Jets Grades: Todd Bowles Suffers First NFL Loss
By Abraham Gutierrez
Heading into Week 3 of the 2015 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles were the only team in the National Football League the New York Jets had yet to beat, trailing 0-9 in the all-time series. With a dismal effort, Gang Green dropped to 0-10 in these clubs' head-to-head meetings, as Chip Kelly finally broke into the win column in the 2015 NFL season, coming at the expense of Todd Bowles' perfect head coaching start.
"Long season," said the Jets first-year head coach. "The same way we won two games we were not going to get too high, and when we lose one game, we're not going to get too low."
With a short week to prepare for Kelly's up-tempo offense, the Jets defense picked the worst time to have a lackluster performance. The result was not pretty, as New York was handed its first loss of the young season at the hands of an Eagles squad desperate for a win.
Defense: C
After allowing a league-best eight points per game through the first two weeks of the season, the Jets' impenetrable defense gave up 27 points. The turning point in this game came in the second quarter, when Philly pulled away by posting a 21-spot on the board.
The Jets defense would go on to surrender 17 first downs and 231 yards of total offense, including 123 yards rushing and 108 passing. New York's defense allowed Philly to control the clock for the duration of 28 minutes and five seconds, and could not contain running back Ryan Mathews (25 carries for 108 yards).
"They played better than us," Bowles added. "Give the Eagles credit, they came in here to play. We played hard; we didn't play smart at times."
Offense: D+
Offensively, it was a nightmare for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets attack. In a similar fashion in which they beat their first two opponents, mistakes on this team's part led to its undoing in Week 3. In particular, the Jets lost the crucial turnover battle 4-1, out of which three interceptions can be placed on Fitzpatrick's ledger.
"They beat us at our own game," Bowles said after the fact. "We turned it over four times, they turned it over once."
In total, the Jets offense tallied 19 first downs, 323 yard of offense, and controlled the clock to the tune of 31 minutes and 55 seconds. Gang Green also converted on 7-of-17 third down attempts, but in the end, there were many questions about Fitzpatrick's ability to lead the team heading into the future.
"You're not going to win a game throwing three interceptions," Bowles said, "[but] "Ryan's our starter."
Special Teams: C-
On special teams, there's only one Jets player's positive effort to note, as kicker Nick Folk connected on a pair of extra points and a 53-yard field goal. As far as kick returns go, Zac Stacy was the only not to break into this category, as he rushed for 82 yards on 4 kickoff returns, including a long of 31 yards.
On the flip side, the Eagles got a much-needed spark from punt returner Darren Sproles, who provided a spark following the Eagles slow start. With the Eagles offense idle, the former Charger took an 89-yard punt return to the hous, in a play that looked out of a game of Madden, and helped push Philly's lead to 10-0.
Coaching B-
With a surmountable amount of injuries and fatigued players, one has to give Bowles and his staff credit for keeping things from getting out of control. In fact, after getting clobbered in the second quarter, the Eagles were kept off the board in the second half.
"We've all suffered our share of losses," Bowles said earlier in the week. "We understand it's early in the season and we have a long way to go."
What's Next For Jets In Week 4
Next up for the (2-1) New York Jets, Gang Green will travel across the pond for a Week 4 showdown with AFC East division rivals, (1-2) Miami Dolphins. This game is scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium in London, England, and opening kickoff is slated for Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET on CBS Sports.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
