When the Jets hired Adam Gase this offseason, the thought was that he would give the team an offensive boost, but that boost never showed up on Sunday in a game that turned out to be a disastrous debut for the team's new head coach.
Not only did the Jets lose to a divisional rival 17-16, but they blew their biggest lead at home since 2002. The Jets were leading this game 16-0 with just under four minutes left to play in the third quarter before the Bills mounted a huge comeback with 17 straight points over the final 19 minutes of the game.
For the Jets, the biggest problem in the game was their offense.
The first NFL Sunday is in the books and there's a lot to go over. Fortunately Will Brinson, John Breech, Ryan Wilson and Sean Wagner-McGough are here to break everything down on the latest episode of the Pick Six Podcast. Listen to the full show below and be sure to subscribe here.
Less than a week ago, Jets quarterback Sam Darnold said Gase's new offense would be "electric," but that definitely wasn't the word Gase used to describe his team after watching his offense put up just 225 yards against Buffalo.
"We were just inept on offense," Gase said after the game, via SNY.com. "Making mistakes that you can't make to consistently move the ball."
To put "inept" in perspective, the Jets defense scored as many points (eight) as the Jets offense.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen did everything he could to give the game away in the first half. Not only did he throw two interceptions, including a pick-six, but he also lost two fumbles for a total of four turnovers. Fortunately for Allen though, the Jets' "inept" offense was unable to take advantage of all the gifts he was giving them.
Allen's first turnover came when he lost a fumble on the Bills' opening possession of the game. The Jets then responded by immediately going three-and-out. Allen fumbled away another possession in the second quarter, and once again, the Jets responded by going three-and-out.
One possession after fumbling it, Allen gave the Jets offense another shot at life when he threw an interception, but once again, the Jets were unable to capitalize. After taking over on Buffalo's 48-yard line, the Jets drove 21 yards, but came away with zero point due to a missed 45-yard field goal by Kaare Vedvik. The Jets offense scored zero points off of three turnovers. (The only points the Jets got off of Buffalo's four turnovers came when Allen threw a pick-six to C.J. Mosley).
Darnold was a big part of the problem for the Jets. Not only did he throw for just 175 yards, but he overthrew his receivers multiple times in a game where he went 28 of 41. Of course, you can't completely blame Allen, and that's because part of the problem is that he never looked fully comfortable playing behind a porous offensive line for the Jets. Darnold was sacked four times and was pressured nearly every time he dropped back to pass.
One way the Jets could have possibly slowed that pressure down is by running the ball, but Gase seemed to forget about the fact that he has Le'Veon Bell on his team, which is kind of weird considering the Jets just gave Bell a four-year, $52.5 million deal in March.
In a game where the Jets were in the mostly in the lead, Gase refused to give the ball to Bell, who had just 17 carries compared to Darnold's 41 pass attempts. On one hand, it would make sense if Gase wanted to ease Bell into things -- after all, it had been 602 days since he last played a game -- but once the game started, Gase should have noticed that Bell was completely fresh. The running back totaled 60 yards on the ground and scored the Jets' only offensive touchdown on a nine-yard catch in the third quarter.
If Gase doesn't figure how to get his offense jumpstarted soon, the 2019 season could turn into a disastrous one for the Jets.
You can watch the replays, including in condensed and all-22 formats, with NFL Game Pass.
Buffalo 17-16 over N.Y. Jets
| B+ |  |
| Josh Allen almost gave this game away in the first half with four turnovers, but thanks to a brilliant performance from Buffalo's defense, the Jets weren't able to break this game open despite two interceptions and two lost fumbles from Allen. After an ugly first half, Allen rebounded in the fourth quarter by leading an 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a game-winning 38-yard TD pass to John Brown. One other bit of good news that Bills got is the fact that Devin Singletary came up big. Thanks to the rookie running back's performance -- four carries for 70 yards -- no one is going to be second-guessing Sean McDermott's decision to cut LeSean McCoy. | |
| D |  |
| If the Jets got any good news out of this game, it's the fact that they probably feel a lot better about the $137 million investment they made into C.J. Mosely and Le'Veon Bell this offseason. Mosely was easily the most impressive defensive player on the field for New York. Not only did he have a pick-six in the first quarter, but he also recovered a fumble in the second quarter. As for Bell, he didn't look to rusty for a guy who hadn't played football in 602 days. Bell touched the ball 23 times and totaled 92 yards and a touchdown in the loss. | |
Baltimore 59-10 over Miami
| A+ |  |
| The Ravens finally unveiled their new offense, and if Sunday's game was any indication, the rest of the NFL should be frightened. Lamar Jackson did the opposite of what we all thought he was going to do. Instead of moving Baltimore's offense with his legs, he used his right arm, throwing for 324 yards and five touchdowns. Rookie receiver Marquise Brown also had a huge game, catching four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, which all came in the first half. Should we have graded the Ravens on a slightly negative curve because they did all of this against the Dolphins defense? Probably, but we're not going to. Setting the franchise record for points scored in a game where you're running a brand new offense is impressive no matter who it comes against. | |
| F |  |
| The Dolphins might claim that they're not tanking, but they definitely looked like a team that's tanking in this game. Everything the Dolphins did was disastrous. Their defense surrendered the most points in franchise history. Their offense turned the ball over three times and their special teams fell for a fake punt with Miami trailing 35-3. It's going to be a long season in South Florida. | |
Kansas City 40-26 over Jacksonville
| A+ |  |
| Even without Tyreek Hill, who was knocked out of the game early with a shoulder injury, Mahomes ruled the day and propelled Sammy Watkins to a 198-yard performance on nine catches with three touchdowns. Mahomes ended with 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, with most of his yardage coming in the first half. | |
| D |  |
| The Jaguars entered the game with high hopes of shutting down Mahomes, but instead found themselves being mauled by an angry bear. There was a chance to make it a shootout via the magic of Nick Foles, but a beautiful 35-yard touchdown pass that saw him stand tall in the face of an earth-rattling hit cost him the remainder of the contest when he was immediately rushed to the X-ray room and then ruled out of the game (and later the Jags said he has a broken collarbone). In relief of Foles, rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew impressed in a big way, throwing for 275 yards on 22 for 25 passing along with two touchdowns with one interception. (For more on the Chiefs-Jaguars game, be sure to click here.) | |
Grades by Patrik Walker
Tennessee 43-13 over Cleveland
| A |  |
| Credit where it's due: The Titans played well in every facet of the game. Marcus Mariota was the best quarterback on the field, throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over and averaging 10.3 yards per attempt. Rookie receiver A.J. Brown exploded for 100 yards. Derrick Henry racked up 159 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage. The defense got after Mayfield and then picked him off three times in the fourth quarter. The Titans looked legit. They looked exactly like we thought the Browns would look. After one week, they look like a team that should be in play for a playoff spot. | |
| F |  |
| Oh, where to begin? I suppose we should begin with the penalties. The Browns committed 18 penalties for 182 yards -- including the ejection of left tackle Greg Robinson, who kicked a Titans player in the head. Speaking of the offensive line, the Browns got dominated by the Titans' defensive front, allowing Baker Mayfield to get sacked five times. Speaking of Mayfield, while he didn't play bad for most of the game, he threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, all of which turned into Titans touchdowns. The Browns were sloppy, undisciplined, and bullied up front. It's only one game, but this is pretty much the worst way the Browns' season could've started after the entire offseason was spent hyping them up as a playoff team. (For more on the Titans-Browns game, be sure to click here.) | |
Grades by Sean Wagner-McGough
Philadelphia 32-27 over Washington
| C |  |
| After a big season in Minnesota in 2017, Case Keenum didn't bring any magic to Denver last season, but it does appear he might have brought some to Washington. Keenum, who was named the Redskins starting quarterback less than two weeks ago, made Jay Gruden look like a genius. The overmatched Redskins were only able to stay in this game because Keenum had a huge day, going 30 of 45 for 380 yards and three touchdowns. As for Gruden, we can't give him genius status just yet and that's because his decision to bench Adrian Peterson looked kind of foolish after a game where the Redskins rushed for just 28 yards on 13 carries. The total marked just the ninth time since 2000 that the Redskins have rushed for less than 30 yards. | |
| C+ |  |
| Philadelphia already has a Rocky statue, and now, they might want to think about building one for DeSean Jackson. In a game where the Eagles were favored big, the Redskins jumped out to a 17-0 lead and were in upset mode early, but Jackson put a quick end to that with a huge game that included two touchdowns. In his first game in an Eagles uniform since 2013, Jackson finished with eight catches for 154 yards. That total included a 51-yard TD catch in the second quarter and a 53-yard TD catch in the third quarter that gave the Eagles the lead for good at 21-20. Jackson's long scoring grabs made him the first receiver since 2016 to catch multiple TD passes of more than 50 yards in a game. | |
Minnesota 28-12 over Atlanta
| D |  |
| The Falcons did score two touchdowns late, but they were never really in this game. Matt Ryan threw for 304 yards, but the majority of which were in garbage time after the Vikings were up 28-0 in the fourth quarter. Two turnovers inside the Vikings' 25-yard line didn't help matters, especially since the Vikings ended up scoring touchdowns both times. The three Falcons turnovers and the blocked punt led to Vikings' touchdowns. Julio Jones was held to just six catches for 31 yards and a touchdown, which came with under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Falcons received nothing on defense from players not named Grady Jarrett (sack, forced fumble). With the Philadelphia Eagles coming to the ATL next week, the Falcons have a lot of issues to correct. | |
| A |  |
| The Vikings dominated in all three facets of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. Kirk Cousins had his fewest pass attempts in a game ever with 10 as the Vikings ran the ball on 38 of their 49 plays. Dalvin Cook had his third career 100-yard rushing game with 21 carries for 11 yards and two touchdowns (5.3 YPC) as the Vikings had 173 rushing yards in the game. The defense forced three turnovers as Anthony Harries had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, stalling the Falcons deep in Vikings territory twice. Special teams got the rout going with a blocked punt after the Falcons first possession, leading to Kirk Cousins' 23-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen three plays later to give the Vikings the lead for good. The Vikings look like a serious contender to go to the Super Bowl, at least after Week 1. (For more on the Falcons-Vikings game, be sure to click here.) | |
Grades by Jeff Kerr
L.A. Rams 30-27 over Carolina
| B+ |  |
| Look, they afforded the Panthers several late opportunities to steal this game, but the reality is they also dropped 30 on Carolina in Carolina despite being outpaced for much of the start of the matchup, getting little from Jared Goff and watching Christian McCaffrey go off for 200 total yards. Some of those things might sound like reasons to dock them a letter grade, but if this is them on a bad day, well, they still got a really tough job done. | |
| C- |  |
| This was just such an incomplete performance from the Panthers. They did almost everything they needed to early on, offsetting L.A.'s fierce front four with quick strikes and Christian McCaffrey touches, then bottling up Sean McVay's talented offense. But turnovers killed their momentum, and then, when they had more opportunities to redeem themselves, they squandered them. Yes, they made it close, but overall, they were like Cam Newton -- just far too inaccurate. (For more on the Rams-Panthers game, be sure to click here.) | |
Grades by Cody Benjamin
L.A. Chargers 30-24 over Indianapolis (OT)
| B |  |
| After Andrew Luck's shocking retirement in August, not much was expected of the Colts in this game, but they still almost pulled off the upset thanks in large part to Marlon Mack, who spent his Sunday running over Chargers players. Mack carried the ball 25 times for 174 yards and a touchdown. The Colts offense also got some help from new starting QB Jacoby Brissett, who finished 21 of 27 for 190 yards and two touchdowns. One of Brissett's TD passes came with just 47 seconds left and it ended up sending the game to overtime. One player who struggled for Indy was Adam Vinatieri. The Colts kicker missed two field goals, including a 29-yarder in the second half. Vinatieri also missed an extra point in the loss. | |
| B |  |
| If the Chargers proved one thing in this game, it's that they don't need Melvin Gordon. With Gordon holding out, the Chargers offense didn't miss a beat thanks to Austin Ekeler, who scored three of the Chargers' four touchdowns on Sunday, which included a seven-yard game-winner in overtime. Overall, Ekeler totaled 154 yards against the Colts with 58 of those coming on the ground and 96 of those coming through the air. Not only did the Colts have trouble stopping Ekeler, but they had no answer for Keenan Allen, who caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. | |
Seattle 21-20 over Cincinnati
| B |  |
| In Zac Taylor's coaching debut, the Bengals almost did the impossible: They almost became the first team ever to beat Pete Carroll in a Seahawks home opener. The Bengals used a bold strategy to keep this game close: They gave up on the run early and put things in the hands of Andy Dalton, a gamble that almost paid off. Dalton threw for a career-high 418 yards. The Bengals only made a few mistakes in this game, but they were all costly. Dalton lost two fumbles and kicker Randy Bullock missed a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter. The star of the game for the Bengals was John Ross. The former first-round pick, who had been written off by many, exploded for 158 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks. | |
| B- |  |
| When it comes to dramatic wins, no one knows how to eke one out better than the Seattle Seahawks. No matter who the Seahawks are playing, they win almost the same way every week: Their defense keeps the game close and then their offense does just enough to win. In this game, although the defense got torched for 418 yards by Andy Dalton, they made up for it by forcing two fumbles and sacking Dalton five times. Offensively, the Seahawks weren't great until they had to be and that eventually came in the second half. With Seattle trailing 17-14, Russell Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for a 44-yard TD. It was Lockett's first and only catch of the day and proved to be the game-winner. Wilson threw for 196 yards on a day where the Seahawks were outgained by nearly 200 yards (429-233).This game marked the first time since 2013 that the Seahawks were outgained by 190 or more yards and still won. | |
San Francisco 31-17 over Tampa Bay
| B |  |
| The 49ers offense didn't look in-sync on Sunday, but that didn't matter, because San Francisco's defense did all the work. The 49ers defense forced four turnovers and scored two touchdowns in an impressive performance that also included three sacks. The two biggest plays came from Ahkello Witherspoon and Richard Sherman, who each had a pick-six. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers are still a work in progress. Not only did Jimmy Garoppolo struggle, but he threw a pick-six of his own in the first half. | |
| D |  |
| New offense, same results. Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has been an interception throwing machine in his career, and although Bruce Arians thought he could fix that, it looks like the Bucs coach is going to have to go back to the drawing board following Winston's ugly performance against the 49ers. Winston threw three interceptions, including a two pick-sixes that basically ended up being the difference in the game. The second pick-six game with just 2:01 left in the fourth quarter and iced the loss for Tampa. | |
Dallas 35-17 over N.Y. Giants
| D |  |
| The Giants scored first with an impressive 91-yard touchdown drive after forcing a Cowboys punt on their first possession. It was the only pleasant surprise of the day for a Giants team that showed no signs of life on the defensive side of the ball at any point before Dallas pulled their starters. The Giants suffered from blown coverages in the secondary, a lack of speed in press-man coverage on the outside, and the end result was a 405-yard passing day from Dak Prescott. The Giants allowed four passing touchdowns and didn't force a single turnover on defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram did their best to prevent the Giants from getting the dreaded "F" grade. Both players are clearly the focal point of an offense that totaled 470 yards -- and only one scoring drive came when the game was already over. | |
| A |  |
| The Cowboys started relatively slow, but that didn't last long. They chewed up yardage at will against a Giants defense that looks multiple draft classes away. Let's not take away anything from Dak Prescott, however, who had arguably his best game ever in this rivalry. It was also one of the best individual performances in his career amidst rumors of a contract extension on the horizon. Prescott threw just seven incomplete passes and countered that with four touchdown passes. He averaged a ridiculous 12.7 yards per attempt. He looked like the franchise quarterback the Cowboys will need him to be once they pay him like one. (For more on Giants-Cowboys, be sure to click here.) | |
Grades by Dan Schneier
Detroit 27-27 tie with Arizona
| B- |  |
| The scoreboard might say this game was a tie, but it should feel like a loss to the Lions, and that's because they blew an 18-point lead over the final 11 minutes of the game. Although Matthew Stafford put up big numbers (385 yards, three touchdowns), he couldn't come through in the clutch for Detroit. As for the Lions' defense, they actually did a good job of holding Murray in check for most of the game before melting down in the fourth quarter. Detroit sacked Murray a total of five times with three of those coming from Devon Kennard. If Lions coach Matt Patricia was on the hot seat before this game, he should definitely still be on it after calling an inexcusable timeout late in the game. | |
| B- |  |
| For the first three quarters, it looked like Kliff Kingsbury's offense was going to be a total failure in the NFL, but then Kyler Murray caught fire. With the Cardinals trailing 24-6 in the fourth quarter, Murray led a wild rally to the tie the game at 24 and send it to over time. During his fourth quarter hot streak, Murray went 14 of 17 for 154 yards and two touchdowns. To put that in perspective, at one point in the game, Murray was 9 for 29 with 71 yards. Larry Fitzgerald continued to prove that he's basically unstoppable no matter what offense he's playing in. The ageless wonder caught eight passes for 113 yards and at touchdown. | |
New England 33-3 over Pittsburgh
| F |  |
| It's pretty simple -- the Steelers didn't show up. The defense allowed Tom Brady and company to march up and down the field, while the offense couldn't get into a rhythm. On top of the poor play, there were also some questionable decisions made on the part of Pittsburgh. Electing to go for a field goal from the one-yard-line when it would still remain a three-score game regardless was questionable to say the least. They need to be better if they want to contend in the AFC North. | |
| A- |  |
| New England looked like a team hungry for another Super Bowl title on Sunday night. They dominated Pittsburgh in all facets of the game. The only gripe that you can look at is the running game not looking as sharp with Sony Michel and a few critical penalties extended Steeler drives. Overall, however, it was about as good as you'd want from the Pats. Oh, and did we mention that they'll be getting linebacker Kyle Van Noy and receiver Antonio Brown back next week? | |
Grades by Tyler Sullivan
New Orleans 30-28 over Houston
| B |  |
| If the Texans had one big issue last season, it was their offensive line, and it appears things haven't gotten much better in 2019. Deshaun Watson, who was sacked a league-high 62 times last year, is now on pace to top that total after being sacked six times against the Saints. The addition of Laremy Tunsil didn't do much to help Houston's line in New Orleans. The play of the offensive line overshadowed a gutsy performance by Watson, who threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, including a 37-yard TD pass with 37 seconds left that briefly gave the Texans the lead. | |
| B |  |
| Drew Brees threw for 370 yards and the Saints needed every single one of them. Brees led a 35-yard drive over the final 35 seconds of the game to set up a game-winning 58-yard field goal by Will Lutz. Although the Saints offense got off to a slow start, it caught fire in the second half, scoring 27 points over the game's final two quarters. The Saints' two most talented skill players both came up big in the win with Michael Thomas racking up 123 receiving yards on 10 catches while Alvin Kamara finished with 169 total yards (97 on the ground, 72 through the air). The Saints got the win despite some questionable officiating that led to some serious NFC title game deja vu for Saints fans. | |
Oakland 24-16 over Denver
| C- |  |
| The Vic Fangio era has officially gotten off to a rocky start for the Broncos. Not only did Fangio make multiple questionable coaching decisions -- like kicking a field goal midway through the fourth quarter when his team was down 21-6 -- but the uglier part for Fangio is that the Broncos defense was horrible in this game. Fangio, who was the Bears defensive coordinator last year, was supposed to make Denver's defense better, but that definitely wasn't the case in Oakland. The Joe Flacco era also got off to a rocky start with the former Ravens quarterback struggling for most of the night against a Raiders defense that was one of the worst in the NFL last year. | |
| A- |  |
| If the Raiders were distracted by any of the Antonio Brown drama, they definitely didn't show it against Denver. The Raiders put an offseason of distractions behind them in a game that they dominated from start to finish. Derek Carr came out firing on his way to finished 22 of 26 for 259 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Josh Jacobs made the team look smart for drafting him in the first-round as he steamrolled the Broncos for 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Of course, the biggest surprise for Oakland might have been the play of its defense. The Raiders sacked Joe Flacco three times and held the Broncos offense in check for nearly the entire game. | |
