The Jets forced four turnovers on Sunday but were still unable to hold onto a 16-point lead.
In Adam Gase’s debut as the Jets head coach, the offense looked uninspiring, the defense looked lost without C.J. Mosley on the field and the game was coughed away between poor play in the secondary and the offensive line’s inability to protect Sam Darnold.
With that said, let’s take a look at the Jets’ studs and duds from a disappointing beginning to the Gase era.
Stud: MLB C.J. Mosley
Despite leaving early due to a groin injury, C.J. Mosley played up to his paycheck on Sunday.
Mosley started off the Jets scoring with a 17-yard pick-six and followed that up by recovering a botched snap from Josh Allen. Once Mosley and his dominant presence left due to injury, he left a huge hole in the middle of the Jets defense. His absence became abundantly clear when Allen and the Bills were able to march down the field and score with ease.
On Sunday, Mosley was everywhere, patrolling sideline-to-sideline and forcing Allen and the Bills into poor decision-making, including multiple turnovers. He proved to be an invaluable member of the defense in his first game in green and white.
Dud: The Offensive Line
The Jets offensive linemen looked like they had never played together before and that’s because they hadn’t.
The lack of communication was a factor in the team’s loss to the Bills on Sunday. Sam Darnold hardly had a clean pocket, which allowed Buffalo to tip five of the second-year quarterback’s passes.
Darnold was sacked four times on Sunday and pressured and hurried even more. The lack of rapport on the offensive line hurt the Jets and came back to bite them with the offense’s inability to drive the football down the field.
Dud: K Kaare Vedvik
The Jets’ kicking woes continued Sunday afternoon.
Kaare Vedvik had Jets fans holding their collective breathes before the game even started. Vedvik hooked four consecutive kicks to the left in pre-game warm-ups and then proceeded to do the same on his first and only extra-point attempt. With Lachlan Edwards bobbling the snap on Vedvik’s ensuing field-goal attempt, the Jets kicker pushed a 45-yarder wide right.
The missed extra-point came back to haunt the Jets in their one-point loss to the Bills. Gang Green should be looking for a new kicker starting tomorrow.
Stud: WR Jamison Crowder
With Chris Herndon suspended, Jamison Crowder quickly emerged as Sam Darnold’s security blanket. That was especially the case on third down when Darnold needed a conversion.
Crowder was a bright spot in a Jets offense that put up 10 points on Sunday. He caught 14 passes for 101 yards. It seems like the Jets will rely heavily on him when the chains need to be moved.
Stud: RB Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon Bell came back with a vengeance on Sunday.
Bell carried the ball 17 times for 60 yards while catching six passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. Bell had a crucial conversion on fourth down where his second-effort gave the Jets another life. It wouldn’t be enough, but his effort and flash of energy certainly inspired confidence in a loss.
Dud: The Cornerbacks
Whenever the Bills needed a big completion on Sunday afternoon, they seemed to target the side of the field that Trumaine Johnson was covering.
Johnson did not look 100 percent and was beaten up and down the field on crossing routes. On the other side of the field, Darryl Roberts was also picked on. John Brown caught seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, including a game-winning 38-yard score.
Josh Allen threw for 254 yards on the day, even if he was often sloppy at times. Roberts and Johnson’s penalties negated a Marcus Maye interception and several third-down stops. The Jets struggles in the secondary in the second-half negated a valiant effort from the defense for the first 30 minutes of the game.
