The New York Jets return to their on and off performances by laying an egg against the Bengals en route to a 40 point loss. Whilst Geno Smith and the offense didn't look particularly sharp early on, the usually stout Jets defense got completely picked apart by third year pro Andy Dalton. It seems as though anyone watching the game had blinked and the Jets were immediately down by 14 points. Two pick six's by rookie quarterback Geno Smith doesn't help their case for a win at all either.
After last year's excellent rookie class, fans tend to expect a lot more from rookie quarterbacks than should be expected. Geno Smith is going to make mistakes, and even make huge mistakes that lead to huge losses such as this one, but all faith in the young man should not be thrown out the window. It needs to be drilled into his head that even when throwing quick outs, he needs to stop locking onto his target due to pre snap reads. Geno seems to get man coverage across the board and throw the out right away which has lead to several interceptions returned for touchdowns this year. A running game that nets your teams top two running backs for average gains of 1.8 and 1.9 yards doesn't help a rookie quarterback either.
The problem on this roster became evident in that it's simply a lack of talent. The Jets are in a rebuilding year in which there may be games when the young talent on the field may look a bit lost, although the ailing secondary should definitely be a cause for concern when seemingly every cornerback on the field (including former All-Pro Antonio Cromartie) is getting picked on. While not all may expect stellar play out of undrafted free agent Darrin Walls, the same should not be expected out of this years first round pick Dee Milliner who looks absolutely lost out on the professional field. Antonio Cromartie struggled as well, giving up several long pass plays.
Muhammad Wilkerson commented on the Jets lack of press coverage to help the pass rusher, which might be something the Jets look at in the upcoming game against the Saints. Ten-yard cushions leave cornerbacks waiting for receivers to reach them before reacting and turning their hips which could definitely leave more physical players constantly chasing their receivers around the field. The coverage problems definitely need to be fixed if this defense wants to be great in the upcoming years.
Hopefully the Jets can throw this one behind them in order to at least remain competitive next week when they play the Saints next week. The pass rush needs to be in tiptop shape in order to prevent Brees from finding passing lanes to throw to his many targets. It needs to be understood that 4-4 through 8 games is an excellent mark and stealing a win versus the Saints next week really sets this team up for a strong playoff push.