BAD GENO
The version of Geno Smith we witnessed in Sunday’s 23-12 loss to the Chicago Bears is the version many of us were expecting when GM Darren Mougey acquired him from the Las Vegas Raiders on March 11. Prior to hitting Isaiah Williams on a 58-yard bomb with 9:16 left in the game, he had only 61 yards passing.
In fairness, Smith was arguably the New York Jets’ most effective player in their first three games, completing 79% of his passes for 664 yards, 4 TDs, and no INTs. Unfortunately, he took a major step back in Chicago. Unlike his previous efforts, he was indecisive, jittery in the pocket, and inaccurate on short passes.
At 36, Smith is not suddenly going to find a new level of consistency. However, he has proved that he still is much closer to the player he was with the Seattle Seahawks from 2022-24 than he was last year with the Raiders. I’m sure Aaron Glenn would be thrilled if he continued to play well in 75% of his starts the rest of the way.
However, it’s going to be vital for the Jets to not waste his good games as they did against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Bottom line is the Jets are 1-3 and very happy to be done with the NFC North until Week 17. The outside noise is about to get ramped up as they head into the second quarter of the season.
NEXT FOUR GAMES
These next four games are crucial if the Jets want to stay relevant and avoid spending the last two months of the season talking about Glenn’s job security.
- Sunday, October 11 vs Cleveland (1p, CBS)
- Sunday, October 18 at New England (1p, CBS)
- Sunday, October 25 vs Miami (1p, CBS)
- Sunday, November 1 vs Las Vegas (1p, FOX)
Considering that they travel to Kansas City on November 8 and then host Buffalo on November 15, Gang Green probably needs to win three of the next four games to stave off the Mike Tomlin watch.
That’s going to require flushing the Bears game and putting their players in better positions to succeed moving forward.
WHAT’S THE SCHEME?
Frank Reich was missing five opening-day starters against the Bears — WR Omar Cooper, RB Breece Hall, WR AD Mitchell, LG Dylan Parham, and TE Mason Taylor.
Those absences gave him even more reason to ensure that Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq got involved in the game early and often. Wilson was only targeted 4 times on Sunday, resulting in 3 catches for 27 yards. Considering his uncanny ability to come down with 50/50 balls, that’s unacceptable from both Reich and Smith.
Meanwhile, Sadiq looked so good in his breakout performance (7 catches, 105 yards, TD) against the Lions that I added him to both of my fantasy football teams. Sadly for the Jet fanbase and my teams, he finished the Bears game without a catch on four targets.
Reich needs to find creative ways to get both guys more touches, especially with the injured list brimming with talent. On the other side of the ball, Glenn needs to do the same with his edge rushers, who recorded only one pressure in Chicago. I’ll buy that #2 overall pick David Bailey needs time to adjust to the pro game, but Will McDonald is in his fourth season.
In 2024, McDonald seemed to be a rising star when he tallied 10.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Last season, he had 8 sacks, but he has only one through four games in 2026. Plus, Mougey’s premiere free-agent pickup, Joseph Ossai, has yet to record a pressure in his two starts.
Glenn needs to find a way to get all three of them going to make Deshaun Watson uncomfortable on Sunday afternoon.
PROJECT 2027
All season, we will be tracking how the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts fare because the Jets will own the better of the Dallas/Green Bay first-round picks, and Indianapolis’s first-rounder as well. With all three of those teams winning this past weekend to improve to 2-2, the Jets would own picks #6, #13, and #14 if the NFL Draft were to be held today.
Now, there is another 2-2 that that I think the fanbase should root against. While Joe Burrow has never officially given any indication that he would like to leave Ohio, another losing season could potentially open the door.
Would the Bengals be willing to reset the QB clock with a CJ Carr, Arch Manning, or Dante Moore? I’m not sure. But I’m positive that Aaron Glenn or Mike Tomlin would feel a lot better with a 30-year-old Burrow running the show next September.