It all started pretty well for QB Greg McElroy, who made his first NFL start against the Chargers this afternoon. McElroy led the Jets to two early scoring drives, as the Gang Green took a 14-7 lead. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there on. McElroy's indecisiveness and offensive line's ineptitude led to 11 sacks for the Chargers, who rattled the first time starter and took over the game in the second half.
As the second half began, the Chargers started going after McElroy time after time, easily penetrating the Gang Green's shaky offensive line. The eleven sacks that they allowed was the highest number since 1987 when the game was played by replacements. Were they really that bad though, or were they giving up sacks due to their allegiance to the benched QB Mark Sanchez? It also didn't help that the Jets never got their ground attack going. RB Shonn Greene, who scored both Jets' touchdowns, gained only 38 yards on 14 carries. RB Bilal Powell didn't see any action until very late in the game and had just 3 carries for -3 yards.
But back to McElroy, it was pretty hard to judge him on this game, as the offensive line provided no help to the young quarterback. The Chargers knew that McElroy wasn't going to beat them deep due to his poor arm strength, so their gameplan worked out perfectly - eliminate the running game and go after the quarterback. They did both and won the game.
McElroy will start again next week against the Buffalo Bills (5-10) whom the Jets destroyed in the season opener. Next Sunday's game might be the last one for Rex Ryan as the Jets head coach. Rex is definitely on the hot seat after making so many empty promises that never materialized. A 6-10 finish might all but seal his fate, as a Bills win would also drop the Jets down to the last place in the AFC East.