Defense Shines, Offense Struggles as Jets Fall to Saints 31-19

Following an embarrassing loss to Denver last week, as well as the loss of offensive leader Josh McCown, Bryce Petty was set to make his first start of 2017. Heading into the game against the Saints, Petty had only thrown three touchdowns to seven interceptions. And in today’s game, he did not shown much improvement.

Bryce Won’t Suffice

Petty struggled with easy throws all day long. He was a main factor in the struggling offense, who failed to capitalize on the three turnovers forced by their defense.

Petty completed only 19 of 39 passes for a quiet 179 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The defense consequently shined, with young players making their presence known early. Darron Lee also recorded several tackles for losses. Buster Skrine had cut down on his penalties dramatically, playing well disciplined football. He forced and recovered one of the three turnovers that the Jets snatched. Jamal Adams and Leonard Williams forced a turnover and intercepted a pass respectively. The defense, missing Muhammad Wilkerson, managed to corral the dynamic duo of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram for a majority of the game.

Despite the turnovers, favorable penalties, and excellent field position that was offered up to them, the Jets only managed three points off of takeaways. The Jets did manage to keep the game close, getting to 24-19 before Ingram broke off a 50 yard touchdown run to seal off the win with a final score of 31-19. The loss officially eliminated the Jets from playoff contention, keeping them out of the postseason for their seventh straight year.

Moving on

Even with the loss, Todd Bowles announced after the game that Petty would start against the Chargers. Fortunately for the Jets, Los Angeles will come off a devastating blow to their playoff hopes in a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Jets now eliminated, we could see Christian Hackenberg get some playtime within the next three weeks. For now, Jet fans can only see what Petty can do with coaching from injured quarterback Josh McCown.

– Adam Melendez is a staff writer for Full Press Coverage Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @melendez2015 Follow @FPC_Jets