There are no moral victories in the NFL, as so many have said after Sunday’s disappointment, but there is reason to celebrate much of what we saw on the field on Sunday. Justin Fields stood out, and here are some other key points.
- The Steelers won ten games last season and were a playoff team. The Jets were the better team for most of the game on Sunday.
- Justin Fields provided an element to the offense with his mobility that the Jets have never had in their history.
- Justin Fields threw the ball very well and appears further along than most expected him to be by week one.
- The Jets offensive line was dominant in the run game and allowed just one sack on the day.
The bad news is that a loss is a loss, and now the Jets must host the Bills in week two. The additional unwelcome news is that we may need to come to grips with the fact that this defense is not as good as many assumed. The Jets ran the ball for 182 yards and had 23 first downs. They only punted once all day, but they still allowed 34 points. Something is not right – with that much offensive success, it should have been harder for Pittsburgh to stay close and win with just one break (fumble recovery) late in the game. Things will not get easier this week for the Jets defense with the Bills in town.
The Ravens game tape should give the Jets a lot of options for a second straight big day on the ground. The Bills allowed 238 rushing yards in week one. The Jets should be able to find similar success on Sunday. If the offense can run like they did against Pittsburgh, I like the Jets chances to address what went wrong with their defense against the Steelers and upset Buffalo in week two.
