East RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Los Angeles Chargers improved to .500 on Monday night, beating their rivals the New York Jets 27-6 at MetLife Stadium. The Jets lost three games, and their winning streak snapped when they were shut out without scoring a touchdown.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers defeated an unlucky Chicago Bears team 30-13 last week, their most impressive victory this season. On Monday night the Chargers were up against an Jets team that boasts one of the most effective defences of the NFL, as well as beats Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.
The Chargers have won their second straight game with a frenzied first quarter. During which they scored 14 points. They also showed a strong defensive linemanship that didn’t allowed the Jets even come close.
Eye-popping NextGen statistic running back Austin Ekeler had three drops on Monday night, which is tied for the most drops in his career. In addition to the drops, Ekeler had a solid game scoring two touchdowns and racking up 47 yards of scrimmage. However, Ekeler was the team’s leader in receiving last season, and his catch can trigger huge plays, which means his game could be a big one for the Chargers (4-4) are likely to need the drops on Monday to be an exception.
Positive trend: Joey Bosa has 3.5 sacks in his last two games. Bosa injured the big toe of his left during the Chargers victory in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, causing him to miss the next contest against Las Vegas Raiders. Bosa didn’t look like the same player since the Chargers win in Week 8 against the Bears which he only had one sack. Bosa looked sharper than ever on Monday, recording 2.5 sacks, which is the second-highest total during his entire career.
A troubling trend The QB Justin Herbert has been sacked 10 times in the last three games. Herbert was able to take less than 2.5 seconds to throw 40 percent of his throws, in which the Jets defense easily moved back the Chargers front throughout the game. — Kris Rhim
Next game: vs. Detroit Lions (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)
New York Jets
A couple of hours prior to starting the match, Aaron Rodgers was launching 50-yard passes during warmupsan impressive feat given that he’s just two months away from an Achilles tendon repair. This was the highlight of the offensive for the Jets on Monday night.
The landscape is constantly changing when it comes to the NFL. After a three-game winning streak in the early part of 2018, the Jets were viewed as fierce high-achieving players living a comfortable life post-Rodgers. They now appear like fake contenders with an inexperienced Zach Wilson at quarterback.
The Jets (4-4) were able to lose three fumbles, and allowed eight sacks, and continued their poor form on third down (3-of-17). They were unable to capitalize on another stellar performance from the defense that registered five sacks.
The same has been the Jets’ story over the last two seasons. The team has only scored 8 touchdowns over the course of eight matches. Four of the TDs were one-play drives and one of them was when players from the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to let them score in a final game scenario.
The disparity in defense and offense, which caused the team to lose its last game may cause a reversal in the next year. Rodgers looking to make a comeback in the latter part of the season, if the Jets are still in the hunt, could have the option of focusing his attention on 2024.
QB breakdown Wilson was without an interception five times in the last six games. This was a good thing. The downside came from the fact that his former No. 2 overall draft pick was unable to find the wide receivers. He also performed an awful job at detecting pressure inside the pocket. He showed lack of understanding for Los Angeles’ defense -one that was formed in the week of 31st, defending the pass. For Wilson it was an outright flop of the previous season. The offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett tried to go faster at times while trying to get his team’s attention however nothing was working. What if the coach Robert Saleh change quarterbacks? The backup quarterback is an unproven journeyman Tim Boyle. The Jets are home to former starter/journeyman Trevor Siemian on the practice team. Both are not appealing options and so expect them to go out together with Wilson.
A troubling trend The offensive line reshuffle was in disarray but there was not an excuse. Center rookie Joe Tippmann started his first game. Max Mitchell made his first appearance at right guard, while Billy Turner was a fill-in at right tackle. Turner was able to record at most three sacks. Don’t be surprised if Jets change the line next week, now that tackle Duane Brown is able to be taken off reserve due to injury.
The biggest hole in the game’s strategy: Hackett was too reliant on passing in the opening half, not utilizing the running back Breece Hall. Hackett used excessive five-man defenses. Priority No. 1 ought to have been protection against pass.
Pivotal play A pivotal play: The Jets celebrated Thomas Morstead, the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week who was included in the player introductions before the game and it’s a first for punters. After a few minutes Morstead was kicked out of his coverage for a 59-yard kick that resulted to an touchdown of 87 yards for Derius Davis. The touchdown led to players of the Jets within a 7-0 deficit which they could not recover from. — Rich Cimini
The next game is at Raiders (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)
