After Six weeks into the NFL season, the New York Jets’ offense looks like a total letdown. What was supposed to be a high-powered, Aaron Rodgers-led machine has instead been an absolute mess. Remember all the hype? The remade offensive line? The new weapons? None of it has panned out. Things have gotten so bad that the team fired head coach Robert Saleh and took play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Now, in a last-ditch effort to save the season, the Jets have traded for Davante Adams, hoping he’ll be the magic fix. But can one man turn this train wreck around? To get to the bottom of what’s gone wrong, let’s break down how the Jets’ offense fell apart and whether Adams can actually save them.
A Plan Without Direction
Nathaniel Hackett’s offensive scheme has been a significant problem for the Jets. The team lacks a clear identity beyond letting Aaron Rodgers run the show. They struggle to establish the run and fail to execute in the passing game. The offensive line appears slow and tentative, while the route distribution has been disorganized.
One key issue is the lack of creativity. The Jets use pre-snap or at-the-snap motion on just 41.1% of their snaps, ranking 24th in the league. This failure to incorporate motion is critical, making it harder to confuse opposing defenses. Furthermore, they don’t lean on play-action passes enough and have used 29 misdirection runs all season, the second-fewest in the NFL. Hackett’s conservative play-calling has stifled the offense, and without a consistent game plan, the Jets have been stuck in neutral.
The Passing Game
The Jets’ passing game has been frustratingly predictable. Rodgers and his receivers are rarely challenging defenses downfield. Their skill players, including Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Mike Williams, rank near the bottom of the league in average route depth. In fact, out of 186 wide receivers and tight ends who have run 50-plus routes, New York’s pass-catchers rank between 100th and 165th in terms of how far down the field they’re running before making their breaks.
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This conservative approach has allowed defenses to focus on the short passing game, choking off any rhythm the Jets try to establish. With Rodgers throwing into tight windows on 16.6% of his passes (8th-highest in the NFL), the lack of separation (3.4 yards on average) is glaring. Opposing defenses are sitting on the short routes, forcing Rodgers to make difficult throws under pressure.
The Run Game
It’s not just the passing game that’s struggling. The Jets’ running attack has been equally ineffective. Despite facing stacked defensive fronts on only 11.9% of their rushing plays (the third-lowest rate in the NFL), the Jets still fail to open up running lanes. They rank 30th in the league, averaging just 0.79 yards before contact per rush, which puts them in the company of the Titans and Patriots at the bottom of the league.
Hackett’s inability to generate movement with the run game further exposes the team’s offensive woes. The lack of misdirection and creativity in the run scheme has been a significant contributing factor, and the offensive line’s struggles haven’t helped either.
The Offensive Line
Although Aaron Rodgers’ quick release makes it tough to evaluate the offensive line in pass protection, the unit has consistently underperformed. According to Pro Football Focus, the New York Jets’ tackles rank among the worst in pass and run blocking. Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses, and Olu Fashanu sit near the bottom of the league in their respective positions. Even though the guards have fared better – with Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson ranking in the top 10 as pass blockers – the overall unit still ranks 25th in pass-block win rate and 28th in run-block win rate. That’s not good enough for an offense led by a Hall of Fame quarterback.
Also Read: Aaron Rodgers Is Now Being Accused Of “Catfishing” The New York Jets By Former NFL Star
The Receivers
New York’s receivers haven’t done much to help Rodgers, either. They’ve struggled to get open, generating just 3.4 yards of separation on average, ranking 23rd in the NFL. While Rodgers has made a career out of “throwing receivers open,” he can do so much even when his targets fail to create space.
To make matters worse, the receivers have had a high drop rate, sitting at over 10% on Rodgers’ throws, the sixth-highest among qualifying quarterbacks. They’ve also been ineffective after the catch. No Jets player is averaging more than 1 yard after catch over expectation, according to NFL’s NextGen Stats. Lazard averages just 0.9 yards after the catch, a disappointing figure for a group expected to give Rodgers dynamic playmakers.
The Quarterback
The biggest issue of all might be Aaron Rodgers himself. At 40 years old and coming off a torn Achilles, Rodgers simply hasn’t lived up to the Jets’ expectations when they traded for him. His completion percentage above expected is at -6.7%, ranking 30th in the league, a sharp decline from his MVP seasons. He’s also averaging just 7.1 air yards per attempt, the second-lowest of his career, and his deep pass rate is one of the lowest it’s ever been.
Rodgers’ decline in mobility is another factor. He’s no longer able to extend plays as he once could, with just 24.4% of his throws coming after three or more seconds, the lowest mark in the 11 seasons Tru Media has tracked. His yards per scramble have also dipped to a career-low 4.8. Without the ability to create magic outside the pocket, Rodgers has looked like a shell of his former self.
Can Davante Adams Be the Savior?
The Jets hope that adding Davante Adams, Rodgers’ longtime favorite target, will help turn things around. Adams and Rodgers had incredible chemistry in Green Bay, and New York is banking on that connection reigniting the offense. However, even as talented as Adams, one player may not be enough to fix all of the Jets’ issues. The problems run deeper than just needing another star receiver – the scheme, the line, and Rodgers need to step up.
The Jets’ offensive struggles stem from a combination of poor scheme, ineffective line play, disappointing performances from their receivers, and a quarterback who simply isn’t playing at his usual level. Adams could make a difference, but unless Aaron Rodgers returns to form and Hackett finds a way to adapt the offense, it’s hard to see a significant turnaround happening anytime soon.
Also Read: Why Davante Adams-Aaron Rodgers Reunion Would Benefit Both the New York Jets And Las Vegas Raiders?
