SANTA CLARA, Calif – The Jets are among the most talented teams in the NFL. Pro Bowlers and all-pros litter their roster on both sides of the ball. There isn’t a glaring weakness at any level. They’re that good – no, great on paper.
And that means absolutely nothing.
The Jets took that roster of who’s who across the country and got stomped by the Christian McCaffrey-less 49ers on Monday Night Football, 32-19, – a jarring wake-up call by just about every measure.
No team is talented enough to rely on talent alone. So if the Jets want to accomplish what they believe they can this year, they best patch themselves up quickly.
“You realize all of a sudden you’re not there,” said receiver Garrett Wilson. “We’re not there yet. They whooped our ass today.”
There is no reason to panic yet – as long as this loss is just that: A wake-up call.
Aaron Rodgers, who completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first full game as the team’s starter, called it an excuse. He’s right. It is, but a valid one. Rust was inevitable for this team.
The Jets have three new starters on their offensive line (Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and John Simpson). They have two others on offense who ended last season on the injured reserve (Alijah Vera-Tucker, Rodgers). Receivers Mike Williams and Malachi Corley are new, too. The defense isn’t, but none tackled a single player in training camp.
The Jets out-repped themselves this summer compared to coach Robert Saleh’s previous three, but no amount of practice plays can replace game snaps. You hoped for more against the 49ers. Step back, though, and you realize it was always a long shot.
That doesn’t make aspects of Monday’s game less alarming. The defense was pitiful. The 49ers had 401 yards of offense, including 180 on the ground. Jordan Mason, filling in for McCaffrey, had 147 and a pair of touchdowns on 28 carries (5.3 yards per). The 49ers had six drives of eight-plus plays, including three of 11-plus.
The Haason Reddick-less pass rush seldom sniffed Brock Purdy when it mattered. Their three sacks (by Sauce Gardner, Tony Adams and Micheal Clemons) came when the quarterback ducked down. They had only one other quarterback hit (Quinnen Williams), and that came on the game’s first possession.
This despite San Francisco doing exactly what the Jets studied on film, Williams said.
The offense couldn’t run the ball (Breece Hall had 54 yards on 16 carries). They had a few big plays in the passing game (highlighted by a 36-yard touchdown from Rodgers to Allen Lazard). But outside a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive on their third possession, things looked a lot like last year.
Self-inflicted wounds and missed opportunities, three-and-outs and turnovers, what-could-have beens lamented in the post-game locker room.
“They just played harder than us,” Hall said.
You don’t want to make this more than it is. Truthfully, it’s not time to panic. It’s Week 1. This didn’t eliminate the Jets from the postseason. It didn’t cost anyone any jobs. Pressure will mount if the struggles continue, but the Jets play the Titans, Patriots, Broncos and Vikings the next four weeks. There’s a very real chance they take all four.
This was a litmus test. The defending NFC champion 49ers are who the Jets want to be. They don’t just have talent – they’ve put that talent together to become a weekly force. The Jets match the 49ers on paper. They lost by three possessions (Lazard’s second touchdown came in garbage time from backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor) on the field.
The Jets had a boisterous arrogance to them last year. You saw that on “Hard Knocks.” Once Rodgers chose them you felt they felt they were assured of the postseason, destined for the Super Bowl. Rodgers’ season-ending injury four plays into last season humbled them.
They talked far less this summer. Maybe, though, they needed one last message.
The 49ers supplied it.
You’ll know soon if it was received.
“They’re a championship-level team,” Rodgers said. “I hope we see them again.”
