Three Things Learned from the Jets in Week 15 Loss at the Ravens
It was a difficult if not an entirely unexpected result, the New York Jets taking repeated shots in a 42-21 loss at the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
On both sides of the ball, the Jets were physically out-matched, but it was defensively where they were picked apart. The offense actually showed some promise but poor decisions (going for it on fourth down with the Ravens up 21-7 in the second quarter) and mistakes (quarterback Sam Darnold had a second quarter interception and a third quarter fumble) cost the Jets the chance at points.
It was a difficult score line, but in all honesty, this wasn’t a horrible performance from the Jets. It did, however, show that there is a huge gap between this team and the truly great teams in the league.
And Baltimore is a truly great team on both sides of the ball.
‘Three Things Learned from the Jets in Week 15’:
The Jets Defense Was Ugly - Up 13-7, the Ravens took possession of the ball for a third time in a drive that would underscore the Jets defensive struggles on the night. A pass interference call, two offsides and then a penalty for too many players on the field were all called on the Jets on that drive, which ended with a Lamar Jackson 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews. A successful two-point conversion gave the Ravens a 21-7 lead.
Sloppy play, blown assignments and a sincere lack of depth on the defensive two-deep killed the Jets not just on that drive but for much of the night.
Resilient Jets – Down 13-0, the Jets responded back with an efficient 8-play, 63-yard drive where Darnold connected with wide receiver Jamison Crowder on a 4-yard touchdown pass. The next time they got the ball, the Jets were down 21-7 and they pieced together another solid drive, this time driving 67 yards on 13 plays but failing to convert on fourth-and-1 from the Ravens 7-yard line.
The Jets should have taken the points as the game was still in reach. But the fact that they were able to move the ball on a couple of drives against a high-end defense is promising for the development of Darnold and this offense.
A blocked punt with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter was blocked by Tarell Basham and returned 14 yards by B.J. Bello for a touchdown. The touchdown was insignificant in the game’s outcome – Baltimore led 35-14 after the score – but the play by Basham and Bello showed the fighting spirit of the Jets in a difficult game.
And then that fourth quarter touchdown pass from Darnold to Crowder, the type of play that shows that the Jets simply didn’t quit despite the scoreboard.
Bell Responds – The saga of Le’Veon Bell is well known, how the Jets running back was ruled out of last week’s game with an illness but was seen bowling on Saturday night. The visit to the lanes was quite the flap and Bell atoned with a solid performance.
The running back, a star signing in free agency this offseason, had good night with 21 carries for 87 yards.
After a week of questions and second-guessing about his committment to the team, Bell showed up in a major way.
