Starters leave plenty to be desired in regular-season dress rehearsal
The New York Jets finally got a chance to see all their offensive starters together on the field (at least the likely Week 1 starters, namely Joe Flacco) for the first time this preseason. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the performance the team was hoping for.
The first-team offense played into the second quarter and scored a grand total of three points. To make matters worse, the Giants only had a few starters actually playing. The Jets were mostly going against reserve players on defense.
The first drive looked like it was going strong. The Jets were moving the ball well on the ground and through the air, including a couple of throws to WRs Bracton Berrios and Elijah Moore. Then RB Michael Carter coughed up the football, leading to a turnover.
Their second drive started with a 20-yard pass to TE Tyler Conklin to get near midfield. They went four yards after that before punting.
The Jets came out again with the first-team offense after Michael Carter II’s interception, setting up in Giants territory. But they couldn’t get any push on a 3rd and 1 from the 28, having to settle for a field.
The cherry on top was the first offensive drive of the second quarter. Flacco rolled out right but seemed to just loft the football, landing right in the hands of linebacker Austin Calitro, who returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. That was the end of the day for the first-team offense.
So four drives for the starters against mostly reserves for the Giants, and they came away with just three points and two turnovers. Not exactly a recipe for success, especially with the strong Ravens defense lurking in the season opener in two weeks. There is a lot of work to be done.
