The New York Jets moved to 2-0 on the season with a resounding 29-point win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, there is justifiable concern over the status of All-Pro OC Nick Mangold, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half.
By the time Mangold went down, the Jets had already built a lead and the Jaguars never really threatened, scoring their only points on a 55-yard field goal. The opportunistic Jets defense forced four turnovers and held Jacksonville to under 100 yards through the air.
The Jets now head on the road for three straight weeks for the first time since the strike-shortened season of 1982 (unless you count the last two postseason campaigns). For Jacksonville, it's time to regroup, as they head off to Carolina.
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Despite the comfortable nature of New York's win, there were good and bad performances from players on both teams. Let's investigate some of the more interesting ones.
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Jacksonville – Three Things of Note
1) Send In McCown
One week ago, life seemed pretty good for Luke McCown (-5.9). He had won the starting QB job in preseason and led the Jaguars to an opening day win. On Sunday though, things took a turn for the worse as he threw four interceptions in a performance that netted him an NFL QB rating of just 1.8. The extent to which his struggles were attributable to the Jets' defense remains to be seen, but his inaccuracy already has some concerned that the Blaine Gabbert era will be upon us much earlier than anticipated.
2) Roth Fills In Adequately
Throughout the offseason, we recommended Matt Roth (+3.5) as a sensible free agent pick-up. It took a while for anyone to sign him, but Jacksonville finally did and it looks to be a smart decision, as he played well in relief of the injured Aaron Kampman. Roth was as productive as ever rushing the passer (one sack, one hit, two pressures) and was also solid against the run in this game.
3) Mathis Bounces Back
One player who really struggled last week was Rashean Mathis (+3.4), who gave up eight catches on eight targets. This week's numbers weren't much better, as he gave up five catches on six targets. However, that doesn't tell the full story, as he only gave up one first down catch and made some great tackles to limit the other four catches to a total of 12 yards. Mathis further boosted his grade with an interception in the second quarter.
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New York – Three Things of Note
1) Baxter Thrown To The Wolves
When Mangold went down, the Jets had to call upon undrafted rookie Colin Baxter (-5.0) to fill in. Baxter made a few mental mistakes and didn't really make any positive impact in the running game. However, after being thrown out there for his first NFL game, having never even snapped the ball to Mark Sanchez in practice, Baxter deserves some credit. He did, at least, manage to keep a clean slate in pass protection. He's going to have to play better than he did if Mangold misses significant time though, so the Jets will be keeping their fingers crossed that he is a quick study in practice.
2) Hunter Struggles Again
Wayne Hunter (-6.0) had a rough game against the Cowboys in Week 1 and followed that up with another disappointing display against Jacksonville, particularly once Mangold was lost for the day. Hunter surrendered a hit and three pressures, which was actually an improvement on last week, although the Jets didn't pass as often and the Jaguars hardly pose the same level of pass rushing threat. This week, he also had two costly penalties and wasn't very effective in the running game either. With Mangold hurt, the pressure will be on the rest of the line to step up and Hunter will be tested to the limit.
3) “Cro” Critics Eat Crow
In a win that was very much defense-driven, let's shine the spotlight on one of the better performances of the day from Antonio Cromartie (+2.4). Cromartie gave up two touchdowns in Week 1, but this week responded with two interceptions, one of which he returned to the one-yard line. It was an all-action performance from the “other” Jets' CB, as he pitched a shutout, made three tackles, racked up 150 return yards on four touches and even ran for one yard on offense.
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Game Notes
● Despite the struggles from the Jets line, the Jaguars blitzed just twice, as opposed to 21 blitzes by the Cowboys in week one.
● After managing to avoid committing any penalties last week, the Jets were flagged seven times for 60 yards.
● Gabbert completed five out of six passes for 52 yards in relief of McCown.
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PFF Game Ball:
Antonio Cromartie, CB, New York Jets
Cromartie's timely interceptions were vital in turning a close game into a laugher and his return yardage was a big boost for an offense that struggled slightly after losing arguably their best player.
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