New York Jets: Report Card vs. Buccaneers in Week 10
The New York Jets had a chance to reach the .500 mark but they blew it in a 15-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10. Here is their report card.
The New York Jets came into their Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knowing a victory would get them to .500 and keep their slim playoff aspirations alive. Then they fell flat on their face.
Ex-Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a short touchdown pass to Charles Sims and Patrick Murray booted three field goals to lead the Bucs (3-6) to a 15-10 victory over the putrid Jets Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
This was a pathetic performance by Gang Green (4-6) after such an inspiring triumph in Week Nine against Buffalo. New York simply failed to show up for this one (more on that later). In many ways, this was their worst effort and performance of the season. It was an utter disgrace to play so poorly in such a big spot.
Here is their report card, a report card I would want to burn before I ever had to show it to my parents when I was a kid. Get ready to cover your eyes.
Offense
Anemic. Awful. Pathetic. These are all appropriate words to describe their offensive “effort”. The final score was deceiving because New York tallied their lone touchdown on Josh McCown’s 38-yard pass to Robby Anderson with just 28 seconds remaining. The offensive line was a complete disaster. How about this stat? The Bucs entered the game with eight sacks in 2017. They recorded six against New York’s Swiss cheese O-line. That is totally unacceptable and embarrassing.
Brian Winters had two holding penalties in the first half alone. There was no drive, push or thrust at the point of attack. McCown rarely had time to set his feet and throw with ease. After rolling up 194 rushing yards against the Bills in Week 9, the Jets were held to just 56 in this debacle (led by Bilal Powell’s 30 yards).
Matt Forte missed the game with a knee injury, but it should not have made that much of a difference. This was not the ’85 Bears that Gang Green was playing. This was an awful Bucs squad, ranked 28th defensively in the NFL, that came into the contest riding a five-game losing streak.
The Jets managed only 15 first downs and converted just three of 15 third down opportunities. For the first 59 minutes, they tallied more punts (seven) than points. That says it all. This was the kind of offense we expected from New York at the start of the season. Not now. Simply awful.
Grade: F-