What a nightmare.
Brett Favre tossed two picks and looked out of rhythm again, Thomas Jones finished with 37 yards rushing and a fumble and Philip Rivers flipped three touchdown passes as the
Chargers slammed the Jets 48-29 in San Diego. The Jets turned the ball over four times, failed on an onside kick early in the second quarter and went 1 for 8 on third downs conversions. Meanwhile, the Chargers finished 9 of 13 on third down.
Other than that, everything was just peachy Monday Night.
David Barrett put the Green and White up 7-0 with a 25-yard interception return for a score in the first quarter. But the Jets couldn't overcome their mistakes -- three turnovers resulted in 21 Charger points and the unsuccessful first-half onside kick positioned the Bolts in Jets territory. The Jets flirted with getting back into the game in the second half, but it wasn't anything more than a big tease. If you fell asleep or didn't tune in for the second half, rest easy my friend. You didn't miss a thing.
REASONS TO GET UP ON TUESDAY:Leon Washington. It's been said that the Jets lack playmakers on offense, but Mr. Washington may have something to say about that. Washington didn't have a good game in the rushing department (-1 yard on one carry), but he finished with 198 return yards including an electrifying 94-yard kickoff return that lead to a Jets touchdown in the second quarter. I don't think Washington can be an every down back (prove me wrong, Leon!), but the Jets have to find a way to give him the ball more. One carry and two receptions (for 20 yards) isn't enough. It's like letting a Corvette rot in the garage.
Firsts. First-round draft picks Vernon Gholston and Dustin Keller made their first real contributions this season on Monday night. Keller had 4 catches for 41 yards and his first NFL touchdown -- a 13-yarder late in the fourth quarter. Gholston's night wasn't as momentous or memorable, but he did record his first NFL tackle. Laveranues Coles also showed that he's still on the team and finished with 6 receptions for 75 yards and a score.
REASONS TO SLEEP IN ON TUESDAY:Brett Favre. It feels like everyone in the mainstream media is ready to give Favre a pass. Yes, it's difficult for a quarterback to learn a new offense. Yes, it takes a while to establish a connection with your receivers. Yes, this isn't Green Bay. Enough, already! The stats won't show it (30 of 42 for 271 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT), but Favre had a terrible game. He looked indecisive, made questionable throws when it counted and flipped two back-breaking interceptions. Actually, Favre could have finished with at least four or five picks if the Charger defenders did a better job of catching the football. What's that? That's Brett, you say? I guess. I suppose the only positive was that Favre was able to pass more since the Jets were down by so many, so early. Maybe that will help this struggling offense come together a bit.
Turnovers. They are killers. Jones coughed up the football on a second down play late in the first quarter and the Chargers returned it to the Jets 16-yard line. Five plays later, the Bolts had a 10-7 lead. Four plays later, Antonio Cromartie took a Favre pass 52 yards the other way for a score to put the Chargers up 17-7. Then with the Jets down 24-14 in the second quarter, Eric Weddle picked off a Favre floater intended for Jerricho Cotchery that gave the Chargers the ball at the Jets 45-yard line. The Chargers needed 10 plays to make the score 31-14. It's hard to win when you turn the ball over and put the defense on the defensive.
Kris Jenkins. The big guy left the game with a back injury midway through the first quarter and the Jets defense was never the same. The Chargers didn't exactly ram the ball down the Jets' throats (San Diego rushed for 107 yards, but averaged only 3.1 yards a carry), but they did enough to sustain drives. Hopefully, the injury doesn't linger or keep Jenkins out for a significant amount of time.
Head scratcher. The talk this week in Jets Land (for the most part) revolved around Eric Mangini's decision to run the football three straight times at the New England 3-yard line last week. The Jets couldn't punch it in and had to settle for a field goal. I wanted the Jets to throw at least one time during that series, but I didn't go overboard on it. Others did. Maybe the talk about being too conservative got to Mangini because I didn't understand going for an onside kick after the Jets cut the lead to 17-14 with 13:50 remaining in the second quarter. Wallace Wright had a chance and actually should have made the recovery, but I didn't think the risk-reward factor was there. The Jets had just battled back from a 10-point deficit and slowed some of San Diego's momentum. I think a quick stop on defense could have done more for the team than a little trickery. Well, the defensive stop didn't come either as the Bolts marched down the field on five plays and went up 24-14.
Maybe I should have expected this type of loss, but really, I didn't. The Jets look lost in so many areas right now that I don't know what to focus on. The offense is sluggish, the defense can't make a big stop and the coaching staff is on its heels.
The Jets tumbled to 1-2 on the year with Monday's performance and will try and right the ship next week at home against the high-flying, first-place Arizona Cardinals.
It's still early, but the Jets can't afford to fall too far under .500 on the season. I don't think they have the horses to make up that kind of ground.
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