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Reality Bites Geno Smith, New York Jets

By Tyson Rauch

Just when you thought that the New York Jets were ready to make a legitimate run at a playoff berth the team gets embarrassed by an organization with a losing record. The Jets (5-5) were outcoached and outplayed in almost every facet of their 37-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills leaving many to wonder about the team's overall maturity and leadership.

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Offense Grade: F

The game plan for the Jets was very simple: attack the Buffalo Bills porous run defense which will then open up the passing game. Well, the Jets offensive line was manhandled by the Bills front seven which completely stifled the ground game. Gang Green's inability to run the ball forced the Jets into obvious passing situations where they then completely fell apart.

Geno Smith faced constant pressure the entire day which resulted in four turnovers and several bad decisions. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg did Geno no favors with his questionable play calling including repeated attempts at a sideline pass to Stephen Hill. Let's face it folks, Hill is just not a good receiver and is a third or fourth option at best.

Defense Grade: F

The Jets accomplished their goal of stopping the run (held Buffalo to 68 yards), unfortunately they forgot how to attack the quarterback and defend the pass. Gang Green's secondary was torched by E.J. Manuel (20/28 245 yards, 2 tds) while the pass rush was non-existent. Not exactly an ideal performance by a unit that likes to consider themselves as one of the best in the NFL.

Quarterback Grade: F

10.1 – That was Geno Smith's quarterback rating on Sunday. The rookie was terrible as he made poor decisions with the football including throwing three interceptions. Smith made questionable reads and became more erratic as the game wore on. Going forward Rex Ryan will have to put Geno on a much tighter leash as the kid can throw the Jets out of the playoff hunt with these types of performances.

Special Teams Grade: C

Punter Ryan Quigley had a solid game averaging 41.6 yards per punt including a long of 56 yards. Nick Folk missed his first kick of the season which could have given the Jets some momentum. The return game was very average and failed to give the team any true boost in the field position battle.

Pathetic effort

For a team in the midst of a playoff hunt and coming off of a bye, this was truly a pathetic effort by Gang Green. The Bills were without their two best receivers, yet they still torched the Jets defense. Buffalo was the more physical team and took it right to New York early and often.

Gang Green likes to fancy themselves as a tough, aggressive team yet this is the third time that they have been embarrassed like this. Rex Ryan and his staff better right this ship quickly or their playoff dreams will go right out the window with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.

For more Jets news and updates, visit Jets Central.

Tyson Rauch is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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