The New York Jets fell to 2-2 in 2011 with a Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens by a 34-17 score. The game was a sloppy, turnover-filled affair, with the Jets' offense looking very shaky under Mark Sanchez. The Jets have now lost two in a row and are in third place in the AFC East.
It was a nightmarish start for the Jets' offense. On their first snap, Sanchez was sacked by Ed Reed and fumbled the ball, with the Ravens defense returning the loose ball for a touchdown. New York tied the game immediately on Joe McKnight's 107-yard kickoff return touchdown on the ensuing kick, his first career return TD. The Ravens then scored the next 20 points of the game, in a period where the Jets looked as bad as they have during Rex Ryan's tenure.
Two poor defensive series resulted in a Billy Cundiff field goal and a three-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice to give the Ravens a 17-7 advantage. Then, Sanchez was again sacked and lost control of the ball, as Jarrett Johnson recovered the fumble and went 26 yards for a score. Earlier in the half, the Jets replaced center Colin Baxter with starting left guard Matt Slauson, and Vladimir Ducasse took over at guard. Baxter looked overwhelmed at times, with the Ravens pinpointing him with pressure, and he struggled on two snaps to Sanchez - however it looked as though both snaps could have been Sanchez's fault. Baxter did return to the game late in the first half as the offensive line continued to struggle.
When it looked like it had gotten away from the Jets, Joe Flacco gave them a lifeline when with just over six minutes left in the half, his pass was intercepted by David Harris and returned for a touchdown. The Jets also got a Nick Folk field goal before halftime to cut the Ravens' lead to 27-17 going into the interval.
Early in the second half the Jets' defense made another big play, as Aaron Maybin stripped Flacco and the Jets recovered the ball deep in Ravens territory. But on New York's next play Sanchez was intercepted by Lardarius Webb, and Webb returned the ball for a touchdown to give the Ravens a 34-17 lead and end the scoring for the night.
The Jets remain on the road and will visit the New England Patriots in Week 5 as it doesn't appear to be getting any easier. We'll have more breakdown of this game plus a look at the Jets-Patriots showdown. But it seems as though for the first time under Rex Ryan, the Jets are in a state of panic.