The New York Jets completed their week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a game on Saturday afternoon, and the team looked to build on a good start to the preseason. Now at 2-0, they come home to Florham Park for joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles before their final preseason game on Friday night. Here are three takeaways from the New York Jets preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
Injuries are Killer
After losing Carl Lawson to a torn achilles this week, the Jets looked to come out of this game with no new injuries. However, they saw linebacker Jarrad Davis go down until at least Week 6 with an ankle injury, and backup offensive tackle Conor McDermott was carted off with a knee injury. Backup quarterback Mike White left Saturday’s game with a rib injury, and backup safety Zane Lewis was placed on IR with a torn patella.
Hamsah Nasirildeen was already figured to be starting aside C.J. Mosley and Jarrad Davis, but now they will look to start their other rookie linebacker, Jamien Sherwood. With two rookies starting at the position, expect some bumps along the way. Both Nasirildeen and Sherwood have shown flashes, but keep in mind that preseason isn’t a great indication of how a player will play during the regular season.
McDermott wasn’t figured to start, but the Jets are so thin up front, and any depth matters. With Morgan Moses missing time, as well as Alijah Vera-Tucker, the team needs anyone they can get. Vera-Tucker hasn’t played a single snap this preseason, but he should be back by Week 1. The Jets need to get healthy and fast.
Zach Wilson is… legit?
Zach Wilson built on a quietly efficient Preseason Week 1 with a stat line of 9/11, 128 yards and two touchdowns. He looked good, although the Packers didn’t play most of their defensive starters. Wilson continued to look to Corey Davis as his top target, and Davis finished with four receptions for 70 yards.
Wilson first hit Davis on a skinny post for 24 yards, and later they connected for a 27 yard gain on a dart of a throw. Both touchdowns were thrown to Tyler Kroft, who figures to end up as the no. 1 tight end on the depth chart. The first score came on another beautiful throw from Wilson, who led Kroft to the other side of a Safety. Kroft absorbed a big hit, and ended up in the end zone. Later, Mike LaFleur drew up a great play, which found Kroft wide open in the flat. Wilson hit Kroft, who ran mostly untouched for another touchdown.
Wilson was efficient again, and most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over. He has yet to throw an interception or fumble the ball, which is something to be excited about. Hopefully he can continue to move well in the pocket, as well as keep the ball in the green and white’s hands.
The Secondary is in Trouble
The Packers didn’t play most of their offensive starters, including MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Despite this, the Jets starting defense couldn’t do much against the backups. Kurt Benkert made some great plays, and the Packers moved the ball pretty well for the most part. The Jets did eventually intercept him, a good play from Brandin Echols. Lamar Jackson also came up with an interception, this time picking off Jake Dolegala.
Despite a couple of interceptions, Kurt Benkert should never finish with a stat line of 18/25. He was good, evading pressure, and finding guys for big gains that should never have happened. The pass rush is to blame, but the secondary needs to step up against players like Kurt Benkert.
Overall, the Jets do look like a decent team. Who’s to say how they end up this year, but they look to end the preseason strong against the Philadelphia Eagles. They will continue to improve, and that’s all the fans should ask of them. This has been three takeaways from the New York Jets vs. the Green Bay Packers.