Big League Clu sums up the last couple of weeks for the New York Jets.

After last week’s awful matchup against the Titans, I needed to take a break from posting about the Jets. Once that game was over, I honestly sat down and thought to myself; “Man, if this is how they’re playing against Tennessee, I can only imagine how bad they will be against Atlanta.” Boy, what a difference a week makes. It was like night and day for the offense. The running game, and of course the defense, were legit against the Falcons on Monday night. In a way, the Jets kind of ruined the post I was going to write, mainly cause I was just planning to shit all over them in a long, and well informed, rant. Now I can only do that for half of the post! Thanks Jets…

Who Was that Team that Showed Up in Tennessee? Can they Never Come Back?

So who were those people wearing Jets uniforms? Cause I certainly did not recognize them. Well, maybe the defense (of course), since they were the only side of the team who showed up to try and compete. Seriously, the only good thing that Gang Green did against the Titans was knock QB Jake Locker out of the game (and for the next several weeks). Their passing was atrocious, not to mention that Santonio Holmes got hurt (again) and Stephen Hill was banged up, and is thought to miss the game on Monday night. Geno Smith, of course, had 4 turnovers in the game… Just great. Anywho, the Jets got blown out 38-13. The Titans D snuffed out the Jets running attack, Chris Johnson ran all over the Jets and even backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got in on the mix, throwing a few deep balls and even a touchdown. Needless to say, it was a very tough game to stomach, and Rex wasn’t too happy with the performance of his team.

Dr. Geno & Mr. Smith

Again, with the Geno Smith? What is it with him?! It seems like every week there is something new with this guy! So, since I got a chance to watch both weeks’ games, I have now figured out that there are two Geno Smiths; Dr. Geno, who plays excellent football and gives Gang Green a great chance to win football games, and Mr. Smith. When Mr. Smith shows up, he plays like a rookie, throws 50 interceptions a game and makes boneheaded plays out of nothing. Mr. Smith showed up against the Titans, was 23 of 34 passing for 289 yard, threw 2 picks and also had 2 fumbles to go along with it, now you see why they only scored 13 points and were blown out. Maybe Rex WAS better off playing Matt Sims instead.

So with some speculation as to what was going to happen on Monday night, I guess Mr. Smith transformed himself back to his successful counterpart, Dr. Geno. Against the Falcons, Dr. Geno was 16-20 for 199 yards passing, threw 3 touchdowns and had 0 interceptions, 0! It was  good enough for a 147.7 QB Rating. Oh, and did I fail to mention that he drove the Jets down the field with under 2 minutes to play to setup the game winning field goal from Nick Folk with 3 seconds left? Well I mentioned it now, and it was glorious. Jets win 30-28.

So really, what was the difference between Geno Smith in Week 4 compared to Week 5? Well, after watching him both weeks, I think its a very simple thing. He just focused on the fundamentals and his reads against Atlanta, where as he was trying to make plays out of nothing when he was facing Tennessee. Also, not to mention the fact that the Titans D kept getting to him and forcing him out of the pocket, which resulted in Smith hurrying his throws when he didn’t need to. It was refreshing to see Dr. Geno, who didn’t make any mistakes, show resiliency and poise as a rookie, as he drove his team downfield in the final minutes of the game. That’s what a franchise QB in the making is supposed to do. There, I said it. Also important to note; in the three games that the Jets have won thus far, Dr. Geno has led game-winning drives in all of them. So let’s keep it up, Dr. Geno! And don’t ever let Mr. Smith come out!

Bilal Powell: The AFCs Leading Rusher?

I know, I was as shocked to hear this as the next guy. After the game ended, NYJ head coach Rex Ryan was on the podium talking about their win when I thought I heard something crazy go into my ear. Ryan had just mentioned that their number one rusher, Bilal Powell, led the AFC in rushing yards. Now, I wasn’t about to go boast this to the world without being able to back up the claim, so I had to look this up. Sure enough Rex, you were mistaken. Powell is actually ranked #4 in the AFC, but he does lead the AFC East division in rushing yards with 330, and is only 67 yards behind the AFC leading rusher, KC’s Jamaal Charles (397). Still, that is very impressive, considering many people thought the Jets’ rushing attack this year was going to be god awful. I feel that this newly formed 3 RB attack of Powell, Ivory and now Goodson (finally back from his illegal firearms suspension), will be tough against opposing defenses, and will do wonders to help out their QB and the passing game.

What Should We Expect From the Jets in Week 6?

This is a tough one. The Jets will be feeling high and mighty because they now sit at 3-2, tied for second in the AFC East. They’re going to be at home against an 0-4 Steelers team that is coming off the bye week, and hungry for a win. Again, it will come down to Geno Smith, and which version of him decides to show up on Sunday. If it is Dr. Geno, who was stellar against Atlanta, didn’t turn the ball over, made some impressive plays in the clutch and showed Jets fans why he was picked by NY to be their starting QB, then Gang Green might be sitting at 4-2 next weekend. However, if the passing game doesn’t show up, their running backs cant get out of the backfield and Mr. Smith decides to play, then Jets fans are going to be pulling their hair out once again.

As a side note, I wanted to say that regardless of this weekend’s outcome, the NY Jets have far exceeded my expectations for the season. Gang green has a winning record on the year. If they get one more win, they will have matched the win total that I predicted at the beginning of the season. I hope that they can double that win total, get to 8 or maybe even 9 wins if at all possible. I feel the way they’re playing right now, as long as the Jets can keep their offensive mistakes and penalties to a minimum, then they will give themselves a chance to win each and every week. Hey, it will give the city of New York something to be happy about, since the Giants aren’t doing much to help in that department.

Featured image courtesy of: Daniel Shirey/USA TODAY Sports