The New York Jets (1-1) will look to get back on the winning track on Sunday when head coachAaron Glenn returns to Detroit to face his old team, the Lions (1-1), in Week 3.
The Jets are coming off a brutal Week 2 loss in their home opener to the Green Bay Packers. It’s been the same old story for the Lions as they have one of the best offenses in the league, but also one of the worst defenses.
While Glenn deserves some blame for the Jets' collapse against the Packers, there were some questionable play calls from offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The target share among the receivers in the game was also odd as receiver Isaiah Williams, who fumbled two punts and is primarily on special teams, was targeted six times in Week 2 while rookie tight
end Kenyon Sadiq has only seen six targets in two games combined.
The Jets did not select Sadiq with the 16th overall pick in the 2026 draft to only be targeted three times in a game. While he’s a tight end, Sadiq is built like a wide receiver with blazing 4.36 speed. He scored his first NFL touchdown against the Titans in Week 1 and seemed primed for a bigger role in Week 2. But, that wasn’t the case as Sadiq and Jeremy Ruckert combined for only four receptions for 22 yards.
The Lions have been brutal so far in two games against tight ends this season.
In their Week 1 victory over the New Orleans Saints, they allowed 87 yards receiving on seven receptions and a touchdown to Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant. In their Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Detroit’s defense allowed a combined nine receptions, 100 yards and two touchdowns to right ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.
In two weeks, opposing offenses have targeted the Lions defense 25 times with the tight end for a combined 16 receptions, three touchdowns and an average of 13.1 yards per reception. While we already knew Detroit’s defense is one of the worst in the league, their inability to cover the tight end could give the Jets a major advantage on Sunday.
Mason Taylor will not play this week due to a thumb injury and Ruckert is primarily used in short-yardage situations or as a blocking tight end. The Jets are banged up at wide receiver with rookie Omar Cooper Jr. placed on IR with an ankle injury, and with Taylor also out, Sadiq should see more targets.
Before he was drafted by the Jets, we heard most NFL analysts and team beat writers describe Sadiq as a “matchup nightmare” for opposing defenses based on his size and speed. The Detroit Lions can't cover tight ends.
It's the perfect storm for the Jets offensive coordinator to utilize a key weapon for a win on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Is rookie Kenyon Sadiq the ultimate X-factor for the Jets vs. Lions?
