Jets Country

Robert Saleh Critical of Jets' Mistakes After Ugly Loss in Opener

Saleh was visibly frustrated after Sunday's blowout loss to the Ravens, pointing out all the mistakes that were made on both sides of the ball.

Max Goodman

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As Jets head coach Robert Saleh addressed reporters following New York's Week 1 loss to the Ravens, he made it clear that the source of his frustration wasn't the final score, nor his squad's effort. It was his team's execution on both sides of the ball.

"You're not going to beat a veteran team when you're not capitalizing on the momentum that you gain," Saleh told reporters. "From dropped passes to being loose with the football to missed kicks, this is a game that we absolutely lost."

If you didn't watch Sunday's game and looked at some specific stats before taking a peek at the final score, you'd think the Jets might've come out on top. New York held Baltimore's talented rushing attack to just 63 total yards (11 in the first half), they won the time of possession battle and gained more total yards overall (378 to 274).

Still, as Saleh alluded to, this young Jets team found multiple ways to beat themselves, giving Baltimore consistent opportunities to play their game and take advantage of Gang Green's mistakes.

Rookie running back Breece Hall fumbled deep in Ravens territory in the fourth quarter. Second-year running back Michael Carter dropped a touchdown pass a few minutes later. Braden Mann shanked a punt that led directly to one of Baltimore's three touchdowns. Even veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein struggled, missing an early field goal as well as a late extra point. 

The Jets were 2-for-14 on third down on Sunday, failing to convert until nine minutes remained in the game's final quarter. That's not a recipe for success, especially against an experienced club like the Ravens.

"It's impossible to win against a veteran team when you move the ball the way you do and come up empty-handed time and time again like we did today," Saleh added.

The head coach singled out young players, explaining that the newbies on this roster must grow quickly if this team wants to contend. Again, that comes down to execution, not effort, because Saleh seemed overly pleased with his team's resolve.

"Our guys played with a lot of juice and energy," he said, praising those on defense. "If we do play with that type of mentality and we do play with that type of effort that we played today with, we're going to be fine. Just gotta clean it up."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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