Well, thank goodness that’s over.
Luke Falk tried and failed to lead the Jets over the Browns on Monday night, but the team’s overall ineptitude led to a 23-3 loss that felt wider than the score indicated. Almost no one on the Jets could muster any sort of positive play on either side of the ball and the offensive line seemed destined to knock the Jets down to emergency quarterback Le’Veon Bell.
Bell was a bright spot on the night, though. He was really the entire offense and played to his strengths as a patient runner capable of turning any play into a solid gain. But the rest of the team looked unwilling to compete with so many injuries across the roster, and neither Adam Gase nor Gregg Williams was able to creatively counter what the Browns could do on offense and defense.
Here are the best and worst players from the Jets’ Week 2 loss.
Stud: RB Le’Veon Bell
Despite the fourth-quarter fumble, Bell was still the only offensive player to do anything against the Browns. Bell’s stats aren’t wow-worthy, but he was the heart and soul of the Jets offense the entire night and gave them the best opportunity to move down the field.
The Browns neutralized the rest of the Jets’ offensive playmakers but didn’t have an answer for Bell despite the obvious game plan to feed the running back. He finished with 171 total yards – 110 rushing and 61 receiving.
Dud: Jets offensive line
Jets quarterbacks were sacked four times for the second consecutive week and seemed lost with Browns defenders barreling down on them. The entire offensive line struggled mightily but left tackle Kelvin Beachum played especially poor on Monday night. Myles Garrett tortured Beachum throughout the game, tallying three sacks and five quarterback hits. Beachum also had a penalty on fourth-down. It looked like Beachum wasn’t even putting up an effort against Garrett all night, and he’s a huge reason why the Jets couldn’t muster much offense.
Garrett is a star defensive disrupter, but Beachum is a seasoned veteran who has played well in the past for New York. The Jets failed to really upgrade the offensive line on the outside this offseason, and it showed in Week 2.
Stud: MLB Neville Hewitt
On a night when the Jets defense gave up 375 total yards and 23 points, inside linebacker Neville Hewitt actually played well while holding down the middle of the defense for the injured Avery Williamson and C.J. Mosley. He finished with a team-high seven combined tackles and one sack.
The Jets will need players to step up across the roster with so many injuries to the team, and Hewitt played the part well in his second consecutive start.
Dud: DE Leonard Williams
This was one of those games where Williams was nowhere to be seen. Against an offensive line that gave up five sacks just a week ago, the Jets only registered two and Williams wasn’t a part of any. The fifth-year defensive end finished with only two tackles and has continued his declining production after the Jets picked up his rookie option.
Williams has five tackles through the first two games of the season and doesn’t seem to be trending in any direction other than down. It’s either time for Gregg Williams to figure out how to use Williams, or time for Douglas to cut bait when the season ends.
