What's Causing the Jets' Second-Half Struggles (And How New York Can Fix Them)
Jogging back to the visitor's locker room on Sunday, fresh off a last-second field-goal attempt that was blocked to end the first half, the Jets were hanging with the defending Super Bowl champs.
Sure, a 21-9 game was likely still out of reach for those in green and white, but for a winless club battling the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, the first two quarters could have gone a whole lot worse.
When the Jets came back out for the third, however, this team's persisting second-half struggles continued in full force.
New York managed to gain just 63 yards over the next 30 minutes. Quarterback Sam Darnold and the Jets' offense watched helplessly as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs put two more scores on the board, marching down the field with ease and cruising to a 35-9 victory.
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The Jets weren't just held scoreless in the second half for the third straight game. New York had only two first downs after halftime. One came in garbage time with just over a minute remaining before the game's final whistle.
After eclipsing the 100-yard mark through the air in the first half, Darnold threw for just 26 yards (on six scattered completions) the rest of the way. One of his completed passes resulted in a turnover after tight end Chris Herndon fumbled a three-yard catch (his lone touch of the game) late in the third.
Rookie standout Denzel Mims—who led New York's banged up receiving unit on Sunday with 42 yards on two catches—was targeted only once in the second half.
It wasn't as poor of a showing as the Jets' four-yard half last week against the Buffalo Bills. At the end of the day, however, the goose egg on the scoreboard for the final two quarters was enough to tell a similar story.
After the game, head coach Adam Gase explained that against a talented Chiefs team, New York's margin for error was as slim as ever. Failing to gain more yards on first and second downs put the offense in a hole too deep to climb out of each time on the field.
"When in the first half, we were in third and five or less quite a bit. We found ourselves in third and seven plus in the second half," Gase told reporters via Zoom on Sunday. "That’s where you definitely don’t want to live against these guys. To have a chance to convert, you’ve got to stay third and five or less."
Darnold, who hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since Week 3 against Indianapolis, placed much of the blame on himself, admitting he needs to improve in his execution, maintaining a rhythm by finding the open man.
"The first couple drives were three-and-out which obviously wasn’t ideal," Darnold said shortly after the loss. "Kind of got a rhythm going and then the fumble killed us momentum wise and being able to get down the field and I think for us, we were on a really good drive there. If we score seven there, it’s a different ball game. Instead, they get the turnover and they go down and score a touchdown. Something you can’t do against a good Kansas City team."
Darnold added, simply, "we’ve just got to play better in the second half."
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The Jets' last trip into the end zone in the second half was an 11-yard pass from Joe Flacco in Week 5 against Arizona to wideout Jamison Crowder, New York's leading receiver who hasn't played in two weeks due to injury. That was nearly one month ago.
"It’s just kind of been rough in the second half," Jets tackle George Fant said to reporters after the game. "We’re still trying to figure some things out, but I still see us going in the right direction in the first half. We just have to get the ball in the end zone while we’re in the red zone and we’ve got to come out with more energy in the second half I believe."
So, how can New York improve after halftime as the Jets head in to the second half of the season? Push the ball down field by keeping playmakers—like Mims and running back La'Mical Perine—involved, limit third and longs and finish drives by capitalizing on trips into the red zone.
Easier said than done, of course, but Fant believes this offense is making the necessary adjustments in order to get the job done. Now, it's about watching film, having a plan and executing next time out.
"We go in [the locker room at halftime], we’re making adjustments," Fant explained. "I can’t obviously tell you exactly what we’re doing, but we’re making adjustments, they just got us in the second half with better adjustments than we did. We’ve just got to fix it."
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