Who Fell Flat in Jets Week 3 Loss to the Buccaneers?

After opening the season strong against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NY Jets fell right back to earth in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. This was a brutal game that the Jets were hoping to put behind them and forget. Unfortunately for the Jets, despite playing a much better game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they were still held out of the win column, as they fell to the Buccaneers in heartbreaking fashion, 29-27.

Despite their brutal showing last week, the Jets had a much better-played game. Tyrod Taylor got the start in this one, and any thoughts of having Taylor be the starter long-term went out the window. The veteran QB finished the game completing 26-of-36 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Will McDonald almost played hero, blocking a field goal with less than two minutes left and returning it for a touchdown, giving the Jets the 27-26 lead. Sadly, the Jets weren’t able to stop the Buccaneers as they marched right down the field and kicked a field goal to win it. So, who fell flat in the Jets’ Week 3 loss to Tampa?

3. Breece Hall, RB 

Breece Hall is a player who rarely finds himself on a list like this. Rightfully so. Hall has been electric since he joined the league and has become a cornerstone of the Jets’ offense. Sadly, an ACL injury slowed down the once versatile running back. However, to say he’s washed would simply be wrong. In the Jets’ Week 1 loss to the Steelers, Hall looked like his old rookie self, rushing for 107 yards on a very healthy 5.6 yards per carry. What fans couldn’t predict was his production over the following two games completely plummeting.

Hall picked up 29 yards on 10 carries in Week 2 against Buffalo, and did not fare any better against the Buccaneers. Hall finished Sunday’s game with nine carries for just 21 yards. This was certainly a fall from his Week 1 performance. To make matters worse, Hall picked up two costly drops. Hall was once known as a great receiving back, but he’s still looking for that trait to come back in the early going of the 2025 campaign.

It’s not fair to blame Hall for all of the Jets’ rushing problems, though. The run blocking has been abysmal this year, outside of the Week 1 performance. This is largely a result of opposing defenses just selling out the run. However, thankfully for Hall, he has a game coming up against a weaker Miami Dolphins defense next Sunday. This could be the perfect game to get him back on track and back to the Hall that Jets fans know and love.

2. Olu Fashanu, LT

From the very first drive of the game, the Buccaneers made it very clear that they did not respect this Jets offense. For the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, this was like a point trying to be made. The Buccaneers sent six or more pass rushers after Tyrod Taylor consistently throughout the entire game. This completely showed the Buccaneers’ lack of confidence in Taylor’s ability to air out the ball, and unfortunately, they were right to do so.

The worst performance from the offensive line came from the second-year left tackle, Olu Fashanu. This one comes as a bit of a surprise, as he has been one of the Jets’ shining stars on their new, improved, and young offensive line. Fashanu allowed a whopping seven pressures in the loss to the Buccaneers. Out of the 14 total pressures that Tampa Bay had, Fashanu was credited for half of them. That’s some very startling news for someone who had a fantastic rookie year.

Entering the game, Fashanu had nine pressures allowed. This is more than double any other player on the roster, putting him in a class of his own. Truly, a class he doesn’t want to be in. Regardless of whether Justin Fields or Taylor will be the quarterback going forward, the Jets need Fashanu to play better, specifically at protecting the pass rush. The Buccaneers smelled a weakness in Fashanu and exploited it all game. Fashanu has to go back to the drawing board and regain the confidence that he seemingly lost this season.

1. Sauce Gardner, CB

Perhaps the most shocking player who fell flat on the list came from their star cornerback, Sauce Gardner. Gardner is one of the best corners in the NFL, and it’s very easy to see why. He’s a fantastic player who is still so young and has a very bright future ahead. Unfortunately, in this one, Gardner wasn’t so effective. He statistically had one of the worst games of his entire NFL career in the Week 3 loss to the Buccaneers.

Throughout the game, Baker Mayfield targeted Gardner five times. He allowed three catches for 60 yards. This is very uncharacteristic of Gardner, who has been a lockdown corner in his first few years in the NFL, even winning an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Perhaps one of his worst parts of the game was the defensive pass interference penalty called in 3rd-and-29 in the first half. While the flag was questionable, it showed Gardner’s struggles all day on Sunday on full display.

The Jets made Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history this summer. This was extremely well-deserved for one of the best players, if not the best player on the roster. Gardner is one of the best defensive corners the Jets have seen since Darrelle Revis, and his taking over the Jets defense made all the sense in the world. However, with all of that said, this Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay will certainly be a game he’d like to forget.

The post Who Fell Flat in Jets Week 3 Loss to the Buccaneers? appeared first on JetNation.com – New York Jets Blog & Forum. You can discuss this with other NY Jets fans on the Jet Nation message board. Or visit of on Facebook.