The Jets left Arrowhead Stadium with the same ugly result they’ve been stacking up for weeks: a fourth straight loss and a 2-7 record after Sunday’s trip to Kansas City.
For a team that needed something - anything - to go right, the afternoon mostly delivered more of the same. New York moved the ball well enough early, but the drives kept dying before the end zone.
The defense hung around for a while, then eventually cracked in the second half. At this point, it’s getting harder to see a quick fix, and the source of the problem looks bigger than one bad Sunday.
Breece Hall’s return from a five-game absence immediately became one of the biggest storylines, especially with Braelon Allen coming in hot. Hall opened the game as the starter, and the early workload looked close to even.
That changed after an Allen fumble, and Hall ended up taking over for what felt like most of the rest of the afternoon. Hall finished with 15 carries for 61 yards, while Allen had eight carries for 33 yards.
The Jets also tried something unusual on special teams, turning to their fifth tight end/fullback, Andrew Beck, as the kickoff specialist. It was a head-turning move, especially after New York gave up the first kick-return touchdown of the season last week. The reason for the switch wasn’t clear, but the decision definitely stood out.
Offensively, the same old issue kept showing up: the Jets could move the ball, but they couldn’t close the deal. Even after forcing two turnovers in the first half, they still settled for field goals.
The second half was worse. New York didn’t score at all and went three-and-out on three of its five possessions.
There was also a change in the secondary, with the Jets benching Jarvis Brownlee Jr. after last week’s rough outing against the Las Vegas Raiders and giving second-round rookie D’Angelo Ponds the nod at nickel cornerback. The result was a mixed bag at best.
Ponds is still learning on the fly, and Sunday showed it. He was flagged for a costly penalty late in the second quarter in coverage and also gave up some big plays.
On the other side of the ball, David Bailey gave the Jets a real jolt after missing Week 8 with a groin injury. The No. 2 overall pick was disruptive all game, getting after Patrick Mahomes in the backfield and making his presence felt in a big way. Bailey became the first pass rusher over the last 10 seasons with two sacks and two forced fumbles on the same drive.
And then there was the absence that mattered most on offense. Garrett Wilson was ruled out Friday with a concussion, and while there was hope the Jets could still keep things moving with Adonai Mitchell and Omar Cooper Jr., that never really materialized in Kansas City.
Wilson’s absence was obvious. He draws attention that opens things up for Mitchell, Cooper, and the tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor, and Geno Smith looked like a quarterback working with fewer answers once he dropped back.
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