The Jets nearly came back from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Buccaneers last week. Thanks to Tyrod Taylor hitting a couple of late touchdown passes. But this has been a story of the Jets’ offense—the slow offensive start—especially now with Justin Fields sidelined due to an injury.

Now, ahead of the Dolphins clash in Week 4, the Jets’ offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand was expected to address those early-game struggles. Well, he did comment, but disagreed that the offense had been starting slowly. “A non-issue for us,” Engstrand said.

In the last couple of Weeks, the Jets have struggled to get into the end zone, resulting in deficits during the final stretch of the games. In the Week 2 game against the Bills, the team didn’t even score a touchdown until late in the game. Week 3 against the Bucs? Same story.

The Jets failed to reach the end zone through the first three quarters and settled for only two field goals. To put that in perspective, the New York team has scored just 16 points over a 7-quarter stretch (from the start of their Week 2 game to the end of the third quarter of their Week 3 matchup) before that surge in the fourth quarter against the Bucs.

“We did not play worth a damn in that first half, so what are you going to do about it?” Garrett Wilson said of that fourth quarter. “You cannot go out and play an hour’s worth of bad film. We had to step it up. There was no excuse not to live by that in the second half once we cut that deficit. We should not have been there in the first place.”

The signs are clear: The Jets’ sluggish start in the past two Weeks has hurt them, even though the OC disagreed with the offensive struggles. But with Justin Fields set to return, the team should finally start finding some rhythm early in games.

The Jets want Justin Fields to return

Justin Fields has been out since entering concussion protocol in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ Week 2 matchup against the Bills. Now, as Week 4 approaches, OC Tanner Engstrand is hoping to have his quarterback back for Monday’s game.

“It’d be great to get Justin (Fields) back,” the OC said. “You know, there was a reason we brought him here to be, you know, to be quarterback and again, coming off to that first game was really really good. And it’d be great to getting back, you know, so hopefully that happens.”

Ahead of the Dolphins clash, the Jets permitted the 26-year-old quarterback to participate in Thursday’s (Sept. 25) practice (noncontact and position-specific drills), raising hope for the QB to finally return after clearing the concussion protocol.

“He still has to go through the whole protocol before he’s totally cleared, but I like where he’s at,” head coach Aaron Glenn said before the practice. Meanwhile, the Jets haven’t made Fields’ return official yet. So, expect Fields’ backup, Tyrod Taylor, to start in Week 4 until the official announcement.