At a glance, Geno Smith's Thursday night stat line was porous. Smith completed just 15 of 35 pass attempts for 214 yards and three interceptions -- all of which came in the fourth quarter.
What isn't in the stat line are the drops. And there were a lot of them.
“Obviously (Smith)’s numbers would look a lot different if we caught the football,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said after the game, via the NY Daily News. “It’s just unfortunate.”
Smith delivered some very accurate throws for three quarters and was repeatedly let down by his receivers. Clyde Gates dropped two would-be touchdown passes, including one that Smith had to throw low to keep it from the defenders and did so perfectly.
Even on a couple early throws into double coverage, Smith hit his target in the chest, most notably on a drop by Stephen Hill on a deep pass in the middle of the field.
Smith did, however, deserve the blame in the final stanza.
The rookie signal-caller turned the ball over three times while trying to stage a comeback. Aqib Talib was the beneficiary of two of Smith's picks, while Alfonzo Dennard grabbed the other one.
"There were costly mistakes that were completely on me," Smith said, via ESPN New York. "I didn't get it done. I take full responsibility for it. I will get better."
For the Jets' sake, hopefully his receivers do the same.
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