Bill Belichick laughing at Adam Gase summed up just about everything in the Jets’ 33-0 loss to the Patriots on Monday night.
It was the first time New York was shutout since 2017.
The Jets were outmatched, outperformed and flat-out embarrassed on their home field and primetime football. Sam Darnold, who looked like a franchise player in every way against the Cowboys, played more like Luke Falk. New York looked lightyears away from being able to compete with a team of the Patriots’ caliber. That’s not only an indictment on the entire organization but especially the current coaching staff.
This version of studs and duds is all duds. Here are the worst players from the Jets’ Week 7 loss.
Dud: The offensive line
Sam Darnold was caught on the Monday Night Football broadcast saying that he was “seeing ghosts.” The offensive line had him ruined. He was not seeing the field, not setting his feet, not hitting open receivers and making the wrong reads. Darnold had no chance to succeed.
Granted, the Jets were playing three backup linemen once Ryan Kalil left with an elbow injury, but the unit had no semblance of competence. There were too many times that blitzers were coming in untouched after being unaccounted for.
At one point, Brian Winters didn’t block Jamie Collins after Darnold barked out at the line of scrimmage that “No. 58 was the mic.” Collins went untouched and forced Darnold into a rushed throw, which led to the Patriots’ first forced turnover of the game.
Dud: Adam Gase
What do the Jets even do in practice?
It’s obvious how good New England is. The Patriots are the best team in the NFL by a mile and look like they’ll waltz to the Super Bowl yet again. Adam Gase, however, coached scared and his players reflected that.
The Jets offense was not ready over and over again for obvious blitzing situations. That’s on the head coach, who calls the plays. Gase did not execute any offensive plays to get the ball out quickly, nor did the Jets personnel reflect the consistent pressure that Bill Belichick dialed up.
New York did not once slide the offensive line to the overload blitz; that’s basic stuff. It’s getting late early for Gase, who allowed his quarterback back into the game with his team down 33-0.
Dud: WR Demaryius Thomas
Sam Darnold needs to stop throwing the football to Demaryius Thomas. Adam Gase needs to stop calling plays for Thomas and get him off the field. This isn’t 2012.
Thomas had multiple drops that were drive killers. He may be the Jets’ slowest receiver and the team is still designing screens for him that just don’t work.
Dud: CB Trumaine Johnson
Trumaine Johnson earned his starting position back because he wasn’t allowing any completions in practice. Seriously.
Johnson’s innate ability to give eight yards of cushion and then still get beat for a touchdown without turning around and finding the ball is unmatched.
He can’t cover crossing routes, he can’t cover the deep ball. Johnson just can’t cover, period. He did leave the game an interception richer, but Leonard Williams’s batted pass landed right into Johnson’s hands like a fair catch.
Dud: QB Sam Darnold
Unfortunately for Sam Darnold, this was probably the worst game of his NFL career. He tied a career-high in turnovers with five and threw four interceptions.
The Jets have praised Darnold’s ability to make throws without setting his feet. His mechanics on Monday were terrible, though. Everything was fundamentally flawed. He had happy feet and poor field awareness knowing that he can’t trust any of the guys in front of him.
It’s hard to fairly evaluate Darnold based on the cards dealt to him in this game. He had no protection; the offensive line currently features four players who began the seasons as backups. Still, young Darnold has played just 16 games. He needs to learn and maybe Monday night’s debacle will be a step in the right direction. He finished the game, 11-32 for 86 yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions, a fumble and a QBR of 3.7.
