There isn’t much to be encouraged about heading into Week 3. The Jets are down another quarterback and will look to their third-stringer, they travel to archrival New England and they’ll face a Patriots’ squad that won their first two games by a combined score of 76-3.
Nothing about the Jets offense Monday night looked good. They had no flow, no downfield mobility and seemed to rely solely on the legs of Le’Veon Bell. There were moments where the Jets looked to put together some semblance of an offense, but otherwise couldn’t muster much while being battered by the Browns’ front-seven. Things won’t get much easier against the Patriots, especially with less time to prepare and with a new starting quarterback.
Here are four keys to the offense in Week 3.
Establish a rhythm
The Jets offense hasn’t been able to string together a long, sustained drive since midway through the third quarter of Week 1, which is coincidentally the last time they score a touchdown as well. New York’s drives typically involve lots of plays, but on the average only amount to about 21 yards of total offense per drive – third-worst in the NFL. A lot of that has to do with Adam Gase’s decision to utilize short passes underneath rather than attempt deep shots, but the Jets are never able to establish a good drive when they are constantly looking at 3rd-and-long.
Gase will need to build a cadence to his offense that allows the Jets to build a meaningful possession which could, at the worst, flip field position for the opponent. This will mean less passes to the flat and more complex plays to stymie Bill Belichick’s defense. No easy task, but better than the predictable offense he employed against the Browns.
Don’t solely rely on Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon Bell is a phenomenal athlete and he’s already proven to be worth the money they Jets paid him this offseason. But if the Jets want to keep defense’s guessing, they cannot only look to feed Bell on offense.
Through two games, Bell’s 221 total yards account for 45 percent of the Jets’ total offense and his receiving touchdown is the only offensive score by the team. Yes, it’s easy for Sam Darnold, Trevor Siemian or Luke Falk to just dump the ball off to Bell when the offensive line breaks down, but Bell cannot turn a terrible play into a positive gain with the snap of his fingers.
If the Jets want him hanging around the entire season, they’ll need to find ways to incorporate the rest of the team. Finding ways to get the ball downfield to Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder will make the Jets’ offense more multi-dimensional and open up the rest of the playbook for the team.
Protect the football
The Jets offense cannot afford to make any mistakes if it wants to stay competitive against the Patriots. With a first-time starter under center, keeping a clean sheet will be paramount for the Jets against a defense that is quick to take advantage of a team’s missteps. The Patriots forced four interceptions against the Dolphins in Week 2 and turned two of them into defensive touchdowns.
Turnovers haven’t killed the Jets this season, but they can completely disrupt any and all momentum ruined. Late in the fourth quarter against Cleveland, a Bell fumble at the Browns’ 24-yard line ruined a promising offensive drive for the Jets. That can’t happen against the Patriots, especially with a young quarterback. Fortunately, Falk didn’t turn the ball over against the Browns or at any point in the preseason.
Keep Falk upright
Every week we write about protecting the quarterback, but this week it’s even more important given the Jets are down to their third-stringer and we’re not even a quarter through the season yet.
The Patriots are tied for the third-most sacks in 2019 with eight through two games and have a potent pass rush with Jamie Collins and Michael Bennett. The Jets have a horrendous offensive line through two weeks, so unless they can turn it around in less than a week the team will need to develop some exotic blocking schemes to keep Falk from being wallopped as badly as Siemian was in Week 2. This will help the Jets establish that cadence on offense and allow Falk to find more players to give the ball to than just Bell.
