Jets fall at Cardinals as defensive struggles, woes in red zone create lopsided loss

The Jets entered this game hopeful that they had perhaps found their identity in the second half of their win over the Texans and were finally primed to make a run. Unfortunately for New York, this game merely underlined what its identity has been all year — and that’s a team that starts games slow and can’t get off the field on defense when it matters.

Arizona marched for consecutive 70-yard touchdown drives on its first three possessions, then tacked on a field goal just before halftime as the Jets found themselves in an 18-point hole.

The Cardinals’ defense stiffened in the red zone once again on the Jets’ first possession of the second half and forced a turnover on downs, after which Arizona once again drove the length of the field for another score. Kyler Murray’s second rushing touchdown of the game made it 31-6 and ended up being the only score of the second half.

A win on Sunday would have potentially put the Jets back into the playoff conversation heading into next week’s game, but at 3-7 they are all but eliminated.

Takeaways

– The Jets’ offense didn’t even look that bad in the first half but had to settle for field goals on its first two possessions while the Cardinals scored touchdowns, which meant that New York played most of the half with a double-digit deficit. The bigger issue was that the Jets only touched the ball three times because their defense couldn’t get off the field. The second half was the same old story as they twice drove down into the red zone but then turned it over on downs.

– It felt like James Conner ran all over the Jets in the first half, but they actually held him to 18 yards on nine carries. However, Conner did his damage in the passing game instead, including on a 44-yard screen pass down to the goal line on the game’s first drive. Conner ended up with 33 yards and a touchdown on the ground but had five catches for 80 yards. The Cardinals still had 147 rushing yards and 406 total yards of offense.

– While they were dominated up front and gave up some completions in coverage, the most frustrating thing about this Jets’ performance was the tackling. The Jets missed several tackles on every drive, despite tackling having supposedly been their main focus during practice all week. The play that summed up the game for them saw Sauce Gardner seemingly wrapping up tight end Trey McBride short of the marker on third down only for him to break free and then hurdle another defender in the open field for extra yardage.

– The Jets’ game plan was obviously to establish the run, and they had good success running the ball in the first half. However, once again they were forced to abandon this because they were trailing. Breece Hall averaged over five yards per carry but only carried the ball 10 times.

– Davante Adams was surprisingly ineffective as he didn’t catch a pass until he made a one-yard catch late in the third quarter. His first four targets from Aaron Rodgers were all incomplete, including three in the end zone. The last of those was dropped, although an Arizona defender may have deflected it. Rodgers ultimately targeted him 13 times but he had just 31 yards on six catches.

– Murray was sensational, completing his last 17 passes in a row to establish a new franchise record. He ended the game with 266 yards on 22-of-24 passing, accounting for two touchdowns on the ground and one touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. These numbers merely showcase how badly the Jets’ defense struggled.

– The Jets lost Tyron Smith to a neck injury, giving Olu Fashanu a valuable chance to get some reps on the left side. The rookie held up reasonably well in that role and could get a more extended look if Smith’s injury will keep him out for any longer.

What’s next

The Jets host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday at 1 p.m.