Jets takeaways from 45-30 loss to Colts, including defense allowing 532 yards

After the Jets defense was embarrassed and humiliated up in New England just two weeks ago, they vowed that a disaster like that would never happen again.

But on Thursday night it did. And in some ways, it was worse.

Just four days after their rousing, come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jets were embarrassed for the second time in three weeks thanks to a defense that couldn’t stop a runny nose. They gave up 532 yards, including a ridiculous 260 on the ground. They allowed the Colts to score touchdowns on six of their first seven possessions (and the one where they fell short actually ended at the one-yard line).

It all added up to a terrible 45-30 loss to the Colts in Indianapolis that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score looked.

Not even quarterback Mike White could have saved this team. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the chance. His magic ride ended with an unfortunately forearm injury late in the first quarter. Backup Josh Johnson had to come on in relief and was really impressive. But the deficit was too large and he couldn’t complete what would’ve been a remarkable comeback win.

But it wasn’t on Johnson. It was on the defense, starting with a defensive line that just looked like it didn’t show up. They were completely man-handled by the Colts’ offensive line, getting no pressure on quarterback Carson Wentz and being consistently shoved backwards on runs. The Colts had 280 yards in the first half alone.

Not all of it was on the front line, though. On the opening touchdown run of the game – 34 yards by Nyheim Hines – he cut back across the field and out-ran a Jets secondary that had completely over-pursued him. The linebackers and secondary didn’t offer much resistance on Jonathan Taylor’s 21-yard touchdown run either. And forget Taylor’s 78-yard touchdown. No Jet defender came close to touching him.

And when Wentz (22 of 30, 272 yards, 3 touchdowns) dropped back to pass, he had plenty of open receivers to choose from. The secondary, for the most part, looked like it was playing way back, given Colts receivers plenty of room to get open underneath. And it wasn’t just receivers, either. Colts offensive lineman Danny Pinter got incredibly wide open on a 2-yard touchdown pass.

At least last time the defense had the excuse of not having linebackers C.J. Mosley or Jarrad Davis. Both of them were on the field on Thursday night, but it didn’t help.

Nothing helped. Maybe White could’ve helped if he hadn’t gotten hurt. But the Jets defense just put way too much of a burden on their offense, no matter who their quarterback was.

Here are some more takeaways from yet another Jets disaster …

• White was looking pretty good before he got hurt late in the first quarter. He was 7 of 11 for 95 yards and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie WR Elijah Moore. That was his last pass, though. A few plays earlier, he was hit on the forearm by DT DeForest Buckner. He came out after the touchdown pass and tried to do some throwing, but it looked like he couldn’t get a good grip on the ball. That’s a real tough break for someone who waited a long time for his shot and sure was making the most of it. That might be it, too, since it’s possible that QB Zach Wilson will be back next week.

• For a guy who really hasn’t played much since 2018, Josh Johnson looked really good in his relief appearance on Thursday night. He completed 27-of-41 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception until his final pass of the game was tipped high into the air at the line of scrimmage. He had the Jets at the Indy seven-yard line at that point, looking for the touchdown that would’ve pulled them within one score with less than a minute to go. Considering the Jets trailed 42-10 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter, just getting as close as the Jets did was remarkable.

• One last quarterback note: I get that Joe Flacco was inactive last week, since he didn’t arrive at the Jets facility until Friday. But this week? If he wasn’t going to be in this game, or if they didn’t think he could get ready for it, what was the point of trading for him? Not that Johnson didn’t show he deserved to play. He absolutely did. But what was the point of the Flacco deal if the Jets aren’t going to use him? I guess the good news is he only cost the Jets a conditional sixth-round pick, and he’s certainly not going to meet whatever those conditions were by standing on the sidelines in street clothes.

• On Sunday, RB Michael Carter was the best player on the Jets not named Mike White, with 172 total yards. But the Jets didn’t use him nearly as much in this game, especially early. They attempted just three runs on their first 14 plays and he ran 13 times for 49 yards overall. More mystifying is that they only threw two passes in his direction. Yes, it’s hard to rely on a running back in a blowout, but when you’re down to a third-string quarterback and the running back is one of your best weapons ...

• Actually, Elijah Moore might be the Jets’ best weapon after his seven-catch, 84-yard, two-touchdown breakout game. He looked a lot like the guy everyone saw in the spring, who has the speed and moves to get open and to create big yards after the catch. Both of his touchdowns went for 19 yards.

• Meanwhile, Denzel Mims had five passes thrown in his direction and caught just one for 20 yards. He had a terrible drop in the fourth quarter, too.

• Give offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur credit. After dipping deep into his bag of trick plays last Sunday, he kept them coming on Thursday night. His best was a gutsy one on the first drive with Johnson at quarterback. On a 3^rd and 15, he called a play where Johnson passed straight left to Jamison Crowder, who fired it back across the field to  Carter, who ran 23 yards to pick up the first down. Not that he had much of a choice, but he also kept calling passes even after Johnson was forced into the game. He could’ve gotten more conservative with his third-string quarterback, but he didn’t.

• Keelan Cole (five receptions for 66 yards) made a couple of incredible catches. The first was one where he was flipped upside down after making the catch. The second came as he ran towards the sideline and had to turn and twist to catch a ball thrown behind him. The Jets really thought they had a free-agent steal when they signed Cole to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. They think his speed and ability to make tough catches could make him a No. 1 receiver in a lot of places.