The New York Jets matched up with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, and they came away with a great win. It definitely wasn’t a game that could be considered “impressive,” but players and fans alike are celebrating. With both teams depleted thanks to Uncle Covid, the expectations were not high, but it actually was an exciting game. In the end, the Jets pulled out a gritty team win and improved to 4-11.
The Running Game!!
The Jets offense came into the game averaging 85.4 rushing yards per game, one of the teams in the league. On Sunday, with a depleted offensive line, they rushed for 273(!) yards led by Michael Carter, who finished with 118 yards on 16 carries. They averaged 7.6 yards per carry, albeit against a depleted Jacksonville defense.
While it can be taken with a grain of salt, this is still a huge positive for the Jets, who came into this season with serious offensive line concerns. While those concerns are still present, stats like those are not indicative of an offensive line that needs fixing. It will be interesting to see where Joe Douglas and Co. decide to go in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
What remains the same is that Carter is legit. While Zach Wilson helped the average yards per carry with his 52 yards touchdown dash, Carter was rushing for nine yards here and eight yards there. Tevin Coleman also got in on the fun, rushing for 57 yards.
Zach Wilson Didn’t Shine, But He Got The Job Done
Wilson only threw the ball 22 times on Sunday, completing 14 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown. On paper, this is a well below-average day for an NFL quarterback, but in the context of this game, it was exactly what the Jets needed. On a day where the Jets ran for 273 yards, there was no need for Wilson to carry the team, especially missing his top three receivers.
He was effective running the ball as well, as mentioned above, which is something OC Mike LaFleur has apparently talked to him about. His 52-yard touchdown run was the highlight, but he ran for 39 yards on his other three attempts. In a game where Wilson needed to play safe and not turn the ball over, he did exactly that, and they scored their most points since week eight, where they scored 30 points.
Next Week Will Be Interesting
Week 17 will feature the Jets taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it will be the first time fans will see booth Mike LaFleur, Wilson, Carter, Elijah Moore, and Alijah Vera-Tucker together. While the Buccaneers are much better than the Jets on paper, it will be interesting to see how the teams match up, even when both teams are decimated by injuries.
The Jets, in theory, will have Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, and Foley Fatukasi back next week as well, so they will really only be down a few players on their offensive line.
This has been a review of the New York Jets vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.
