Where were Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq on Sunday? Their lack of involvement was one of the biggest negatives for the New York Jets 23-12 loss against the Chicago Bears. Wilson and Sadiq are the Jets’ two best pass catchers and they were nowhere to be found. Wilson finished with three catches for 27 yards on four targets. Sadiq didn’t catch a single pass on four targets of his own.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn was asked after the game about the pair’s lack of involvement in the offense, and he didn’t have a clean answer. “We’ll have to look at the tape to see why… we have to find a way to get them the ball,” Glenn said.

He’s right. When your two most dangerous weapons combine for 27 yards, something went wrong. The real question is what. Well, there were plenty of reasons why, but it all comes down to one simple thing. 

Time of possession told the story

Now, a lot of things point to why New York couldn’t get Wilson and Sadiq going, but nothing points there more than the time of possession battle. The Jets lost it 42:45 to 17:15. That’s not a typo. The Bears held the ball for more than 42 minutes, and the Jets offense was hardly on the field.

Look, it’s tough to feed your playmakers when your offense barely touches the ball. Every possession becomes more valuable, and every negative play stings twice as much. That’s the situation New York found itself in all afternoon. Whether it be defensive penalties, their lack of push up front, or just simply not capitalizing on third downs, the Jets couldn’t get off the field. 

The numbers on Geno Smith’s day make it even clearer. The Jets quarterback dropped back only 18 times. He attempted just 15 passes because Chicago sacked him three times. Fifteen pass attempts isn’t enough volume to get anybody going. That’s true for a star receiver, and it’s true for a rookie tight end who needs touches to find a rhythm.

The offensive line didn’t help

Limited snaps were only part of the problem. Even when the Jets were out there, the offensive line made it tough for the passing game to operate. Three sacks on 18 dropbacks is a rough ratio. Every one of those sacks is a play where Wilson or Sadiq never had a chance to make a play, no matter how open they were downfield. When the protection breaks down that often, the routes don’t matter.

Obviously, Wilson is going to be the focal point of any opposing defense the Jets face in the passing game. That’s the price of being the best receiver on the roster, and the Bears treated him that way. But it shouldn’t matter, New York knows that going into every single game. 

That’s exactly why protection matters so much. If defenses are going to key on Wilson, the line has to buy Smith enough time to either find him anyway or work through his progressions to Sadiq. That simply didn’t happen often enough against Chicago. The one positive play from the Jets passing game against the Bears came on a 58-yard deep ball touchdown for Isaiah Williams. 

A huge drop from last week in Detroit

What makes this one sting is how good both players looked a week earlier. Wilson and Sadiq each went over 100 receiving yards last week against the Lions in Detroit. Against the Bears, they combined for 27 yards.

That’s a massive drop-off, and it greatly contributed to the lack of success for the Jets offense. When your two best pass catchers go from a combined 200-plus yards to 27, the whole offense feels it. Drives stall, third downs turn into punts, and the defense ends up back on the field. That’s how a time of possession gap like 42:45 to 17:15 snowballs.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the kind of performance to panic over. One week ago, this same duo showed exactly what they can do when the offense gets going. The talent is clearly there. The Jets can’t afford to have a repeat of their performance against the Bears.

I think this was more about game script and protection than any real problem with how the Jets view Wilson and Sadiq. Glenn said himself the team has to find a way to get them the ball, and that’s the right message. If New York can stay on the field longer and give Smith time to throw, I fully expect both of these guys to bounce back in a big way. 

The Detroit performance is the standard, and the Jets need to get back to it.