Jets' Penalty Woes Lead to Heartbreaking Loss Against Broncos
The New York Jets experienced a gut-wrenching defeat at home, narrowly losing 10-9 to the Denver Broncos. The Jets were plagued by an NFL-high 13 penalties in their Week 4 matchup, bringing their season record to an even 2-2.
Eight of these infractions came from the offense, propelling the Jets' offensive unit to rank as the second-most penalized in the league for the week, just behind the Houston Texans' nine penalties. Notably, the offensive penalties included five false starts, which played a crucial role in stalling potential scoring drives.
Left guard John Simpson and running back Breece Hall were each flagged twice for false starts, while left tackle Tyron Smith contributed to the misery with one false start. This sudden surge in penalties was a significant departure from their disciplined form in the first three weeks, where the Jets had only one false start and tied for the 10th-fewest offensive penalties in the league with eight.
Head coach Robert Saleh was visibly frustrated by the unexpected surge in penalties. "We got to figure it out. Whether or not we're good enough to handle or ready enough to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously today took a major step back," Saleh remarked.
The crucial moment came in the final minute of the game when kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a potential game-winning 50-yard field goal with only 51 seconds remaining, adding to the team's collective disappointment.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed his disbelief at the offense's lack of discipline. "That's one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven't had an issue. We've only had one false start. [Right tackle] Morgan had one false start I believe until this. You know it's been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start. To have five today it seemed like, four or five. Yeah, it seems like an outlier. I don't know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game," Rodgers stated.
Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly weighed in on Rodgers' renowned hard count. "He nailed it: 'my hard count is a weapon.' The amount of big plays, go ask Jordy Nelson. 'Hey Jordy, do you think the hard count that Aaron Rodgers has is effective?' He would say, 'Yeah, I got paid a lot of money on go balls that Aaron threw me after a defensive lineman jumped offsides,'” Kuechly commented.
Emphasizing the importance of focus and accountability, former Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams echoed Rodgers' sentiments. "Aaron is all about the attention to detail. So, snap count, that's attention to detail. You got to be locked in on something like that. We always talked about in Green Bay 'that the play is hard enough to win on its own, so let's not lose it pre-snap.' ... At least let's get our pre-snap operation smooth.' Everybody hears the same snap count in the huddle, so there's really no excuse for one of these things. Holding people accountable, I agree (with Rodgers). Sometimes that's what you have to do versus run from it. Have certain consequences if guys can't get right," Adams advised.
The Jets now face the challenge of addressing their sudden increase in penalties and maintaining their focus and discipline as they look ahead to the rest of the season. The upcoming weeks will be crucial for a team eager to solidify its standing and demonstrate resilience following this narrow defeat.