Instant Analysis: The Jets never had a chance in Baltimore

It was raining touchdowns in Baltimore on Thursday night.

It didn’t take long for this game to be decided.

By the time the second quarter came to an end, the Jets already trailed the Ravens by 14. Two quarters later, and a predictable 42-21 beatdown was in the books. Baltimore improved to 12-2 and clinched the AFC North, while the Jets fell to 5-9. Not that anyone expected different.

With an extensive injury report and a level of talent that pales in comparison, the Jets never stood a chance against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Now that Week 15 has come and gone, New York has some extra time to get healthy before the last two games of the season. The Jets will finish the year with Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and then 2019 will come to a merciful end without yet another playoff appearance.

Game Balls:

  • Special Teams: Sam Ficken’s latest misses aside, special teams were the only area in which the Jets played well on Thursday night. Ty Montgomery, Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios combined for 227 total return yards, Lachlan Edwards pinned two punts inside the 20 and Tarrell Basham and B.J. Bello teamed up to take a blocked punt to the house. If only the rest of the team played as well as Brant Boyer’s unit.

Quick Thoughts:

  • It stands out that the Ravens have curtailed their offense to fit Lamar Jackson’s strengths. That sounds like common sense, but more often you see coaches trying to mold young quarterbacks in their image and scheme. Rather than go the stubborn route, though, Baltimore kept an open mind and created an MVP candidate. By comparison, Adam Gase has not been nearly as accommodating to Sam Darnold, his own second-year quarterback. There have been times throughout the season, including Thursday night, in which Gase has played to Darnold’s strengths — namely moving out of the pocket — but there hasn’t been much consistency when it comes to letting Darnold do what he’s best at.  
  • Sticking with Darnold, remember when everything was clicking for the QB during New York’s three-game winning streak? He was sensational over that stretch, especially against bad Washington and Oakland secondaries. But then he put together two poor performances against Cincinnati and Miami. Baltimore, with a star-studded defense, kept Darnold’s string of bad starts alive, holding him 18-32 passing for 218 yards, two touchdowns and two turnovers. Some would argue Darnold needs to prove he can beat top defenses, but first, he just needs to show some consistency. Granted, the Jets are banged up right now, but they need their franchise quarterback to play like one. How they make that happen, as previously mentioned, is up for debate.
  • After much talk of the flu, bowling and his desire for more touches, Le’Veon Bell returned to the lineup and ran 21 times for 87 yards. It was his highest rushing total as a Jet. He only had two catches for one yard, though.
  • Under no circumstances should Neville Hewitt be covering Marquise Brown. As the Jets found out, there’s no scenario in which that ends well.

  • Ever hear the idea that a shooter can be too wide open in basketball? In other words, they miss when uncovered but have no problem with a defender in their face. Well, Jamison Crowder demonstrated the football version of that Thursday night, dropping a wide-open touchdown in the end zone before catching a well-defended pass to the exact same spot on the very next play. Sometimes, that pressure is good for your focus.
  • The Jets’ wounded defense was simply no match for Jackson, who broke history and continued to make his MVP case Thursday night. The Ravens quarterback torched New York’s backup secondary for five touchdowns and added 86 yards on the ground against one of the best statistical run defenses in the NFL. The competition wasn’t much, but Jackson again showed those watching what a special and fun player he is. It’s scary to think this is just his second season.