Tough Loss Highlights Penalty Woes for Jets
The New York Jets experienced a bitter defeat at home, falling 10-9 against the Denver Broncos in a game marked by costly mistakes. A staggering 13 penalties, the highest in the NFL for Week 4, played a significant role in their narrow loss. With the defeat, the Jets record now stands at 2-2 for the 2024 season.
Of the 13 penalties, eight were committed by the offense, placing the Jets’ offensive unit as the second-most penalized team in the week, only behind the Houston Texans who racked up nine penalties. Notably, five of these offensive infractions were false starts, an issue that hadn’t plagued the team in the first three weeks of the season. The team had only one false start violation over that span and had tied for the 10th-fewest offensive penalties in the league with just eight.
Key contributors to the false start epidemic included left guard John Simpson and running back Breece Hall, each flagged twice. Left tackle Tyron Smith was also guilty of a false start. In total, the sudden surge in false starts marked a significant step back for an offense that had generally been disciplined in pre-snap situations.
Following the game, head coach Robert Saleh expressed his frustration, noting the unexpected nature of the setback. "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," said Saleh.
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the rarity of such mistakes. "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 remarked.
Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly weighed in on Rodgers' hard count, which has been both a weapon and a point of contention. He stated, "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.'"
Davante Adams, a former Green Bay Packers receiver, also offered insight into Rodgers' attention to detail. "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 commented.
The critical moment in the Jets' loss came when kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 50-yard, go-ahead field goal with just 51 seconds left in the game, a miss that sealed the team's fate for the week. While penalties and a missed field goal underscored the immediate issues, the comments from the team leaders highlight the broader challenges of discipline and focus under high-pressure situations.
As the Jets look to rebound from this tough loss, addressing these penalty issues will be crucial. The team needs to recapture the discipline exhibited in the earlier part of the season to ensure that self-inflicted errors don't continue to derail their efforts in upcoming games.