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The Jets defense wasn’t the problem in the Baltimore game. The offense let them down.
Let’s start with the defensive line.
The Jets defensive linemen did some good things.
On Joe Flacco’s first throw of the game, Mike DeVito got by guard Andre Gurode, and put pressure on the quarterback, and forced an intentional grounding call.
DeVito had another quarterback pressure on Baltimore’s third series, and Flacco threw the ball away.
Mo Wilkerson gets mixed reviews. On the Ravens second possession, he stopped Ray Rice on the line. He did the same thing on the Ravens first drive of the second half. On Rice’s TD run at the end of the first quarter, Wilkerson was pancaked, and Rice ran into the hole created by him being on the ground. He was pancaked by veteran center Matt Birk.
Wilkerson beat Gurode (clearly he’s more comfortable at center) to stop Rice for a loss of two on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Sione Pouha had a nice shed-and-stop of Rice, on the line, on the Ravens third drive, on the three-yard line.
Both DeVito and Pouha had stops around the line on Rice, late in the first half.
The Jets did a great job on Rice as a rusher. He finished with 25 carries for 66 yards, and had one carry for 10 yards. So that makes the rest of his carries, 24-56. That is awful.
Ricky Williams gashed the Jets tired defense a little late in the third quarter, and into the fourth. The Ravens had the ball 37:28 and the Jets, just 22:32. The Jets had too many three-and-outs on offense.
One problem for the Jets is they are playing these games with no backup nose tackle because Kenrick Ellis is inactive every week. Sione must be running on fumes in the fourth quarter.
Two examples of Sione getting worn out; late in the third quarter, he was on the ground on a Williams gain of seven to the right side. Then early in the fourth, he dives at Williams feet, and misses, on a gain of six.
Before leaving the game with an Achilles injury, Bryan Thomas shed a Rice block attempt and blocked a pass.
Aaron Maybin did a nice job of taking advantage of the out of shape LT Bryant McKinnie. He had a QB pressure at the end of the first series, and the strip sack that caused a fumble later on.
On the first play of the Ravens second series, Josh Mauga drew a holding call on Gurode.
Speaking of holding, Nick Bellore was called for holding on the Jets first punt return. Mauga was also called for holding on second quarter Jets punt.
Mauga was beat on a crossing route for 13-yards by TE Ed Dickson on the Ravens third drive.
Calvin Pace had a solid game. Early in the second quarter, Pace did a nice job of using his hands, shedding a block by RT Mike Oher, and he got in Flacco’s face, forcing an incompletion.
Pace had a QB pressure on Flacco as he rolled right, forcing him to throw it away on the first possession of second half. Pace forced a fumble on Williams in the middle of the fourth (recovered by Sione).
Bart Scott blitzed and hit Flacco as he threw, and the ball fell incomplete in the middle of the second. Scott had a stop of Rice on the line on the first play of the Ravens third drive.
David Harris had a Pick Six in the second quarter on a pass over the middle for Rice. Joe McKnight, in as a corner, had a pressure on this play.
Aside from a couple of plays, the secondary was brilliant. On the Rice 52-yard catch-and-run, Eric Smith had great coverage, but as they say in the football world, “You can’t defend a perfect throw.” And that is what it was.
Smith and Brodney Pool combined for a sack late in the first half. Smith also had a nice PD down field on Torrey Smith on the Ravens third possession.
Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie were both outstanding. On so many plays, Flacco had nowhere to throw.
This loss was entirely on the Jets offense – their defense and special teams did their part.