Usually, a New York Jets primetime game is a pathetic performance, has a horrible injury, or a memorable play that’s embarrassing (Butt Fumble). I’ve never remembered a game where I knew the Jets would win in the first quarter. NE is a rebuilding team, but they “punched above their weight” in their first two games:
- Beating CIN on the road and rushing for 170 yards
- Losing to SEA in overtime and rushing for 185 yards
So, the Jets had to toughen up their run defense, which SF exposed in the opener. They went above and beyond as they held NE to 78 yards. Other than too many penalties (8 for 106 yards), they dominated for 60 minutes:
- Other than an ugly Greg Zuerlein miss, isn’t it nice not to depend on him for points? Also, how weird is it to put Thomas Morstead in “witness protection” as he only punted three times all game? As recent as last year, Morstead would punt three times in the first quarter.
- Fantastic performance by the defense as they locked down NE’s running game and abused Jacoby Brissett all game with seven sacks. I’m impressed with the growth of Jeff Ulbrich’s game calling as he broke out a ton of blitzes, utilizing Quincy Williams, Jamien Sherwood, and Chuck Clark to supplement the front four.
- Let’s deal with the elephant in the room. Since CJ Mosley went out with an injury, the defense has become faster and performed better. Jamien Sherwood has been one of the catalysts as he matches the speed/range of Quincy Williams and has locked down the middle of the field. Sherwood generated 5 tackles and is going to force some hard decisions for the staff when Mosley gets healthy.
- Quincy Williams was his normal self, all over the field, shutting down the run and screens (8 Tackles, TFL).
- Chuck Clark had his best game so far. Since NE has no real deep threat, he was able to move into the box. From a 4th LB spot, Clark generated 7 tackles, a sack, TFL, QB hit, and a fumble recovery.
- The starting DT tandem of Quinnen Williams and Javon Kinlaw is causing havoc. Their stats aren’t eye-popping:
- Wiliams – 2 tackles, sack, TFL, QB hit
- Kinlaw – 1 tackle, sack, TFL, QB hit
But their impact is being felt on every play. They consistently blew up NE run blocking, which allowed the LBs to make tackles. They also penetrated the interior pocket of NE pass blocking, forcing Brissett into inaccurate throws or sacks by others.
- Finally, Will McDonald continues to ascend as he followed up his strong TEN game with another 3 tackles, 2 sacks, TFL, and 4 QB hits. What was really impressive was his strength in setting the edge as NE challenged him early. I hate that Jermaine Johnson is gone, but the jump in his second-year production got him 7.5 sacks. McDonald already has FIVE in only three games. A 12-15 sack season is now easily within his reach.
- Excellent two-way performance by the OLine as they kept Aaron Rodgers clean and allowed the running game to generate 133 yards. And the one penalty I did enjoy was the John Simpson personal foul. Even though it cost the team 15 yards, it’s nice to see the OLine have a nastiness to their play. Hopefully, Morgan Moses’ injury isn’t major.
- The tandem of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen gives the team a physical, game-breaking presence no matter who is on the field. And props to Nate Hackett for having them both on the field on occasion:
- Hall with 16 rushes, 54 yards, TD, and 4 catches, 29 yards
- Allen with 11 rushes, 55 yards, and 3 catches, 13 yards
- Tyler Conklin finally got involved in the offense, controlling the middle of the field with 5 catches and 93 yards. And when Rodgers scrambled, it was nice to see Conklin find voids in the defense to give him an outlet.
- The GB chemistry that Allen Lazard had with Rodgers was on full display. Lazard’s 3 catches for 48 yards and a TD were totally based on his reading the defense and knowing what Rodgers wanted/would do.
- The most encouraging part of the offense is that it’s generating 22.3 points a game without major contributions from Garrett Wilson (5 catches, 33 yards, TD) and Mike Williams (3 catches, 34 yards). You’ve seen flashes of the “jump ball” option Williams can bring to the offense. But Wilson and Rodgers are just missing on some throws that would’ve been big gains.
- That was a vintage Aaron Rodgers performance last night (27/35, 281 yards, 2 TD). It was strange watching a Jet QB throw the ball all over the field and never feel like he was going to turn it over. What was impressive was his movement skills in and out of the pocket. He flashed them a little bit last week, but against NE, Rodgers was spry enough to actually run (3 rushes, 18 yards) down the field and pick up a couple of first downs. He still has to work on being faster with the play clock because we can’t be wasting multiple timeouts. But Rodgers’ performance definitely allows a Jet fan to dream.
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