Jets' Penalty Plague: Unpacking Week 4's Tough Loss to the Broncos
The New York Jets endured a frustrating defeat at home, losing 10-9 to the Denver Broncos. This disappointing result leaves them with a 2-2 record for the 2024 season. Despite the close scoreline, it was the Jets' rash of penalties—an NFL-high 13—that truly derailed their efforts.
The Jets' offense bore the brunt of the penalty problems, committing eight of the 13 infractions. These offensive penalties ranked them as the second-most penalized team in Week 4, trailing only the Houston Texans, who committed nine penalties. Particularly troubling was the sheer number of false start penalties, five in total, an uncharacteristic spike for a team that had only one false start in the first three weeks combined.
Among the offenders, left guard John Simpson and running back Breece Hall were each flagged for two false starts, while left tackle Tyron Smith contributed one more. This marks a significant departure from the Jets' earlier form, when they had tied for the 10th-fewest offensive penalties in the league with just eight through Weeks 1 to 3.
The timing of these penalties was especially problematic, consistently putting the Jets behind the chains and disrupting their offensive rhythm. Head coach Robert Saleh addressed the issue candidly, saying, "We got to figure it out. Whether or not we're good enough to handle or ready enough to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously today took a major step back."
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers echoed his coach's sentiments but remained confident in their usual operations. "That's one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven't had an issue. We've only had one false start. [Right tackle] Morgan had one false start, I believe, until this. You know it's been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start. To have five today, it seemed like, four or five. Yeah, it seems like an outlier. I don't know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game," Rodgers remarked.
This notion of accountability was further reinforced by former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly, who praised Rodgers' hard count's effectiveness. "He nailed it: 'my hard count is a weapon.' The amount of big plays, go ask Jordy Nelson. 'Hey Jordy, do you think the hard count that Aaron Rodgers has is effective?' He would say, 'Yeah, I got paid a lot of money on go balls that Aaron threw me after a defensive lineman jumped offsides.'"
For all the focus on the offensive miscues, the game wasn't without its pivotal moments. With 51 seconds left in the game, kicker Greg Zuerlein had a chance to put the Jets ahead but missed a 50-yard field goal. It was a miss that compounded an already frustrating day.
Davante Adams, a former receiver under Rodgers at Green Bay, also shed light on the quarterback's approach: "Aaron is all about the attention to detail. So, snap count, that's attention to detail. You got to be locked in on something like that. We always talked about in Green Bay 'that the play is hard enough to win on its own, so let's not lose it pre-snap.' ... At least let's get our pre-snap operation smooth.' Everybody hears the same snap count in the huddle, so there's really no excuse for one of these things. Holding people accountable, I agree (with Rodgers). Sometimes that's what you have to do versus run from it. Have certain consequences if guys can't get right."
The Jets have undeniable talent on both sides of the ball, but Sunday's game highlighted a critical area for improvement. Addressing and rectifying these penalty issues will be essential for the team as they move forward in the season. Their ability to recover and learn from this setback will ultimately define the trajectory of their 2024 campaign.