The New York Jets were right there at halftime in Kansas City, but the second half turned into the same old problem. They went into the break down just 14-12 after Harrison Butker missed a field goal at the end of the second quarter, only to watch the Chiefs rip off 21 unanswered points and roll to a 35-12 win before 73,628 at Arrowhead Stadium.
For Aaron Glenn, the result fit a frustrating pattern. The Jets have shown enough in stretches to suggest they can compete with quality teams, but they still haven’t put together a full game.
“We’ve shown spurts that we can play at a high level,” Glenn said.
New York actually opened with some life, building a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on two field goals. The Jets added two more field goals in the second quarter, but that was the issue in a nutshell: too many drives ending in three points, not enough finishing in the end zone. Against a team like Kansas City, that leaves the door open.
And once the second half started, the game got away fast. The Chiefs controlled the final two quarters, and the Jets never found a response. It was another reminder that the staff’s halftime adjustments didn’t hold up, while Andy Reid and his group clearly made the better moves after the break.
The loss dropped the Jets to 2-7 heading into Tuesday’s trade deadline. Major action isn’t expected, though Darren Mougey could choose to move edge Will McDonald IV, who finished with two tackles Sunday.
There were a few individual bright spots. Breece Hall returned and handled 15 carries for 61 yards. Braelon Allen added eight rushes for 33 yards, but he also lost a fumble that led to Geno Smith making a tackle.
Smith said after the game that he was frustrated with himself. He completed 32 passes for 165 yards, was sacked five times, and lost 42 yards on those plays.
The Jets, now riding a four-game losing streak, will next host the Buffalo Bills in W.
In Other News...
Jets Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Fans Expected Up Front
The Jets record has left plenty to unpack, but the issues up front have become impossible to ignore. Even with a roster that Pro Football Focus has ranked 13th in the league, New York has stumbled to 2-7, and the offensive line has not provided the kind of stability the team needs to make the rest of the offense work. Third-year left tackle Olu Fashanu was supposed to be part of the solution, but his season has turned into a concern of its own.
Fashanus struggles have shown up in both pass protection and run blocking, with penalties adding to the frustration around his development. The ground game has offered another clue that the Jets are not fully trusting what they are getting from his side of the line, and that matters for an offense trying to find any rhythm at all. For a team already fighting an uphill battle, the bigger problem may be that the answers up front are not arriving as quickly as expected. [Read more 🡒]
Breece Hall Sends Clear Message As Jets Pressure Builds Around Geno Smith
The Jets loss to the Chiefs pushed them to 2-6 and left them searching for answers after a fourth straight defeat, with Geno Smith again taking some of the heat for an offense that managed only modest production. Breece Hall, though, made it clear the blame should not land on one player alone, stressing that the team needs to be better across the board if it wants to stop the slide.
Halls defense of Smith came at a time when the quarterbacks future has become part of the conversation around the team, even as the Jets try to steady things heading into their next stretch of games. For a locker room already under pressure, the message from one of its most important voices was less about pointing fingers and more about keeping the focus on collective execution. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Have Early Ammo In The Ty Simpson Draft Debate
With the Rams sitting at 5-4 and dealing with the kind of receiver injuries that can expose any roster decision, their choice to use the No. 13 pick on quarterback Ty Simpson is already drawing plenty of second-guessing. For Jets fans, the early debate has a familiar ring to it, because the draft board after Simpson has started to look like a place where other teams found immediate help while the Rams waited on a passer.
The review of the players taken after Simpson only sharpens the argument, especially among fans looking for proof that the safer offensive bet was sitting elsewhere in the first round. Several receivers have already flashed in ways that make the Rams' decision harder to defend, and the tight end taken after Simpson adds another layer to a conversation that is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]