Packers 20 Jets 17 (OT)

Jets Talk: A Fan’s Perspective

Jets 17, Packers 20 (OT) — This One Was Given Away

I’m holding my “Same Old Jets” cry for two more weeks.

Typical Jets blunders and an overtime loss that should have never been.

There. I said it.

And maybe that’s what made this one hurt so much. This wasn't a game where the Jets were completely outclassed. They weren't run off their own field. For a good portion of the afternoon, they were the better football team.

One competitive quarter. Two dominant quarters. One trash quarter.

And somehow, that adds up to 1-1.

From Sloppy to in Control

The first quarter was ugly for both teams. The rain certainly didn't help, and neither offense could get much going. But the Jets defense came out strong and, early on, was clearly getting the better of Green Bay.

The Packers eventually broke through in the second quarter to take a 7-0 lead.

Then the Jets offense started finding itself.

They began mixing the run and pass, changing things up and getting creative. It started looking more like the offense we saw last week against Tennessee. Braelon Allen finished off a nice drive to tie the game at 7-7.

In the third quarter, Geno Smith found Garrett Wilson for a touchdown and suddenly the Jets had a 14-7 lead.

Then came a field goal in the fourth.

Jets 17. Packers 7. About eight minutes remaining.

At home. Ten-point lead.

Finish the damn game.

And Then My Jets-Fan Gut Started Talking

The Jets had Green Bay in a third-and-long situation with a chance to tighten the noose.

Instead, a pass interference penalty gave the Packers new life.

And you could almost feel the entire game change.

I have tried to bury the “Same Old Jets” mantra. I really have. But somewhere in my gut, something started bothering me.

I looked at my son and simply said:

“This isn't good.”

Why?

Because I know this organization.

I've been watching the Jets for more than 50 years. There are certain things you just recognize after a while, and time management has never exactly been something this organization excels at.

Today was no different.

Green Bay methodically marched down the field and scored.

17-14.

Now there was still hope.

But as Red said in The Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a dangerous thing.”

Jets fans know exactly what that means.

The Jets went three-and-out and gave the Packers the ball back with plenty of time.

In fact, in some completely screwed-up Jets-fan way, I found myself hoping Green Bay would score quickly just so they would leave us enough time to come back and win.

Think about that.

I was rooting for the opponent to score faster.

That's what five decades of Jets football does to a man.

More hope.

Green Bay eventually kicked the field goal.

17-17. Overtime.

Why Are We Taking the Football?

Then came a decision I still don't understand.

The Jets won the opportunity to take the ball in overtime and elected to take it.

Why?

Under the current overtime format, both teams get an opportunity to possess the football. So what exactly was the advantage?

It's not like the Jets offense was some unstoppable powerhouse at that point.

Quite the opposite.

Green Bay's defense looked possessed in the fourth quarter. The Jets offense looked gassed, confused and completely out of rhythm.

If anything, I would have preferred putting the defense on the field first, seeing exactly what Green Bay did, and then knowing what the offense needed on its possession.

Instead, we took the football.

And Geno Smith was sacked on two of the three plays.

Punt.

Wonderful.

Green Bay took over and went right down the field, eventually getting inside the Jets' 10-yard line.

By then, the defense looked finished.

It almost felt like the Packers' field goal was an act of mercy because they probably could have scored a touchdown if they really needed one.

And then, because the football gods apparently enjoy wordplay at our expense, Packers kicker Trey Smack SMACKED the Jets right into the loss column.

20-17.

Game over.

Where the Jets Lost This Game

For me, the biggest problem was coaching.

And I don't mean a questionable call here or there.

The time management was embarrassing.

But what really drove me crazy was the offensive play-calling when the Jets had opportunities to put this game away.

Frank Reich called a run straight up the middle on third-and-one.

No gain.

Then on fourth-and-one?

Basically the same damn thing.

Same play.

Same result.

No gain.

Those were the moments when I kept asking myself: Where did last week's offense go?

Where were the change-of-pace plays? Where was the creativity? Where were the different looks that kept Tennessee guessing?

Last week I praised Reich for exactly those things.

This week, they disappeared when we needed them most.

That's what makes this loss such a kick in the gut.

The Jets didn't just lose this game. They gave it away.

The Report Card

Offense: C

There were good stretches. Geno and Garrett Wilson connected for the touchdown, Braelon Allen found the end zone, and the offense showed some creativity during the middle portion of the game. But when the Jets needed one drive late to finish Green Bay off, the offense disappeared.

Defense: C+

For three quarters, there was plenty to like. Early in the game, the defense was arguably the best unit on the field. But football games are four quarters long. When Green Bay needed points late, the defense couldn't get off the field, and by overtime they looked completely spent.

Special Teams: C

Nothing disastrous, but nothing that changed the outcome either.

Coaching: F

No way around this one.

Questionable time management. Conservative and predictable play-calling at critical moments. Failure to adjust when Green Bay's defense changed the game. And then the decision to take the football in overtime when the Jets offense had done almost nothing late in regulation.

And one more thing: way too many penalties. That shows an undisciplined football team, and that lies directly on the head coach.

Sorry, AG. Do better.

The players deserve their share of the blame.

But this one starts with the coaching staff..

I'm Not Saying It Yet...

There are plenty of teams sitting at 0-2.

The Jets are 1-1.

This season is still in its infancy, and I'm certainly not burying them after two games.

But the schedule doesn't exactly send us a fruit basket next week.

We go to Detroit.

That's going to be a rough one.

And that's why giving away a game like this hurts even more.

Beat Green Bay and you're 2-0 heading into Detroit with some house money.

Instead, you're 1-1 because you couldn't finish a game you controlled.

So I'm not saying it.

Not yet.

I'm giving them two more weeks before I dust off those three miserable words every Jets fan knows by heart.

But after Sunday?

They're sitting awfully close to the tip of my tongue.