The Jets had their moments, but struggled mostly behind a terrible secondary to stay winless after a 37-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. A report card.
We are only five weeks into this 2025 NFL season and the New York Jets are already playing as if they are getting ready for an end of season vacation.
Against a Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1) defense that is allowing more tan 400 yards a game, the Jets struggled to score points and fell to 0-5 with a 37-22 loss.
There were a few bright spots, but the same comedy of errors. New York had another 10 penalties and running back Breece Hall had the weekly backbreaking turnover with a fumble in the second quarter.
With that, here is Jets Wire's report card following the Jets' loss to the Cowboys in Week 5:
Passing Offense: C
When you look at the numbers for Justin Fields, they're not bad. He finished 32 for 46, 283 yards and two touchdowns. However, most of his scoring was done when the game was well out of reach. Fields wasn't at his best today, but the offensive line deserves plenty of blame as their pass protection was awful. Fields was sacked five times and struggled to get into a rhythm with his receivers.
If you're a glass half full Jets fan, which I assume most are not, Mason Taylor is starting to emerge as a legitimate second option next to Garrett Wilson. The rookie tight end was targeted 12 times and had nine receptions for 67 yards. Wilson had another solid game with six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Rushing Offense: C-
Yes, Breece Hall ran for over 100 yards on 14 carries. He averaged 8.1 yards a carry and the Jets rushed for 144 yards as a team. But, for the second week in a row, a running back had a backbreaking fumble deep in the opposing team's territory and this time it was Hall. The turnover led to a Dallas touchdown and the team never recovered.
It was a little surprising that with Braelon Allen sidelined, Tanner Engstrand did not give more carries to Isaiah Davis. The second-year running back only had one carry for five yards as Hall's primary backup.
Rushing Defense: D+
Javonte Williams had been held in check until right before the end of the first half when the Jets defensive line inexplicably could not tackle him on what would have been a short gain. Williams managed to break free and turn it into a 66 yard run which allowed Dallas to score a touchdown right before halftime. That touchdown, that could have been completely avoided, crushed this team and it only got worse in the second half.
Sooner or later, we're gonna have to start criticizing the play of Quinnen Williams. While it's easy to trash players like Micheal Clemons, Williams is supposed to be the captain of this defense. The additions of Harrison Phillips and Jowon Bryant were supposed to free him up to get after the quarterback. The Cowboys were down four of their five starting offensive linemen and Williams couldn't generate much pressure on Dak all afternoon. He's a top defensive lineman, but his play this year for the most part has been very disappointing.
Passing Defense: F
It's beyond embarrassing to see how bad this Jets secondary really is. They can't tackle, receivers are running wide open and the extension that Sauce Gardner signed during training camp is already looking like a bust. Dak Prescott torched the Jets with four touchdowns. Sauce got beat on a 43 yard touchdown to George Pickens. Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson had two touchdowns.
With CeeDee Lamb out and Pickens mostly ineffective besides the touchdown, Ryan Flournoy stepped up with six receptions for 114 yards on nine targets, including a 40 yard reception that set up the Cowboys first score. Another brutally bad performance by arguably the worst secondary in the league.
Special Teams: B
Nick Folk made both of his field goals. Austin McNamara punted the both well. The returners didn't fumble the football. It was a good day. They need to stop settling for field goals.
Coaching: F
Last week, after the Jets lost to Miami, there were multiple reports stating that Aaron Glenn was screaming at the top of his lungs after their terrible performance. Well, whatever he said in to the team after that game, it did not reasonate whatsoever with the players.
It's unclear at this point if the coaching is the issue or if the players are lazy and disinterested. Their effort on the field is, to put it nicely, questionable. The offense does move the ball well, but they have zero margin for error because the defense is a disaster. It was another week of no turnovers for the defense. The Jets had no pass rush once again and the defense allowed over 400 yards of total offense to the Cowboys.
Things need to change and fast. Glenn isn't going anywhere but something is getting muddled in the messaging. Steve Wilks has done an awful job with this defense. While Glenn is staying committed to Wilks, it's only a matter of time before he takes over the play calling. The team looks woefully unprepared, they still commit too many penalties and forgot the basic fundamentals of football.
The players share plenty of the blame as well. There is zero leadership among this group, especially on defense. Players loved Robert Saleh, yet rarely played hard for him. Players loved what Glenn was bringing to the team, even taking shots at their former coach to show how much better it was now in Florham Park. But, they don't play hard for him either. Do they even care about helping to fix the issues? Do they even care about silencing the "Same Old Jets" narrative?
Both sides are to blame for another pathetic start to the season that now heads across the pond to London and a date with Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. Looking at the state of this team, the only good thing about their game with the Broncos is it starts at 9:30 AM.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Report card: New York Jets lose 37-22 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5
Category: Football
