NY Jets: 7 takeaways from Week 2 loss to Patriots, including a few positive signs

It all went wrong very quickly for the New York Jets on Sunday against the Patriots. 

And it was an especially rough afternoon for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, who threw four interceptions and was booed late in his home debut. 

But it wasn't all bad for the Jets. (Seriously! It wasn't.) If Wilson can put his struggles behind him quickly, which is a big "if," the Jets actually showed some things that could be encouraging as the season goes on.

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from Week 2, including a few reasons to be hopeful despite a frustrating game and an 11th straight loss to the Patriots. 

A good day for the defense

All things considered, it was a good day for the Jets defense.

They held the Patriots to two touchdowns and 260 yards, including just 159 through the air. They had to deal with four Wilson interceptions, including two that gave the Patriots possession at the Jets' 35.

They were aggressive and played fast throughout the game. And they did it with three rookies playing major roles and two starters who weren't on the roster during training camp.

"Considering some of the situations our defense was put in, I thought we did a really, really nice job," coach Robert Saleh said. "Obviously there's plays that we need back, from an efficiency standpoint. ... But they answered the bell."

There were bright spots all over the field. C.J. Mosley had 10 tackles and a pass defended. Bryce Hall and Michael Carter had passes defended. And Marcus Maye had six tackles, a sack and two tackles for a loss.

The defensive line looked good, too. John Franklin-Myers and Sheldon Rankins each had sacks. And Quinnen Williams had five tackles including a tackle for a loss

Through two games, the Jets defense has been better than expected and overcome injuries. Saleh's decision to roll with a young cornerback group has looked like a smart one.

"We can be better," Saleh said. "But [they] have been playing fantastic, and they're only going to get better."

But they must fix this

Saleh said Friday that his main goal on defense is to eliminate explosive plays, which he defined as any pass of more than 16 yards and any run of more than 12.

By that definition, the Patriots had six explosive plays on Sunday: four passes, including two of more than 25 yards to a tight end, and two runs, one of which was the worst defensive play of the game.

Two plays after Wilson's fourth interception, Patriots running back Damien Harris victimized most of the Jets defense by breaking seven tackles on a 26-yard touchdown run. It gave the Patriots a 19-3 lead early in the second half and pretty much put the game away.

Harris beat corner Brandin Echols near the line of scrimmage, then shed Maye, who was simultaneously being blocked; he beat safety Adrian Colbert with a juke, and slipped past Quincy Williams, who tried to wrap him up from behind. Near the goal line he beat Michael Carter II and then dragged defensive lineman Bryce Huff the final yard or two into the end zone as Bryce Hall tried to tackle him and strip the ball.

"We can't have plays like that where we're going to miss five, six, seven tackles and allow guys to run down the middle of our defense and score touchdowns," Rankins said. "It's not our standard, and we won't stand for it."

Running game emerges

The offense didn't score any points Sunday, but the run game showed major improvement over Week 1 thanks to better blocking and a strong showing from the young running backs. The Jets had 31 carries for 151 yards and had more rushing yards before halftime than they had against the Panthers (45 on 17 carries).

Rookie Michael Carter led the way with 59 yards on 11 carries, and added two catches out of the backfield for 29 yards, showing his elusiveness and explosive ability on more than one occasion.

Ty Johnson had 12 carries for 50 yards and Tevin Coleman, who was expected to be the Jets' most used running back this year, had five carries for 24 yards.

"A big credit to — really, Michael Carter was running his tail off," Saleh said. "Ty Johnson ran his butt off, too. And this system has always been about giving it the hot hand and letting it roll. Even though Tevin had a couple of really cool runs and established himself early ... it's all with regards to how the game flows. All three backs I thought showed up to play, but hats off to Michael. He was electric."

It's still too early to give the run game too much credit. And the Jets get a big test Sunday against the Broncos, who have allowed only 67.5 ground yards per game, fourth-best in the NFL.

But it was certainly a performance to build on, and it was part of a larger positive trend for the offense.

How the o-line improved

Wilson struggled mightily on Sunday, but pressure generally wasn't the problem, which was a step in the right direction for the offensive line. Wilson still took some punishment — he was sacked four times and endured seven quarterback hits. But some of that was because in the second half, Wilson had to hold on to the ball longer to make some deep throws and try to get the Jets back in the game.

Overall, the offensive line gave him a lot more time to throw. And a big reason for that was their ability to move the ball on the ground.

"When you get in third-and-2 and third-and-3, instead of third-and-9, where they're bringing the whole house at you, the success rate is higher," right tackle Morgan Moses said.

Moses said the communication was better than Week 1, which played a big part in the improved protection and better results running game.

"We weren't communicating the way we needed to," Moses said. "And we emphasized that this week."

More on why Mims was inactive

Saleh on Sunday said second-year receiver Denzel Mims wasn't active against the Patriots because he didn't have the knowledge of all the receiver positions, and the special teams value that the two players in front of him had: Keelan Cole and Jeff Smith. But Smith played only one snap on special teams Sunday. So Saleh was asked Monday to to further clarify why Mims can't get on the field.

"That's a good question and a fair question," Saleh said. "Jeff is our starting gunner, and we only punted one time, so there's your one rep. And on that one rep he won clean on his rep and got all the way down to force a fair catch, which flipped the field in our favor."

Saleh praised the extra work Smith did in practice all week to prepare for that play and for capitalizing on it.

As for Cole, Saleh said he's the No. 4 receiver, where special teams value is not considered as much when deciding who is active on the field. The Jets believed Cole offered more to the offense than Mims at this point, which is why he was active Sunday and Mims was not.

Patriots high on Wilson

Even though the Patriots made a mess of Wilson's debut, they had a lot of nice things to say about him. And it didn't seem superficial.

Bill Belichick praised Wilson for making a tackle after one of his interceptions and admitted he was impressed with the 22-year-old's arm.

"Wilson made some pretty impressive throws," Belichick said. "That kid is going to be a good player — he is a good player."

Devin McCourty, who played high school football at St. Joseph and has seen a few things in the NFL, had the final interception off Wilson. But he appreciated the way he handled a tough day .

“Starting a game that way is not ideal for any quarterback,’’ McCourty said. "He did a good job in that he just kept playing. You can tell the guy's going to be a good player.’’

Snap count analysis

►Adrian Colbert played 56 of the 58 defensive snaps at safety Sunday opposite Marcus Maye, who played every snap Sunday against the patriots. Colbert has been in the lineup since he entered the Carolina game after the Robby Anderson touchdown, replacing Sheldrick Redwine, who replaced Lamarcus Joyner, who suffered a season-ending triceps tear in the first quarter of Week 1. The Jets signed Colbert to the active roster Monday afternoon.

►Mosley and Quincy Williams were on the field the most for the Jets at linebacker against the Patriots. Mosley played every defensive snap and Williams played 67 percent of the snaps (39). The Jets also worked in rookie Hamsah Nasirildeen for 29 percent of the snaps (17).

►Rookie receiver Elijah Moore played 57 of 73 offensive snaps, the most of any non-offensive lineman or Wilson. Tight end Tyler Kroft was next (55 snaps), followed by receiver Corey Davis (53). Smith played 20 snaps at wide receiver and Cole played 17.

►Running backs Michael Carter and Johnson each played 33 snaps. And Tevin Coleman played seven. The Jets don't have a fullback, and there was a thought before the season that tight end Trevon Wesco would fill that role — which was critical in the offense the new coaching staff brought from San Francisco. But Wesco played only two snaps against the Patriots.

Andy Vasquez is the Jets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Jets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @andy_vasquez