By Jeff Moeller, The New York Extra/thenyextra.com
Admit it, you had to look twice.
The Jets had a 10-0 lead over Buffalo in the early going at Met Life Sunday, and you thought you had drifted into Jets’ yesteryear.
This couldn’t be an 0-6 football team with six touchdowns in as many games and a defense that has lost its mark? Could this be the start of a 6-2 run they reeled off in the second half of last season?
It was good while it lasted..the first half.
For the second half, the Jets crashed back down into reality in an 18-10 defeat to the Bills.
The Jets certainly provided a glimpse of what could be possible offensively, and their defense looked like their old selves for once despite a bent-but-not break afternoon in which they kept the Bills out of the endzone.
It was unsettling, though, with one first down and four total yards — yes that’s right — after halftime.
Head coach Adam Gase relinquished his playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Dowell Loggins, and the latter looked like the second coming of Don Coryell the first half with 16 first downs.
Sam Darnold looked confident and sharp coming off a bad shoulder, and second-round pick wide receiver Denzel Mims showed some flash in his debut. FIrst-round pick offensive tackle Mekhi Becton also was back and reminded everyone about how good he is. Fourth-round running back La’Mical Perine also had some moments. Wide receiver Brett Perriman returned to the lineup, but he likely will be sidelined with an apparent concussion after a nasty hit to the head.
But it came down to adjustments in the second half, and Gase and company couldn’t make the mark and were badly outcoached the second half. Failure to adjust and execution made it a drip-dry second half for the Jets’ offense.
Darnold began to show his two-game rust and his offensive line didn’t handle the Bills’ bull-rush well for six sacks. The third-year quarterback threw two bad interceptions and had a paltry 12 of 20 for 120 yards for a 31 quarterback rating.
The Jets provided a window of what their offense could be if it is hitting on all cylinders, and it is enough to stay competitive.
Yet, like always, there still isn’t enough horsepower in their engine to push them off the road to Trevor Lawrence.