In short the opener to the 2022 season for the New York Jets was a mess of epic proportions.
A team that came into the season with the promise of better days ahead came out flat as a pancake when it mattered the most.
If this was a debut of what is to come for the Jets in 2022, you better start preparing your 2023 draft boards.
Sunday’s 24-9 loss wasn’t just a defeat at the hands of a better team, it was a total indictment of the Jets current predicament.
The Jets offensive line, which has been battered and beaten this summer with the losses of Meckhi Becton and Duane Brown to injury looked like a sieve on Sunday. Joe Flacco, who is not exactly fleet of foot, was under siege all afternoon. The fact he came out of Sunday’s game having been sacked only three times was a miracle in itself.
George Fant, who was expected to start at left tackle when Becton was healthy, then moved to right tackle when Becton got hurt and the team brought in Duane Brown, was back at left on Sunday and couldn’t stop anyone.
Let us not forget that even kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a field goal and an extra point, and Braden Mann shanked a punt to help set up a Ravens touchdown. It was a great day all the way around.
Yes, there were moments for the Jets offensively. Michael Carter had a couple of nice runs, including a 22-yarder on the first play of the game. And Breece Hall showed some speed on his first carry of 14 yards, but it was few and far between.
Flacco struggled to get the ball to his receivers, and whenever he got the ball on the back-shoulder, it was either an incompletion or a drop.
Defensively, the Jets held their own against the Ravens through the first two quarters of the game. We saw Jermaine Johnson get a big sack, and Sauce Gardner make a couple of nice plays in the secondary. But, with the lack of offensive production, it was only a matter of time before Lamar Jackson did his thing.
Jackson completed 17-of-30 for 213 yards and three touchdowns. His first score coming on a 25-yarder to Devin Duvernay with Bryce Hall drapped all over him to give Baltimore a 10-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Jackson found Duvernay again in stride for a 17-yard score to push the Ravens up 17-3.
Finally, after the Jets offense went five plays and out, Jackson hit the grand slam homer when he found a wide open Rashod Bateman for a 55-yard touchdown to push the game to a 24-3 Ravens lead. Game over.
