For Adam Gase and the New York Jets, Sunday’s season opener was a failure on every level.
The Jets came out flat and underprepared and were weighed down by an unimaginative and underperforming offense. Meanwhile, the defense looked soft and anemic. The same issues that plagued the Jets last season were on full display in the team’s 27-17 loss at the hands of the Bills. Even with the Jets losing two starters to injuries — Le’Veon Bell and Blake Cashman — the worst takeaway from Sunday’s performance was how baldy Sam Darold played. The clock is ticking for both Gase and Darnold and neither did themselves any favors Sunday.
With that said, let’s take a look at Gang Green’s studs and duds from its season-opening loss.
Dud: HC Adam Gase
Adam Gase had an opportunity to turn over a new leaf in his team’s season opener.
Instead, the Jets were embarrassed, out-coached, outplayed and outsmarted in every possible way. Watching the Bills put up 27 points with Buffalo’s offensive coordinator Brian Daboll utilizing his available talent to the best of their abilities made the loss even more frustrating for Jets fans.
The Jets have a healthy Sam Darnold, a revamped offensive line, a motivated Le’Veon Bell and an underutilized weapon in Chris Herndon, and yet the offense looked reminiscent to the one Luke Falk ran in 2019.
That falls on the lap of Gase, who is running out of time and excuses. His team didn’t look ready to play football Sunday and it doesn’t get any easier from here on out.
Dud: QB Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold hasn’t exactly been placed in a position to succeed, but that doesn’t excuse his poor play.
In one of the more egregious plays that the third-year quarterback has made, Darnold moved across his body, threw off the back of his foot and tossed a lob pass to Jamison Crowder, who was triple-covered. That of course, led to another backbreaking interception for a team in desperate need of a momentum-building drive.
Granted, there is a talent deficiency at the skill player positions, but Darnold didn’t even look remotely competitive. In the process of completing 21-35 passes and throwing for 215 yards, Darnold missed his open targets left and right and even took a brutal sack instead of throwing away the football. The talent has always been there, but he’s struggling to put it together.
Dud: CB Pierre Desir
Pierre Desir’s Jets debut got off to an ugly start.
Joe Douglas signed Desir to be the team’s No. 1 cornerback, but he was benched in the second quarter of the season opener. Seriously.
Desir dealt with a hamstring injury throughout training camp and the Bills made sure to immediately pick on the veteran cornerback. In the first quarter alone, Desir was beaten for a 17-yard gain by John Brown, committed a backbreaking penalty in the end zone and then was called for pass interference, which resulted in a 33-yard gain for Buffalo.
The last straw for Gregg Williams was when Desir allowed Bills rookie running back Zack Moss to catch a four-yard touchdown. This isn’t new territory for Desir, who recently fell out of favor in Indianapolis.
Stud: S Marcus Maye
There weren’t a lot of bright spots for Gang Green on Sunday, but Marcus Maye was a shining star.
Following a stellar training camp, Maye has done nothing but step up into his new role. He recorded two sacks, as well as forcing a Josh Allen fumble on Buffalo’s first drive. Maye added 10 total tackles and two passes defended.
Stud: WR Jamison Crowder
Although Jamison Crowder had some bad drops, he again proved himself to be the Jets’ most reliable receiver.
Crowder caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. He helped pump some life into the Jets with his 69-yard catch-and-go score, while also moving the chains consistently. Despite the offenses’ shortcomings Sunday, Crowder is still someone the team can rely on going forward.
