The New York Jets endured a painful 10-9 home defeat against the Denver Broncos, a game marred by an NFL-high 13 penalties in Week 4. This surprising lack of discipline has resulted in the Jets falling to a 2-2 record for the 2024 season.
A Day Plagued by Penalties
Eight of those 13 penalties came from the offensive unit, positioning the Jets as the second-most penalized offense for the week, trailing only the Houston Texans, who committed nine penalties. Remarkably, five of these offensive penalties were due to false starts, an unusual anomaly for a team that had only one false start violation in the first three weeks of the season.
Several players found themselves under the spotlight for their infractions. Left guard John Simpson and running back Breece Hall each committed two false starts, while left tackle Tyron Smith added one more to the tally. This sudden surge in penalties is a stark contrast to the Jets' earlier performance when they had just eight offensive penalties across the first three weeks, tying for the 10th-fewest in the league.
Crucial Missed Opportunity
The game could still have swung in the Jets' favor if not for a missed opportunity in the dying moments. Kicker Greg Zuerlein had a chance to put the Jets ahead with a 50-yard field goal with only 51 seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately for Jets fans, Zuerlein's effort failed to find its mark, sealing the narrow defeat.
Voices from the Sidelines
Head coach Robert Saleh expressed his frustration following the game, emphasizing the need for the team to rectify their issues with cadence. "We got to figure it out. Whether or not we're good enough to handle or ready enough to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today took a major step back," he stated.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, known for his meticulous attention to detail, echoed Saleh's sentiments but pointed out that these false starts were an unusual occurrence. "That's one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven't had an issue. We've only had one false start. [Right tackle] Morgan had one false start I believe until this. You know, it's been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start. To have five today it seemed like, four or five. Yeah, it seems like an outlier. I don't know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game," Rodgers commented.
Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly and former Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams also weighed in. Kuechly highlighted Rodgers' strategic use of the hard count, referencing its effectiveness in drawing defenders offsides. "He nailed it: 'my hard count is a weapon.' The amount of big plays, go ask Jordy Nelson. 'Hey Jordy, do you think the hard count that Aaron Rodgers has is effective?' He would say, 'Yeah, I got paid a lot of money on go balls that Aaron threw me after a defensive lineman jumped offsides,'” Kuechly remarked.
Adams, reflecting on his time with Rodgers in Green Bay, underscored the importance of attention to detail and accountability. "Aaron is all about the attention to detail. So, snap count, that's attention to detail. You got to be locked in on something like that. We always talked about in Green Bay 'that the play is hard enough to win on its own, so let's not lose it pre-snap.' ... At least let's get our pre-snap operation smooth.' Everybody hears the same snap count in the huddle, so there's really no excuse for one of these things. Holding people accountable, I agree (with Rodgers). Sometimes that's what you have to do versus run from it. Have certain consequences if guys can't get right," Adams noted.
For the Jets, this loss is a stark wake-up call. Correcting these mistakes will be essential as they seek to regain momentum moving forward. With the insights from respected voices in the game and a focus on tightening their pre-snap details, the Jets aim to overcome these recent hurdles and build on the strengths they have demonstrated earlier in the season.