The Jets lost 44-38 in overtime to the Packers on Sunday, falling to 4-11 this year. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. The power of a franchise quarterback was on display. Aaron Rodgers willed Green Bay to victory through his sheer talent and determination. The Packers are not a good team, but they still have one of the all-time great quarterbacks, and he took over the game in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Jets fans can only hope Sam Darnold is close to the player Rodgers is. Darnold has shown signs the last three weeks of how good he can be. He keeps topping himself each week, and Sunday’s game was his best yet. The 21-year-old looks much more comfortable than earlier this season. His timing with his receivers is nearly perfect. He is executing play-action passes better. He looks like he is in command.
Jets fans have been through depressing seasons like this before, but this one feels different. Usually the biggest question entering the offseason for the Jets is who the quarterback is going to be next season. This year they know the answer for 2019 and beyond. The Jets finally have their quarterback. Rodgers showed Sunday how valuable that is.
2. The Jets can blame the referees all they want, and there were a few bad calls, but this defense just folds up in the biggest spots week after week. There is a lot to criticize about Todd Bowles’ time with the Jets, but my biggest knock on him is his defense has never played to a dominant level. He arrived with the reputation as a defensive genius, but that has not come through in his team’s play. You can say the Jets don’t have enough talent on offense, but the Jets have used draft and financial resources on defense, and the unit still crumbles in crunch time. The loss to the Packers was the third in four weeks in which the defense coughed up a fourth-quarter lead.
This loss was on the defense, not the officials.
3. Darnold is not the only player who has picked up his play in the last three weeks. Robby Anderson looks like a different receiver than earlier this year. It may be that he is finally healthy after dealing with an ankle injury during the middle of the season. It may be that he and Darnold have clicked. Whatever it is, Anderson looks like a legitimate part of the Jets’ future, which was a question a month or two ago.
Anderson had 140 receiving yards and a touchdown Sunday. Those yards did not just come with Anderson burning a cornerback on a go route. He showed diversification in his route running and made some yards after the catch.
Anderson can be a maddening player with some of the things he does on and off the field, but if he can show some maturity, the Jets should hold on to him. This offseason is a big test for Anderson. His off-the-field trouble has come when he was home in Florida the last two offseasons. Anderson needs to prove to the Jets he can stay out of trouble this year.
4. You know who has not been missed? Darron Lee. The absence of the former first-round pick has not been felt as he serves his drug suspension. Neville Hewitt has done a great job filling in for Lee and in some ways looks like a more efficient player. On Sunday, Hewitt had nine tackles, one sack and three quarterback hits. It makes you wonder what took so long to get Hewitt on the field. He should have seen playing time earlier this season.
Surprising snap count: Frankie Luvu played 53 snaps, two more than Jordan Jenkins. The undrafted free agent out of Washington State registered a sack in the game.
Revealing stat: Since Week 14, Darnold has the highest QBR in the NFL at 81.4, topping Ben Roethlisberger at 80.8, Andrew Luck at 76.8 and Aaron Rodgers at 76.2, according to ESPN.
Game ball: It would be easy to give this to Darnold, but Andre Roberts has been amazing at affecting games. His 99-yard return was a beauty, but the 51-yarder to get the Jets in position to kick the game-tying field goal may have been even more important.
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