Four Downs: What We Learned From the New York Jets in Week 1

Four takeaways from the New York Jets in their Week 1 loss at the Buffalo Bills

It was about as poor a showing as could be expected on either side of the ball, the New York Jets losing their season opener 27-17 at the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills got on the board first, quarterback Josh Allen’s two-yard touchdown run putting an exclamation point on a seven-play, 55-yard drive. They then scored two more touchdowns as they staked themselves to a 21-3 lead at halftime.

And while the Jets played better (not great but improved) in the second half, it still wasn’t enough to earn a comeback.

And it wasn’t enough to wash away the stench from this game’s start for the Jets offense.

Four Things Learned from the Jets Week 1 Loss at the Bills -

This Offense is Clearly Not There Yet - Things did not start well for the Jets. A block in the back penalty upon receiving the opening kickoff was a metaphor for the Jets offensive woes in the first half and throughout the game.

In their first five possessions, the Jets managed just 32 yards of total offense and a single first down. They punted four straight times to start the game before Darnold ended their fifth drive with a poorly thrown interception. To his credit, Darnold owned up to it in his postgame press conference.

“We had opportunities to make plays, we didn't make them,” Jets head coach Adam Gase said. “I felt like the line gave us enough time. We were not good in the passing game today, especially early."

It is More Than Just the Passing Game – While the passing offense was pretty poor with just 215 passing yards, the whole offense struggled. The Jets had just 52 rushing yards against a very good Bills defense.

The Jets were led by Frank Gore’s 24 rushing yards on six carries.

Le’Veon Bell left the game early in the second half with a hamstring injury. He had six carries for 14 yards.

The lack of production from the ground game is as much about some poor play from the offensive line as it is about play calling. The Jets had just 14 rushing attempts from their running backs on the afternoon.

Austin is a Blessing– Second-year cornerback Bless Austin had a good game, even as the defense struggled. Austin had a big tackle for a loss in Buffalo’s opening drive and then a forced a fumble on Allen when the Bills, up 21-0 already, seemed destined for more points before the end of the first half.

It was a big play to keep the game from getting out of hand.

Austin has seemingly built on last year when he showed flashes of good coverage ability and athleticism but struggled with penalties and mental lapses. He had eight tackles in the loss.

Maye Playing Like an All-Pro – With July trade of Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks, Marcus Maye stepped into a prominent role on the defense as the Jets box safety.

He was outstanding with 10 tackles, the most on the team, and two sacks as well as two tackles for a loss.

Overshadowed by Adams for much of the past three years, Maye shone on Sunday with a strong presence in the box as well as in directing the defense. He looked every bit capable of replacing the production of Adams, who was an All-Pro last year.