So much for the Jets riding the momentum of their first win of the season into an upset victory over the Patriots.
New England took control early and dominated throughout the night, downing the Jets 33-0. The odds were stacked against New York entering the game, but Gang Green’s no-show performance was more than enough to seal the team’s fate against the best team in the AFC.
Here are some takeaways following the Jets’ fifth loss of 2019.
Sam Darnold had his worst game in a long time
Darnold followed up his AFC Offensive Player of the Week performance against the Cowboys with one of the worst showings of his career in Week 7.
Darnold was downright dismal against the Patriots, missing throws he normally makes in his sleep and making the terrible decisions he typically avoids. He finished the night with only 86 passing yards, four interceptions, a 34% completion rate and a passer rating of 3.6 — a far cry from the way he played in his return to the field a week earlier.
Monday night was Darnold’s worst performance since his 17-42, three-interception showing against the Vikings last season. His offensive line didn’t do him any favors, but make no mistake about it: Darnold deserves plenty of heat for some of the decisions he made against New England.
Offensive line snaps back to reality
It took only eight days for the Jets offensive line to revert back to its usual poor form.
One week after slowing a dangerous Dallas pass rush, the Patriots had their way getting after Darnold on Monday night. New England had rushers blowing up the pocket on almost every play, affording Darnold little to no time to throw the ball. A Ryan Kalil snap out of the back of the end zone on third down was the icing on the cake for the unit’s porous performance.
It’s rare that a team gets as many free rushers as the Patriots did against the Jets. Communication was nonexistent on New York’s offensive line and frankly, it’s hard to believe the unit played as badly as it did considering the steps it took in the right direction against the Cowboys.
Trumaine Johnson was truly terrible
Forget about the meaningless interception he recorded in the third quarter. Johnson was at his absolute worst against the Patriots.
Johnson’s ineptitude got off to an early start when he essentially allowed Phillip Dorsett II to run by him for a touchdown. From there, he was routinely burned by whoever he was covering and was hit with a pass interference penalty the one time he was able to keep his assignment within a five-mile radius.
Let this be a lesson for the Jets coaching staff: Just because Johnson plays well in practice doesn’t mean it will translate to the game. He hasn’t accomplished anything in a meaningful game situation in 2019 and shouldn’t see the field if he can’t even manage to cover the most basic of routes.
Better days could be on the horizon
Although Monday night’s loss was arguably the ugliest of the season, there’s still a glimmer of hope lingering on the horizon for the Jets.
With the Patriots in the rearview mirror, New York begins a seven-game stretch where it doesn’t face a team that is currently above .500. That’s right, Gang Green will spend a little over a month playing teams that have played nearly as poorly as them so far this season.
It might seem crazy with the way things played out against the Patriots, but there’s still a chance the Jets can save their season. It all begins with getting back in the win column in Week 8 against the Jaguars.
