The Jets let one slip away.
It wasn't pretty and in many ways, especially in the mind of head coach Robert Saleh, it was not acceptable.
"Obviously, it was sloppy, a lot of pre-snap penalties," Saleh said after the Denver Broncos ended the Jets' two-game winning streak with a 10-9 win at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. "You know, they're already a good defense, and we made it, we made it easier for them with just a lack of execution.
"We had opportunities ... first-and-goal from the 1 [yard line]. We've got to be able to put it in. Didn't. Had the ball twice with the chance to win. Didn't. You know weather notwithstanding, you got to play detailed. When it's sloppy outside, you've got to be detailed. And we, we give up too many. We had too many self-inflicted wounds."
In a game where the margin of defeat was razor thin, the Jets committed a season-high 13 penalties that were accepted (15 overall) for 90 yards, more yardage than the Green & White could carve out in the rush game (64). In the first half, the Jets were flagged seven times, several that killed drives.
As both teams struggled to muster anything effective on offense, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams punched the ball out of the hands of Denver running back Tyler Badie after he caught a short pass from Bo Nix. Michael Carter II gobbled up the ball and returned it 7 yards to the Broncos' 34-yard line. Rookie RB Braelon Allen's pair of short gains (9 and 2 yards) took the ball to the 23 before the first of two crucial infractions -- WR Allen Lazard was called for holding.
The Jets then got a break when Lazard was held in the end zone on a pass from Aaron Rodgers, giving the Jets the ball at the 1-yard line. The Jets stacked the offensive line, inserting Max Mitchell and Solomon Thomas in a bid to punch it over the goal line, but Breece Hall was held for a 1-yard gain followed by no gain and a Rodgers pass fell incomplete on third down. With the Jets set up to go for the TD on fourth-and-1, RG John Simpson was hit with a false start call and the Green & White had to settle for Greg Zuerlein's 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
"A lot of them were pre-snap," Saleh said. "I know we had a PI [pass interference]. I know we had the, Allen [Lazard] had one on the celebration [after a reception]. But just a lot of pre-snap penalties, which is unacceptable. That's the stuff that we got to get, we have to get that cleaned up. If we can't ... you're always going to have in-play penalties. Those are going to happen, but the pre-snap and post-snap penalties, those are the ones that are unacceptable."
The Jets had 5 false start penalties and Lazard was also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the third quarter, moving the ball back from the plus-18 to the 33.
Two weeks ago, the Jets were preparing for a short week with a game coming against the visiting Patriots on Thursday night, Sept. 19. They put together a complete effort in the 24-3 victory. With 10 days between facing New England and Denver, Saleh said that he doesn't believe his players were set up for a letdown.
"I thought we had a great week of prep," Saleh said. "Felt great energy in the locker room, pregame and even at halftime [leading by 6-0]. You know, defensively, as I said, we came out and played really well. And offensively, we just ... it wasn't up to our standard now. And the reality is, it was going to be tough sledding, no matter what, with the way the rain was coming down. But what's disappointing are the self-inflicted wounds that come with it, when it's wet and it's and it's bad, the way it was today, you've got to be great with your detail and and we, we give up a lot of yards [in penalties], so we didn't need to give up."
It doesn't get any easier from here. The Jets will depart on Thursday evening for a trip to England to face unbeaten Minnesota (4-0) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday morning (New York time) and will have to bounce back to face Buffalo in an important AFC East game on Monday night, Oct. 14.
