So close...

Jets fall to Bucs on last minute TD.

🗽 Good morning Jets fans and welcome to the first edition of 2022. I hope you all had a great new year and are fully recovered. The Jets played a football game yesterday and they played it pretty damn well.

Bucs 28-24 Jets 🏈

This game was everything I wanted to see from the Jets. Facing the old nemesis and arguably greatest QB in NFL history, the Jets playing shorthanded somehow managed to take a 14 point lead. Braxton Berrios showed why he should be re-signed and made the starting slot corner, the Jets offensive line opened up holes against a top 5 run defense in the league, and even losing Michael Carter to a concussion couldn't slow them down.

Zach Wilson played controlled and had arguably his cleanest game all season and the defense did what they could against an incredibly efficient and dangerous offense, despite that offense losing the big baby that is Antonio Brown who decided he’d had enough, the Bucs receiver ripping off his shirt and heading down the tunnel in the middle of a drive.

But with the clock winding down, Brady did what Brady has done so many times. He put together a clinical 90+ yard drive without any timeouts to score the go ahead TD with 15 seconds left on the clock. If that’s the last time we see Tom, it was probably a fitting way for it to end, after all he’s terrorised us for the best part of 20 years, what was one more victory.

On a day where we ran an 11-4 team to the wire there was only one real negative that sticks out, that being the 4th down QB dive that the Jets called with just over 2 minutes to go. I understand going for that 4th down as a 4-11 team, you don’t have much to lose. I also understand keeping it on the ground to make sure the clock kept ticking, what I don’t understand is calling a QB run off the tackle on 4tb and 2. On 4th and inches, maybe, 4th and 1 I’d consider it, but on 4th and 2? No chance. MLF has shown his creative spark this year, and we know he has a bag of tricks, that would have been the perfect time to bring them out. I think that may have been a busted play because I just can’t imagine that being the call. I’m writing this before the post game conference, so it may come out there that it was drawn up very differently.

Braxton 💰💲

Every single time Braxton gets given the opportunity, he performs. He is as reliable as they come and he’s shown enough this season to be brought back as the starting slot receiver. He had another game where he did it all, rushing TD, receiving TD and it’s got to a point where kickers aim away from him. He was a shoelace away from taking another to the house as well.

If you're a Jets fan, you're wanting Braxton back and chances are that will likely mean Jamison Crowder moving on. That’s fine, sometimes it’s just time to say goodbye.

I will say that Braxton is making himself a little money at the moment.

Injuries 🤕

At one point in the game I had a little chuckle to myself as the analysts were commenting about how many players were missing and how well Tom and the Bucs in general were doing, this was shortly after he completed passes to Gronk and Mike Evans while being protected by 3 Pro bowl lineman. Now I’m not belittling Tom, he did a fine job, but the team who really should be celebrated in terms of dealing with adversity were playing in Green.

If we concentrate on just the offensive side of the ball, the Jets were missing their starting LT in Becton, both starting outside receivers in Davis and Moore, their center in McGovern and their 2nd RB in Tevin Coleman, and that’s before the game started. They then proceeded to lose their RB1 in Carter and replacement LT in George Fant, talk about hard luck. They still put up 20+ points, the future is extremely bright.

Zach Wilson 📈

It’s impossible to talk about that game and not talk about Zach. If we ignore what happened on 4th down which I’m putting down to inexperience, I actually thought that was one of his best performances of the season. If I had to put one word on it, I’d use the word mature. He took very few risks, he worked through his progressions, he showed good patience and timing, and considering his weapons he helped move the Jets down the field.

The Bucs defense weren’t at full strength, but they were considerably closer to full strength than the Jets, and Wilson did a great job of identifying the right read. He also fit some great throws into some tight windows, and that’s what impressed me the most. It’s one thing hitting your first read that's been schemed open by intelligent play design, it's another to move through progressions and hit a receiver between defenders, Zach did both. Really encouraging game.

Some people have really criticised Zach for that 4th down play, but for me it’s a liitle inexperience and nothing more, criticising Zach does tend to be the trendy option in some media circles.

Key Reps 🔑🗝️

When you’re facing a Hall of Fame QB with very dangerous weapons, you’re going to lose some battles, that’s just the way it goes. Bryce Hall lost a battle in the first half, but I was so impressed with how he responded. He came back out and put up some great reps, some CB1 type reps. Tom Brady ended up throwing for over 400 yards, so you make think I'm mad to come out of this game with confidence in the secondary, but Hall, Echols and MC2 were thrown in against Brady, Gronk, Evans, Brown and other very talented players and they won some battles. I think this did highlight that we need some safety help and desperately, if we have even league average safety play then I think we won that game. Riley has done well since coming into the team, but that final Tampa TD is a play that needs to be made.

Safety may not be a premium position in the NFL, but it should be a priority for the Jets.

Steady Eddy

It was another good game by Eddy Piñeiro who hit all three extra points and made a 51 yard field goal. I wasn’t sure we’d found the answer at kicker by signing Eddy because his leg looked relatively weak for an NFL kicker, but of he can hit 51 yarders, maybe we’ve got our guy.

Draft Stock 📝

With the Jets loss and a win for Seattle, if the season were to end today Gang Green would have selections #4 and #7 in the 2022 NFL Draft. Carolina also lost so that means the Jets 2nd round picks currently stand at #35 and #38.

Thank you as always for reading, appreciate you stopping by on this Bank Holiday Monday. I have a little daughter who’s desperate to head to the beach, so i’m going to wrap it up here and I’ll see you tomorrow.