The New York Jets are down in this week’s ESPN Power Rankings, but surprisingly fell only one spot, going from No. 25 down to 26.
ESPN evaluated all 32 teams entering Week 5 to form the list. A panel of more than a dozen NFL analysts evaluated how the teams stack up against one another.
This week, an additional question was posed to its reporters: Which teams are meeting or exceeding expectations? Which teams are already in jeopardy of a failed season?
ESPN’s Rich Cimini’s evaluation of the Jets after the first four weeks: Better, but not enough
“The Jets already look stronger than last season (3-14), but they’re still struggling to play complementary football and put together a complete game,” Cimini wrote.
The Jets are coming off what may be one of the worst losses in franchise history, and given that it’s the Jets, that’s saying something. They dropped Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears by 23-12, a deceptive score that doesn’t nearly tell the story.
The Bears dominated in time of possession, first downs, rushing yards and total yards. The Jets had the ball for a scant 17:45 to Chicago’s 42:45, and were held to 157 total yards to the Bears’ 492.
Rutgers man Kyle Monangai was made to look like Walter Payton by the Jets. He had 146 yards rushing (a 4.9 average) to go with two touchdowns, and seemed to be constantly getting to the second level with ease.
Every time the Jets did something good, they’d find a way to screw things up. They actually had four interceptions in the game, but three were called back by penalties. And even their lone touchdown came with an asterisk – kicker Jason Sanders missed the extra point.
Are better days ahead? The Jets’ point differential (minus -8) isn’t terrible, Cimini notes. But the fan base’s hopes that were inflated by close losses to the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions made the Chicago loss all the more bitter.
Head coach Aaron Glenn’s seat is warming, as he’s now 4-17 in the big chair. Glenn “needs to spark a turnaround, pronto,” Cimini concludes.
