5 Jets storylines heading into home-opener vs. Dolphins

The Jets were embarrassed by the Raiders, 45-20, to fall to 0-2 on the season. Now they head to MetLife Stadium to play their first home game of the season against the Dolphins.

Here's a look at the five big storylines surrounding the Jets as they head into Week 2.

How bad is this going to get?

Not many people outside of One Jets Drive expected much from this team. And few were surprised to see the Jets start 0-2 with two demoralizing losses on the road.

But the Jets have insisted all season long that they could surprise some people and be a competitive team. How the Jets play in their first two home games of the season -- against Miami and Jacksonville, hardly juggernauts -- should tell us a lot about who this team really is.

"We learned a lot as the two weeks went by," Bowles said. "But we’ll learn a lot more these next two weeks whether we can correct these mistakes, which I’m pretty sure we can."

If the Jets can play respectable football against the Dolphins, it would be a sign that things are headed in the right direction. But if it's another blowout, rife with costly mistakes, the Jets' will be a punchline for the rest of the year. Bowles is confident that won't happen.

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"I know my team. I know the locker room. I’ve seen a lot," Bowles said. "I’ve been around these guys quite a bit and I have every confidence in the world in them.

"We're still learning about the identity part [of our team]," Bowles said. "But I know we have a lot of fight in us. We just have to not make the mistakes we’ve been making.

Fixing the defense

Through two games the Jets' defense has been consistent in only one regard: the unit surrenders huge plays all the time. Sunday the defense gave up five plays of 20 yards or more, including three touchdowns of more than 25. Week 1 in Buffalo, the Jets allowed eight plays of 20 yards or more.

The issue Sunday was simple -- well, if you ask coach Todd Bowles.

"Missed tackles," Jets coach Todd Bowles said.

The most glaring example came in the third quarter, when cornerback Juston Burris could have stopped a run by the Raiders' Cordarrelle Patterson after three yards. But he missed Patterson, who rumbled 43 yards for the touchdown.

"We just missed a few tackles," Bowles said. "It’s not everybody. It’s not a full-time thing."

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Bowles said the Jets will work on tackling fundamentals in practice in the coming days. But the Jets issues sure seem bigger than just tackling better. For example, there were no missed tackles on Jalen Richard's 52-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter -- the Jets didn't touch him at the line of scrimmage.

The Jets have surrendered 13 plays of 20 yards or more in two games -- there's a lot more going on than just missing a few tackles.

Return of Austin Seferian-Jenkins

Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins missed the first two games of the season because of a suspension stemming from his 2016 DUI arrest. But he's slated to return on Monday, and the Jets will be happy to see him.

First, just because he's an able-bodied tight end. Eric Tomlinson and Jordan Leggett missed Sunday's game because of injury, forcing the Jets to use Will Tye as the starter less than two weeks after he joined the team.

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"It [helps to have] a regular game plan – as far as just personnel groupings and stuff like that," Jets quarterback Josh McCown said on a conference call Monday. "There’s not all these extra contingency plans in case you lose one guy and this happens and that happens. You feel like you have your full complement of people. So, it will be a big positive. Obviously, Austin’s a good player, so we look forward to having him back with us. It will be good."

Seferian-Jenkins could also become a prominent target for McCown, given the Jets' newfound emphasis on throwing to the tight end.

Limited growth opportunities

Veteran wide receiver Jeremy Kerley was activated on Sunday for the first time. And that meant a significant hit in playing time for two of the Jets' rookie receivers: rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen.

Stewart, a third-round pick, played 38 snaps in the season opener, pulling in two catches for 10 yards. Hansen, a fourth-rounder, played 12 offensive snaps Week 1 at Buffalo without a catch.

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On Sunday, both players' time was extremely limited: Stewart played only eight offensive snaps, and Hansen played only two. Meanwhile, Kerley played 44 snaps. This bears watching because the 2017 season is all about development for the Jets, and if Kerley keeps taking reps from the younger receivers it could hinder their development

Punt returner released

Punt/kick returner Kalif Raymond was late Tuesday afternoon, after his costly gaffe against the Raiders. As it turned out, Raymond's momentum-changing muffed punt against the Raiders -- it cost the Jets a chance to try and take the lead late in the first half, and gifted the Raiders a touchdown -- was too much for Bowles to ignore.

Raymond, who the Jets claimed off of waivers earlier this month after the Broncos released him on cut day, also muffed two punts in Week 1 but recovered them both. On Monday, Bowles was cryptic about Raymond's future

"We’ll look at it as the week goes and we’ll see what we want to do," Bowles said.

One possibility now that Raymond is gone? Kerley has extensive experience as a punt returner.

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com