It wasn’t all bad but it certainly wasn’t good enough for the New York Jets in Week 1. They were defeated 24-9 by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

New York played a solid first half but couldn’t overcome a string of mistakes on offense, defense and special teams. They held the Ravens to 63 yards rushing (three yards per carry) but allowed Lamar Jackson to throw three touchdown passes. And they failed time and again to finish their own drives with points.

“You’re not going to beat a veteran team when you’re not capitalizing on the momentum you gained,” coach Robert Saleh said postgame. “From dropped passes to being loose with the football to missed kicks, this is a game in my opinion that we absolutely lost.”

Here’s a breakdown of takeaways from the Jets’ Week 1 loss.

New York Jets takeaways from Week 1 loss to Ravens

September woes continue

The Jets lost their 13th straight game in the month of September, tying an NFL record. Their last September win was the 2018 season opener against the Detroit Lions, when Sam Darnold made his NFL debut.

Year after year the Jets are trying to claw their way from the bottom of the pile before the calendar even flips to October.

They have two chances to end their September curse this season. They visit the Browns in Cleveland next week and then host the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Not going to be easy.

Critical mistakes prove costly

The Jets played a pretty solid first half but the game got away from them when the Ravens took advantage of several big mistakes they made.

In the first quarter, Joe Flacco threw an interception after tight end Lawrence Cager fell down on the wet turf. The Ravens converted the turnover into three points on a Jason Tucker 24-yard field goal.

New York started the second quarter with a 44-yard drive into Baltimore territory. They came away without points when Greg Zuerlein was wide left on a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Later in the half, the Ravens capitalized for their first touchdown after a pass interference penalty against Jets safety Lamarcus Joyner. The Ravens' second touchdown, in the third quarter, was set up when Jets punter Braden Mann shanked a 20-yard punt.

Later in the third quarter, a blown coverage led to Jackson’s 55-yard TD pass to Rashod Bateman.

Down 24-3 in the fourth, Michael Carter dropped a sure touchdown pass on fourth down, Breece Hall fumbled the ball away after a catch deep in Ravens territory and Elijah Moore’s TD catch was negated because he pushed off on the play.

When they finally scored with a minute left, Zuerlein missed the extra point. Not that it mattered at that point.

Jets get nothing from their tight ends

The Jets spent $25 million in guaranteed money this offseason on two veterans to upgrade the tight end position. Yet, C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin were targeted just twice in the passing game until the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter. Conklin had a catch late in the second quarter for what would have been a first down deep in Ravens territory but he fumbled the ball. It was recovered by the Jets but negated the first down and they settled for a field goal.

Conklin did score the Jets' only touchdown on a three-yard pass from Joe Flacco late in the fourth quarter. After the game, he explained that the Jets are still a good team despite the loss.

Uzomah did not have a catch. Backup tight end Lawrence Cager was called for a holding penalty on a run and then slipped to set up Flacco’s interception on successive plays in the first quarter. Rookie tight end Jeremy Ruckert was inactive.

Not what the Jets envisioned all offseason.

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Sauce Gardner leads rookies with strong debut

The Jets heralded 2022 rookie class made its collective NFL debut Sunday. Corner Sauce Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick, stood out with an outstanding play to break up a potential touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews. The Ravens rarely threw his way Sunday.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the No. 10 pick overall, had four catches for 52 yards. He was targeted eight times and on his first NFL reception in the first quarter, Wilson made three Ravens miss as he danced for nine yards on a broken play. He also recovered a Tyler Conklin fumble in the second quarter.

Running back Breece Hall, a second-round pick, carried six times for 23 yards, including one 14-yard run. He also had six receptions for 38 yards but fumbled deep in Ravens territory after one catch.

Defensive end Jermaine Johnson, the Jets' third first-round pick, combined with Jacob Martin to sack Lamar Jackson in the second quarter and finished with two tackles. Defensive lineman Micheal Clemons bull-rushed Ja’Wuan James in the second quarter and the veteran tackle was carted off the field with an injury.

Game Balls: Best Jets in Week 1

Running back Michael Carter accounted for 100 yards of offense and was the best player on that side of the ball for the Jets. He had a 19-yard run on their first play of the season and led the Jets with 60 yards on 10 carries (6.0 yards per carry). The second-year pro also led the Jets with seven receptions for 40 yards.

Consistent linebacker C.J. Mosley had 11 tackles (seven solo) in a stout performance. He was likely the Jets' best defensive player, though corner D.J. Reed (interception, forced fumble) and safety Jordan Whitehead (five tackles, one pass defended) stood out, as well.