The Jets have talent on offense. So why are they one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NFL?
Jets running back Braelon Allen is tackled during the second half of an NFL game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday. Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa
The Jets have playmakers on offense. That’s what we’ve been told. They have said it over and over. Aaron Glenn said it again on Sunday. Yet they have been one of the lowest-scoring teams in football.
Something isn’t adding up. The offensive struggles are a big reason why the Jets are 2-4.
They scored only one touchdown in Sunday’s 26-19 loss to the Patriots, the second time in three games that coordinator Frank Reich’s offense has produced one touchdown. It was the third straight game in which the Jets were held under 20 points.
“I think as a unit we have a lot of room for improvement,” quarterback Geno Smith said. “That's a good thing, but we've got to get going.”
The Jets will face the winless Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Miami ranks in the bottom third of the league defensively, so this is an opportunity for the Jets to get right. They could be getting healthier, too.
Breece Hall could return for Sunday’s game. There’s also a chance that receiver Adonai Mitchell will be back. Hall has missed three straight games and Mitchell has been out for the last four. It would be easy to say the Jets would have scored more if they had been playing, but there’s no guarantee that’s the case.
“The guys that we have on the field are all capable,” Smith said. “Obviously we know what AD and Breece bring to the table, but we've got a lot of capable guys.”
Braelon Allen has done well filling in for Hall. He rushed for 116 yards last week and totaled more than 100 scrimmage yards on Sunday.
Rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr, who returned after being on injured reserve for four games, also gave the Jets a lift Sunday. Cooper had his first 100-yard receiving game and scored his first career touchdown. He had a second one negated by a penalty.
Two Jets had more than 100 yards of offense and they still scored only one touchdown.
“We have playmakers, and we all know that,” Glenn said. “We just got to make sure we get in practice and do it over and over and over again until it becomes part of our DNA.”
The Jets’ best playmaker is Garrett Wilson. He was invisible for most of Sunday’s game. This happens far too often.
You see other teams feed the ball to their star receivers over and over, whether it be Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CeeDee Lamb or other top wideouts. Wilson caught his first pass on the Jets’ first series, less than three minutes into the game. He was targeted only once after that through three quarters and finished with four catches.
Patriots Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez shadowed Wilson for most of the game, but not every play. When he wasn’t defending him, that had to be recognized by Smith. Reich also has to find ways to scheme Wilson open.
“It's just frustrating because we lost, and I want to help the team, man,” Wilson said. “I'm going to watch this film and see how I can get more separation. Just find a way to get on the right page with [Smith] and find a way to make defenses pay for the looks that we've been getting, because it's there. We just got to execute.”
When the Jets can’t score, they have to find Wilson and put the ball in his hands. He’s the best playmaker on a team that we’ve been told has a lot of them.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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