I had a blast at the Jets/Browns game, and it seems like the fanbase as a whole had a great time watching the Jets end a three game skid and get back into the win column. The team is undefeated vs. the AFC, and the same people who were screaming to fire Glenn two weeks ago are now scheduling plans around a potential playoff berth in January. It always cracks me up to see how extreme the fanbase’s reaction is from week to week.
I explained in last week’s piece why I didn’t think it was a must-win game,
and several of you pushed back. I think we should all be able to agree that this upcoming game is the most important of the season so far. This is a chance at .500, a chance at beating a divisional opponent, and a chance to string together consecutive wins for just the second time in the Aaron Glenn era. All of those things would be monumental for this young, impressionable locker room.
Aaron Glenn has yet to beat a divisional opponent as head coach of the New York Jets. I think we were all expecting/hoping that to change this year against a very poorly constructed Dolphins team, but why not shock the world against the New England Patriots that made the Super Bowl last year?
They’ve been up and down all year, and even though they’ve won two straight games, we’ve seen chinks in the armor that prove the vulnerability of that team. Vegas has counted us out, but we’ll see how the chips fall on Sunday. Here are the things I’ll be looking at:
Grand Returns
Both teams are getting major reinforcements back into the lineup this week, so it will be interesting to see how each side adjusts to the changes. We all know Christian Gonzalez is an elite talent at cornerback, and with him back after two games, we can only assume he will be deployed to follow Garrett Wilson around and neutralize the Jets’ most explosive threat. What we don’t know is what Frank Reich will scheme up to counteract the assumed man-to-man coverage.
Of course, this isn’t the only return, as Jets rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is set to return after missing the last four games with an ankle sprain. The funny thing is, he had one catch against the Titans and still ended up with the most yards after the catch of any player in the game. We can say with absolute certainty that we don’t know the ceiling or even the nature of Cooper Jr.’s involvement in the offense – which is super exciting for the Jets.
The Jets may still be missing WR2 Adonai Mitchell, but with Wilson, Cooper Jr., Sadiq, and Mason Taylor all healthy and ready to go, they won’t lack playmakers for Frank Reich and Geno Smith to work with. Even players with less star power, like Isaiah Williams, Tim Patrick, and Jelani Woods, could surprise in the passing game with the right opportunity. That’s the best part of having a willing, patient passer at the helm: there are plenty of options to choose from.
Speaking of options, Drake Maye could get his top option, A.J. Brown, back from injury this week. It’s not confirmed whether he’ll play, but he’s been a limited participant since his practice window opened after suffering a Week 1 ankle sprain, unlike Cooper Jr., who was a full participant this week. That would be a decent-sized wrench in the game plan for both sides.
I don’t have too many stats in this section, but the impact of these returns on the game is massive. The Jets get an explosive playmaker, and the Patriots get a shutdown corner. That same shutdown corner was getting carved up by Adonai Mitchell on primetime last year (albeit Mitchell had four drops, so it didn’t amount to much on the stat sheet), so I’m definitely curious to see how Garrett Wilson fares in the midst of his best NFL season to date.
Mobility
I spent a lot of time worrying about Deshaun Watson’s legs gashing the Jets defense last week, and while it ultimately didn’t turn the tide, Deshaun did have a solid rushing performance. Admittedly, the situation is hard to assess because he was sacked eight times, so the Jets clearly did a good job getting after the quarterback. Yet, watching in person, Deshaun seemed to be actively moving, and the stat sheet backs up my observations, as he had his most yards per rush in any game all season.
Without the rain and all the calamity that comes with it, we should get a much clearer picture of how this year’s Jets defense fares with mobile quarterbacks. Watson entered last week’s game as the second-most frequent rusher at QB, and Patriots QB Drake Maye enters this game as the third-most. His designed runs are generally efficient, but his scrambles in tough situations are even more dangerous and timely.
This isn’t to put Maye on a pedestal: he’s been quite awful so far this year. He was getting sacked three times a game until this two-game winning streak, when he was sacked only once in each game. His seven interceptions in five games tie for the most in the NFL this year, but again, he’s dialed it down during this two-game winning streak and has had only one interception since their Week 3 loss to the Jaguars.
Can they force him to revert back to the indecisive, skittish QB that was a meme machine for the first three weeks of the season? To do that, the Jets will have to get through two former friends: OT Morgan Moses and OL Alijah Vera-Tucker. I spent so many years loving AVT and defending him through all of his injury-plagued seasons with the Jets that I felt personally offended to see him go to arguably the team’s biggest rival and instantly start trashing the Jets. A special part of my soul will be healed to see him or Moses be the one(s) responsible for letting up a sack.
But if not, there’s a solid chance that rookie tackle Caleb Lomu could end up being barbecue chicken for the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week, David Bailey. The Bailey/Lomu matchup, plus McDonald’s familiarity with going against Moses day in and day out, makes me excited about the chances of pressuring Maye and containing him in the pocket.
Complements Welcome
One of my favorite parts of watching good football teams play is seeing how well they exemplify complementary football. The team’s phases work as a unit, cohesively operating toward a common goal (winning), and usually achieving it. I know, that might sound like a completely foreign concept to you if you’ve only watched Jets football. How many times have you watched a Jets game, seen the defense make a perfect play, only for the offense to completely squander the opportunity? Remember AG’s iconic sideline dance? Special Teams makes a perfect play, only for the defense to choke away the win.
The Jets have a long, rich history of failing in this area of football, but I’m bringing it up now for this pivotal matchup because we saw a glimpse of quality complementary football last week. With four minutes left, the Jets desperately needed a stop, and they forced a three-and-out. Then the football gods smiled on them when Corey Bojorquez dropped the punt, and the Jets started the next drive 23 yards from paydirt. Classic Jets would be to commit another turnover, or maybe get a three-and-out of their own and miss the field goal.
Instead, Braelon Allen runs 22 yards for the touchdown, and the Jets win the game.
This Sunday, I want to see this team be cohesive from one phase of the game to the next. I want to see the defense and special teams create momentum for the offense, and the offense capitalize on said momentum. The best coaches excel at complementary football, and I have to begrudgingly admit that next to outright cheating, it was Bill Belichick’s greatest strength. Vrabel has been spectacular in this area in his own right, and I want to see Glenn compete in this area.
It’s also worth noting that with Blake Grupe signing with the Rams, Jason Sanders is the only kicker in the room. Was the pressure/possibility of losing his job to the younger Grupe motivating his impressive performance? With no one ‘breathing down his neck’ any longer, will he continue to deliver, or will he take his foot off the gas? I’m especially curious to see Sanders perform as the man in the arena this Sunday, and overall, I just want to see a good performance that blends well from unit to unit. Vegas has the Jets as 7-point underdogs, but I think these three things can really turn the tide. Let’s go Jets!
