough out for any opponent.
Despite the loss to Minnesota, the Jets battled back and showed they could go toe-to-toe with any team in the league. The key now is to make sure the lessons from the loss carry over for the remainder of the season, and if they do, the Jets will be in a good position to make some noise in the stretch run.