I wrote about why in August. new york jets They are built on a series of hypotheses, all of which may actually be true. One of the sections I mentioned in that article stands out today. It comes less than 24 hours after the Jets lost 37-15 to Russell Wilson's team, dropping to 2-5. pittsburgh steelersa game that was supposed to be the first spark for a team that fired its head coach earlier this month. I wrote this before the season.
Offensively speaking, what if Rodgers is just that? proper?He doesn't need to be the MVP he once was, especially if the defense is as good as it can be.? If Rodgers can become the most talented point guard in the NFL, get the ball out very fast and make throws tough enough to keep defenses honest, that's a good formula for success. RB Breece Hall should be a key player in this offense, with increased work on the ground game around Hall's strengths.
The problem was that throughout the seven games, I wasn't thinking about the alternative hypotheticals in this scenario. I mean, what if the Jets aren't good enough elsewhere?
Rodgers himself was playing decently, playing like a 40-year-old future Hall of Famer. There are some traces of his former self starting to show, but this team is largely built around quick games and YAC, with the occasional classic downfield throw from Rodgers. According to RBSDM.comRodgers was 24th in success rate this season, a far cry from elite status, but still a good number. His 6.7 air yards per game is the sixth-lowest in the league, but that's fine if you're moving up from the YAC and completing those passes. Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes are first and second in completion percentage this season, but they're also at the bottom in air yards this season. Complementing this is Yards After the Catch, which is what this team was supposed to be built around.
The entire Jets' supporting cast doesn't seem to have made any strides this season. Breece Hall still has big-play potential, but his 18% success rate according to Summer Sports isn't up to par, and the offensive line ranks last in FTN's adjusted line yards. They had the highest percentage of runs stopped near or behind the line of scrimmage this year. When it comes to the offensive line, New York ranks 25th and 28th in ESPN's pass block win percentage and run block win percentage, which isn't enough without talking about the 40-year-old under center.
Rodgers has clearly missed a bit of a step and is unable to overcome the pressure with his legs. Rodgers has seen everything there is to see in the NFL when it comes to coverage, throwing the ball that fast against pressure, but when you do that, you have problems with skill position players. Acquiring WR Davante Adams was a smart move, but it's clear the two need more time to get on the same page like they did in Green Bay.
Aside from Adams, Rodgers' best receiver is Allen Lazard, which is never a great sign. The offense built relies on Rodgers making these superhuman throws, but these days he's more Clark Kent than Superman.
But they're still not there with a defense that seems to have regressed from when they were a top-five unit the past three years. The defensive line still ranks second and third in pressures and sack rate, respectively, but ranks 29th in give-up-adjusted line yards. The run defense took a big hit after trading EDGE John Franklin Myers to Denver and losing Jermaine Johnson to injury, and they haven't been able to make up for it. The defense has taken a bigger hit than expected, as their defensive depth isn't as loaded as it used to be. While their defense is still good, they don't have the talent their height would suggest, and that becomes a problem when combined with a struggling offense.
Rogers himself is not to blame. As I said earlier, the success rate is 24th. But Rodgers, the GM and decision-maker, no longer valued Rodgers as a player. The Jets are feeling all the losses they lost in an offseason where Rodgers hoped to build a team he liked and are on the brink of losing their playoff hopes forever. A combination of a defense that has stepped back and an offense that can't get out of its own way has created the current situation, but there doesn't seem to be much of a solution.
