We are what used to be the quarter point through the NFL season and the Jets currently sit at 1-3 and in last place in the AFC East.

The Jets came out of the gates hot with an exciting overtime win against the Buffalo Bills before losing three straight games to the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The offense has been the main culprit in the Jets ineptitude so far this season. They have scored a total of 56 points in four games. That averages to 15.5 points per game, tied for 25^th in league at this point.

Here are the grades for the offense as we enter the second quarter of the season.

Jets’ Offensive Report Card

Quarterback

Grade: INCOMPLETE

When Aaron Rodgers went down four offensive plays into the season, the entire year for the Jets went up in smoke. The team was built for and around a player who never got a chance to show what the team is capable of.

Zach Wilson looked like a deer in the headlights in his first three games. He had fans clamoring for the Jets to sign someone, anyone, to take the reins and at least make the offense look competent.

In his first three games Wilson threw for an average of 155 yards and was completing roughly 50% of his passes. He threw four interceptions to only two touchdowns.

But the last game against the Chiefs, Wilson looked like he figured something out. The offense looked decent, and Wilson threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns while completing about 72% of his throws.

If Wilson can put more games together like he did with the Chiefs, the Jets could be a problem for a lot of teams.

Skill Positions

Grade: C-

Garrett Wilson is a beast. He was the only one to catch a touchdown (2) in the first three games of the season. He is every bit the player the Jets thought he was after winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award last season.

But Wilson is only one guy. The rest of the Jets receivers have done almost nothing. Some of the can be blamed on Zach Wilson but they also haven’t helped him out much. In the Chiefs game alone Michael Carter and Tyler Conklin dropped passes in must win situations.

Allen Lazard has 10 catches for 169 yards in four games. Randall Cobb has only three and Mecole Hardman has one. Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson can’t get on the field to make an impact despite being featured on Hard Knocks.

C.J. Uzomah is finally getting regulated to bench duty and Jeremy Ruckert is starting to get more snaps at TE alongside safety blanket Tyler Conklin.

Ruckert caught both passes thrown his way in the Chiefs game for 26 yards, highlighted by this outstanding back-shoulder grab on a deep fade route. Just as impressive as the grab is Ruckert’s route.

There's so much receiving upside in Jeremy Ruckert. Not only was his back-shoulder grab impressive, but how he got there was equally promising.

Lined up in the slot against a LB in man coverage with outside leverage, Ruckert got his man to bite on an inside fake to win outside. pic.twitter.com/ucTgQUBsxt

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) October 3, 2023

When it comes to the running backs, Breece Hall has looked good in limited snaps. The Jets are obviously still being cautious with Hall as we aren’t even a full year removed from his knee injury.

Dalvin Cook has been mediocre at best. He has no explosiveness, and I don’t trust him to get me a yard on fourth and one. He seems like any running back the Jets might have signed off the scrap heap, only with a $7million price tag.

Cook is constantly missing open holes as seen here.

Dalvin Cook should not touch the ball again pic.twitter.com/MVLdGl9pPQ

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) October 2, 2023

Cook is averaging 3.1 yards per touch on 30 carries and eight receptions. At this point it might be better work Michael Carter or even rookie Izzy Abanikanda in the game then continue to feed Cook.

Offensive Line

Grade D

The Jets offensive line, especially at the tackle position, was a big concern heading into the season and four offensive plays in, they got Aaron Rodgers hit three times. Things did not get better in week two when the o-line received a PFF pass block grade of 31.9. That is one of the worst numbers I have ever seen.

Things have begun to look much better after Duane Brown was put on IR with a hip injury and the Jets reshuffled the offensive line, moving Mekhi Becton from right tackle to left tackle, moving Alijah Vera-Tucker from right guard to right tackle and getting second round pick Joe Tippmann in the game at right guard.

Brown was really struggling to get his feet under him since off season shoulder surgery and he did not play well in his first two games.

Tippmann has been stellar in his first two starts earning grades of 85.6 and 70.2 in pass blocking again according to PFF. His running grades are strong too at 70.4 and 75.8.

Mekhi Becton has not been great at the right side of the left side when it comes to run blocking which is concerning considering that is the strength of his game. He looked great against the Chiefs in the pass blocking game but has been mediocre in every other game. Also concerning for Becton is the fact that he has been charged with six penalties so far this season. When your QB is struggling, you can’t put him behind the chains.

Vera-Tucker has been stout in the run game at both the guard and tackle and was excellent against the Patriots in the passing game. He did struggle in pass pro against the Chiefs giving up three pressures including a QB hit.

Lanken Tomlinson has been really good in pass pro where he has yet to give up a sack. He has allowed eight pressures this season with half of them coming against the Patriots. Where he has struggled is opening any holes in the running game.

As for Connor McGovern, He has been the weakest link on the o-line outside of Duane Brown. His numbers in both the run and pass are terrible. For a team that spent years watching Nick Mangold and Kevin Mawae man the center, this is hard to watch.

The Jets haven’t been able to make any headway in the running game, but they are constantly facing nine and ten man fronts. While most of the time, the running game is made to set up the passing game, for the Jets, they will have to show the passing game before teams will respect it enough not to put extra men in the box.

Offensive Coaching

Grade: D+ 

Bad news first. The first three games made everyone understand why Hackett was let go from the Broncos after one year. It wasn’t bad, it was worse. It was ugly. The Jets offense felt like epidemy of trying to hammer a square peg in a round hole.

It can’t be easy to go all offseason thinking you were going to run an offense through one guy only to have that guy taken away after a few plays. But that is the reality of the NFL. Hackett did a poor job in the first three weeks of tailoring the offense to Wilson.

And what’s worse, is the unwillingness to change up the personnel that was obviously struggling. From C.J. Uzomah to Duane Brown. These were guys that simply weren’t getting the job done.

Now the good news. Nathaniel Hackett changed up the gameplan and personnel against the Chiefs, and most of it worked for the Jets. Getting Jeremy Ruckert in the game looks like a spark for the offense as he has made his presence felt in both the run and pass game.

We saw a lot of pre-snap motion and Zach Wilson rollouts that made it easier for him to operate. Zach Wilson is not Aaron Rodgers, and the offense can’t run as if Rodgers is still under center.

Wilson is athletic and has a big arm. Hackett needs to continue to find ways to use those two attributes to the Jets advantage and minimize his short comings.

The reshuffled offensive line looks far from perfect, but it is vastly improved over what the Jets put out in the first two games.

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The Jets offense was close to straight F’s across the board until the turnaround against the Chiefs. Hopefully heading to Denver to face the inept Broncos who gave up 70 points in week 3 will be just the thing to get the good vibes on offense to snowball.

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Featured image via Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports