The New York Jets' struggle with penalties culminated in a heartbreaking 10-9 defeat against the Denver Broncos at home, pushing their 2024 season record to 2-2. The Jets' offensive discipline was glaringly absent, contributing to their demise in a game that was theirs to win.
Unprecedented Penalty Troubles
Throughout the matchup, the Jets amassed an NFL-high 13 penalties in Week 4, eight of which emanated from the offensive side of the ball. This marked a significant departure from their relatively disciplined performance in the first three weeks, where they had only one false start to their name. Head coach Robert Saleh expressed his frustration, stating, "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."
A breakdown of the offensive penalties revealed that false starts were the primary culprit. John Simpson, Breece Hall, and Tyron Smith were responsible for five false starts collectively. Specifics weren't beyond reach as both Simpson and Hall incurred two false starts each, with Smith contributing one.
The Cost of Mistakes
False starts are a critical error in any NFL game, and they proved incredibly costly for the Jets. The offense's inability to maintain discipline directly impacted their ability to sustain drives and ultimately led to their narrow loss. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers echoed this sentiment, noting, "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."
The game was within reach for the Jets, but Greg Zuerlein missed a crucial 50-yard field goal with just 51 seconds left on the clock, sealing their fate. Despite the kicker's previous reliability, this crucial miss underscored how the team's small errors accumulated into a significant problem.
Accountability and Attention to Detail
The significance of maintaining a disciplined offense was further emphasized by former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly. Reflecting on Rodgers' reputation for utilizing the hard count to his advantage, Kuechly noted, "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.'"
When it comes to attention to detail, few match Rodgers' dedication. Former Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams highlighted this, saying, "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' false starts contradicted their early-season performance, where eight offensive penalties between Weeks 1 and 3 had placed them in a tie for the 10th-fewest in the league. Thus, their Week 4 performance was an unwelcome anomaly, highlighting the need for a return to form if they are to maintain competitive momentum.
As the Jets regroup and prepare for their next game, the hope is that they will address this snap count issue and restore the discipline that eluded them against the Broncos. The NFL is an unforgiving arena where minor lapses can lead to painful losses. With lessons learned from this setback, the Jets must sharpen their focus on the basics to carve out a more consistent path forward.