Early Mistakes, Fumbles Prove Too Costly for Jets on Monday Night Football
The New York Jets made three early mistakes and never recovered in a 27-6 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.
Each of the Jets' first three possessions ended in a destructive fashion. After opening with a three-and-out, New York suffered a special teams breakdown as Chargers' returner Derius Davis took a punt 87 yards to the house and a 7-0 lead only 1:25 into the game.
"I felt like we started hot. The defense went three-and-out. Then, the punt return for a touchdown," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh.
The punt return touchdown sent the Jets into a mini spiral of sorts. Their next two possessions ended in fumbles recovered by the Chargers.
First, Garrett Wilson coughed up the ball after making a seven-yard reception at the Chargers' 37-yard line. Safety Derwin James corralled the loose ball while sliding out of bounds.
On the Jets' third possession, Chargers' defensive end Joey Bosa delivered a third-down strip sack that he recovered at midfield.
"I thought the offense was moving the ball in that first quarter. We had that fumble, still came out good. Had another good drive to midfield, another fumble and that led to a touchdown. It was a lot of self-inflicted wounds," said Saleh as the Jets dropped to 4-4 overall.
The early 7-0 hole would prove too steep for the Jets' underperforming offense to escape. In addition to losing three fumbles, the unit was inefficient across the board on Monday night. The Green & White averaged 3.5 yards per play and their struggles on third down yielded an 18 percent conversion rate.
As for the quarterback play, Zach Wilson threw 49 times for 263 yards and no scores. He took eight sacks. The embattled quarterback lost a second fumble in the fourth quarter, leading to the Chargers' final score.
"Today was not good, obviously. Like I said, we just never gave ourselves a chance," said Saleh. "You get two turnovers in the first quarter when you move the ball into their territory is never a good thing."
The Chargers led 14-0 after one quarter and the Jets never closed the gap to single digits the rest of the way. The Jets' offense was held without a touchdown for the first time this season, settling for two field goals from Greg Zuerlein.
Although not reflected on the scoreboard, the Jets' defense was dominant throughout most the of the night. They sacked Chargers' quarterback Justin Herbert five times and limited him to 4.5 yards per pass. He finished 16-of-30 passing for 136 yards.
Jets' defensive end Bryce Huff logged a game-high four quarterback hits while John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson accounted for three apiece. Gang Green was good against the run, too. Los Angeles running back Austin Ekeler scored two short touchdowns but managed only 3.4 yards per carry.
"Defensively, I felt we came out ready to play a football game," said Saleh.
The Jets held the Chargers to a season-low 191 yards on offense. The Bolts' 14 first downs, two of which came via penalty, also represent a seasonal low.
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