The Jets dropped a road contest, 35-12, to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The Green & White fell to 2-7 and the Chiefs improved to 6-3.
"It's disappointing and I told our players that," HC Aaron Glenn said postgame. "But the only thing that we can do is go back to work."
In defeat, rookie edge David Bailey led the team with 3 QB hits, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, and RB Breece Hall was productive in his return with 87 scrimmage yards.
Offensively it was a tale of two halves. The Jets started well, sustaining drives that took up significant clock time. The Green & White had five possessions enter plus territory in the opening half, but they had to settle for field goals and 12 points. They outgained the Chiefs 171-to-134 before intermission.
K Jason Sanders accounted for all of the Jets' points with field goal makes from 23, 48, 49 and 54 yards.
But in the third quarter, the unit stalled and the Chiefs gained momentum in the third quarter taking a 28-12 lead with Kenneth Walker III scoring his third TD of the game. The Jets punted 3 times and turned the ball over on downs twice on their second-half possessions and were 2-of-12 overall on third down attempts —the Chiefs were 6-of-11.
"We didn't play up to par," Glenn said. "I know offensively, we didn't have as many possessions that we needed to against a team like this. Defensively, we didn't hold up well against the run in the second half and Walker, he started going and we couldn't let that happen."
QB Geno Smith was 18-of-32 passing for 165 yards, but Kansas City's pressure was persistent, and he was sacked 5 times.
See the best photos from the Jets game against the Chiefs in Week 9.
"I thought early on, we were doing well and that's just across the board," Glenn said of Smith and the offense. "And then they really just turned up the heat on us. It's hard for any quarterback when they're getting hit like that
The Jets were without WR Garrett Wilson who sustained a concussion last week against the Raiders, and on Sunday, rookie Omar Cooper Jr. was the team's leading receiver with 8 receptions for 58 yards.
Bailey sacked QB Patrick Mahomes (23 of- 31, 242 yards, 2 TD) twice and forced 2 fumbles on the same drive toward the end of the first half. His 7.5 sacks through 9 games are the second-most by a Jet since 1982, behind only Hugh Douglas. Mahomes looked to have been hurt on a sack by Bailey and a 10-yard loss and fumble recovery by Will McDonald IV, but he was back in the game before halftime giving the Chiefs a chance to extend their lead, but K Harrison Butker's try from 51-yards was wide left.
The Chiefs had a 14-12 halftime lead they extended to 21-12 out of the break with a 10-play, 60-yard drive capped by TE Travis Kelce's 1-yard rushing TD.
In the first half the Jets controlled the clock using 16 minutes between their three field-goal scoring drives on their first three possessions. Sanders converted from 23, 48 and 49 yards to give the Jets a 9-7 lead with 8:12 left in the first half.
In the second half the Jets were 0-1 in the red zone and the Chiefs were 4-of-4.
"I thought first half we moved the ball pretty well," Smith said. "Again the same things kind of showed up. We got into the red zone once and finished with three points and then I felt like there were other times when we just failed to do so."
The Chiefs fumbled on their opening possession with QB Justin Fields losing control of the ball that LB Demario Davis recovered and set up Sanders' 48-yard conversion. However, Kansas City built to a 14-9 lead with 5:37 left in the first half with Walker scoring two receiving TDs -- a 7-yard reception for the Chiefs' first score and later a 25-yard catch-and-run after RB Braelon Allen fumbled on the Jets' 26-yard line.
Hall had 15 carries as the Jets prioritized the run in his first game back in five weeks. The Green & White had 106 rushing yards and Hall had 13 of his 15 carries in the first half. The Jets moved the ball well with the run which, in turn, limited the Chiefs to under 10 minutes of possession.
Sanders' fourth field goal from 54 yards put the Jets within 2 points of Kansas City's lead just outside of the 2-minute warning before halftime.
