3 Takeaways from Jets' Week 10 Loss

The New York Jets hope to be contending for AFC East titles in the near future. But on Sunday, it was made clear that the team is not close yet against the division leader.

The Jets fell behind early and couldn't work their way out of a large hole in a 45-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Buffalo, which is 6-3 and in first place in the AFC East, scored the game's first 10 points and had a 14-point lead at halftime. New York, which is in last place in the division at 2-7, had only three points through the first three quarters.

Since their Week 8 upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jets have gone back to struggling, as this marked their second straight defeat after losing to the Indianapolis Colts last week.

Here are three takeaways from New York's Week 10 loss.

There was a ton of hype surrounding Mike White after he stepped in for the injured Zach Wilson and had a remarkable showing in leading the Jets to victory over the Bengals in Week 8. White was hurt in Week 9and only played the opening drive. So, could the 26-year-old White get back on track this week?

The answer was a resounding no. White went 24-of-44 for 251 yards and four interceptions, which led to the Jets putting in veteran Joe Flacco for their final drive of the day.

It was a great surprise story when White, a career backup, passed for 405 yards and three touchdowns in his first NFL start against Cincinnati. It may not have taken long for defenses to figure out how to stop him, but New York head coach Robert Saleh also pointed out who White was going up against.

"They're the No. 1 defense in football," Saleh said of the Bills, per Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press. "They are a championship-caliber football team. Give them credit. It starts there, really."

However, it shows that Wilson, the rookie who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, should be back under center as soon as he returns from his knee injury. He has a lot of potential and is the likely future franchise QB, while White doesn't seem to be a long-term answer at the position.

The Jets defense is not playing well. They have given up more than 30 points in four consecutive games, and they've allowed at least 400 yards of total offense in five of their past six contests. There are a lot of things not going right for New York on that side of the football.

However, one of the more concerning issues appears to be the secondary's inability to limit top wide receivers. There was nobody on the Jets capable of shutting down Stefon Diggs, who had eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

But Diggs wasn't the only Buffalo playmaker who had success. Gabriel Davis had three receptions for 105 yards, while running back Matt Breida had a receiving touchdown. Josh Allen passed for 366 yards and two touchdowns and had no trouble moving the ball consistently against New York.

"Every man should be embarrassed," Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. "Every man should be angry."

New York brought in head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to improve this unit, but so far, it hasn't produced results. That may change over time and things could get better. Right now, though, the Jets defense is a major reason for the team's struggles.

The Jets didn't have a ton of positives to take away from Sunday's loss. But it was encouraging for them to see several key rookies continuing their recent success and showing they could be players for them to build around moving forward.

Running back Michael Carter had 82 total yards (39 rushing and 43 receiving) and scored a touchdown on the ground. He's gotten into the end zone four times over the past six games and has shown he should be the No. 1 option out of New York's backfield.

Elijah Moore, who scored the first two receiving touchdowns of his NFL career last week, got into the end zone again, catching a 15-yard pass from Flacco. It may have come late when the game was out of reach, but it was another example of Moore's playmaking ability.

On defense, cornerback Michael Carter II had four tackles, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. While New York's secondary has struggled, Carter has flashed his potential at times with some nice plays.

So while the Jets are 2-7 and will miss the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season, there are at least some players on this year's team who are providing optimism for the future.