The Jets started their season with a disappointing 24–9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, as quarterback Joe Falcco and the rest of Gang Green failed to find their spark.
With a new-look roster, and second-year head coach Robert Saleh having another offseason to prepare, the was much optimism in the Jets locker room heading into the year, but that was quickly deflated by lackluster performance on both sides of the ball on Sunday, as the overpowering Ravens dominated the game from beginning to end.
Here are 3 takeaways for the Jets following their uninspired outing.
Wilson, Brown Injuries are adding up for Gang Green
The Jets were without their starting quarterback Zach Wilson, who continues to rehab after suffering a bone bruise and a torn meniscus during preseason. He will miss at least two more games, with his earliest possible return coming in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team relied on veteran signal caller Joe Falcco under center against his former team, but he failed to deliver much positive play. He finished the contest with 307 yards on a stunning 59 attempts, while tossing an interception and a meaningless touchdown after the score had all-but-been-decided.
With the franchise pinning their future help on Wilson, they are surely increasingly desperate to bring their starter back as soon as possible, and Flacco looked at time to be over the hump at 37-years-old. They could potentially look to start Mike White, who served as the backup for the team, but that shouldn’t provide much hope for the Jets faithful.
Part of Flacco’s struggles, to be fair, came from the team suffering a different debilitating injury blow earlier in the week — as starting left tackle Duane Brown injured his shoulder, and was placed on the Injured Reserve list prior to the game. That comes after they brought on the veteran Pro Bowler to replace a different injured left tackle, Mekhi Becton, who will miss the season with a leg injury. If their offensive line continues to miss Brown, there is little hope for developing a serviceable running game (they rushed for just 83 yards on Sunday) or keeping their quarterback upright (Flacco was sacked 3 times, and hit on 11 other plays).
The injury bug is clearly hampering Gang Green early on.
Turnovers and dropped passes are brutal
The Jets turned the ball over three times, and saw several missed opportunities on offense.
Along with Flacco’s interception to Marcus Williams of the Ravens, who returned the ball 33 yards in the opposite direction, the team also fumbled twice.
Perhaps most concerningly, running back Breece Hall lost track of the football in his first NFL game, after the team drafted him in the second round, making him the highest rusher drafted in 2022. He totaled just 23 yards on six carries, which was a disappointment, and failing to secure the ball is a big warning for the team that was hoping to see him develop into a feature back.
Tyler Conklin also put the ball on the ground after catching a pass from Flacco.
Meanwhile, Jets skill position players missed some significant scoring chances — including running Michael Carter, who failed to secure the ball on a pass from Flacco on the goaline, and Corey Davis, who dropped a pass on third-down pass that killed their early momentum.
“We’re moving the ball and there’s drops or whatever and that starts with me. I’ve got to be better. We’ve all got to be better, Davis said.
“From dropped passes to being loose with the football to missed kicks, this is a game, in my opinion, that we absolutely lost,” coach Saleh added.
The sloppy play is certainly a concern for the Jets going forward.
Defensive line looks good
On a positive note, the Jets defensive line looked much improved from last season.
Facing off against the explosive Ravens offense, headed by elusive quarterback Lamar Jackson, is a tough assignment for any team, but Gang Green managed to keep up pressure, and defend against the running game fairly well.
Baltimore finished the game with just 63 total yards on the ground, including just 11 in the first half. On scrambles, Jackson accounted for just 17 yards, and was forced to get rid of the ball early on several plays, while Jets defenders were barreling down on him.
The Ravens allowed 2 sacks, as well as 2 tackles for losses, but they won’t always have to face off against a speedy quarterback like Jackson — so those numbers should improve if the defensive line continues at this pace.
The Jets will face off against the Cleveland Browns next Sunday at 1 pm.