Jets Fall to Broncos Amid Offensive Struggles and Penalties
In a nail-biter that left fans at MetLife Stadium in disbelief, the New York Jets suffered a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos. Despite having opportunities to clinch victory, a cascade of penalties and a missed field goal ultimately sealed their fate. This defeat drops the Jets to a 2-2 record for the 2024 season.
The Jets, plagued by discipline issues, committed an NFL-high 13 penalties in their Week 4 matchup. Such a high number of infractions significantly hampered their performance, especially as eight of these were committed by the offense. Head coach Robert Saleh lamented the team's lack of execution, stating, "We got to figure it out. Whether or not we're good enough to handle or ready enough to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously today took a major step back."
The list of offensive faux pas includes five false starts, with left guard John Simpson and running back Breece Hall each accounting for two. In fact, left tackle Tyron Smith was also flagged for one. This represents a significant anomaly for the team, considering they had only one false start in the first three weeks of the season. Additionally, the Jets had only committed a total of eight offensive penalties from Weeks 1 to 3, tying for the 10th-fewest in the league.
The Jets' offense was the second-most penalized unit in Week 4, with only the Houston Texans committing more penalties. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also weighed in on the uncharacteristic mistakes, emphasizing the importance of accountability. "That's one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven't had an issue. We've only had one false start. [Right tackle] Morgan had one false start I believe until this. You know it's been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start. To have five today it seemed like, four or five. Yeah, it seems like an outlier. I don't know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game."
Ironically, it was Rodgers' renowned hard count that seemed to work against the Jets this time. Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly attested to its effectiveness, noting, "He nailed it: 'my hard count is a weapon.' The amount of big plays, go ask Jordy Nelson. 'Hey Jordy, do you think the hard count that Aaron Rodgers has is effective?' He would say, 'Yeah, I got paid a lot of money on go balls that Aaron threw me after a defensive lineman jumped offsides.'"
Former Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams also highlighted the need for meticulous attention to detail. "Aaron is all about the attention to detail. So, snap count, that's attention to detail. You got to be locked in on something like that. We always talked about in Green Bay 'that the play is hard enough to win on its own, so let's not lose it pre-snap.' ... At least let's get our pre-snap operation smooth.' Everybody hears the same snap count in the huddle, so there's really no excuse for one of these things. Holding people accountable, I agree (with Rodgers). Sometimes that's what you have to do versus run from it. Have certain consequences if guys can't get right."
As the clock wound down, kicker Greg Zuerlein had a chance to put the Jets ahead with a 50-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the kick missed its mark with just 51 seconds remaining on the clock, culminating in an agonizing defeat for the team and their supporters.
This loss underscores the critical nature of discipline and execution in the NFL. Moving forward, the Jets will need to address these issues head-on and find ways to mitigate the penalty problem if they hope to stay competitive in an increasingly challenging season.