QuickFix: Falcons 0 Jets 17
The Jets won their preseason opener behind a solid defensive effort, some good first half quarterback play and some sloppiness from the Falcons.
We'll have a comprehensive in-depth analysis of every aspect of this game throughout the day tomorrow, but for now, here's some quick and dirty notes.
After a brief cameo by Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater looked sharp as he completed seven of his eight passes for 85 yards and a touchdown to Isaiah Crowell. Sam Darnold played the rest of the game and was equally impressive early, although the Jets didn't air it out much after half time. Darnold finished up with 96 yards and a touchdown to Charles Johnson, as he completed 13 of 18 passes.
The running game was a bit of a disappointment as the Jets' starters adjust to the new blocking scheme. The pass protection was good though. Trenton Cannon looked sharp at running back, but muffed two punts as should probably be written off as a non-option in that role.
With Chris Herndon and Terrelle Pryor missing, there was a chance for some other pass catchers to step up, but most of the backups were disappointing.
Defensively, the Jets were good up front and only had one or two blips in coverage. While they registered some pressure and three sacks, the pass rush was not very impressive in terms of winning match-ups or bringing heat off the edge. However, the defense did force a turnover when Neville Hewitt intercepted a pass that was tipped by Xavier Cooper.
Injury-wise, Crowell was assessed for a concussion after battling to get into the end zone on his touchdown. Tight end Neal Sterling, who had a nice game, limped off with an ankle injury and Buster Skrine gave himself a stinger with a bad form tackle on special teams.
Some guys flashed, some struggled, but you'll have to wait for tomorrow for the details...