There was palpable excitement among Jets fans this week as the team officially opened the 21-day practice window for Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Fame quarterback returned to football activity this week, and while he has yet to be cleared for contact, he has begun throwing to teammates.

Laken Tomlinson alluded to the motivating element of having Rodgers back in the building. The hope is that seeing him out on the practice field will help the players focus on Atlanta’s arrival on Sunday.

The NFL can be unfair at times. Atlanta enter the weekend atop the NFC South with a 5-6 record; the Jets are currently ranked as the 15th best team in the AFC with a 4-7 record. If the Jets hope to see Aaron Rodgers take the field again this year, they’ll need to go on a winning streak. Rodgers confirmed on the Pat McAfee Show this week that the Jets playoff chances will go into his decision making process on whether to return this year.

So how can the Jets ground the Atlanta Falcons this coming Sunday?

It all starts up front. To win games, you need to score points, and to score points you usually need your offensive line to perform at their best. As I outlined earlier this week, the Jets could welcome back former first-round pick Mekhi Becton and guard Wes Schweitzer, but the return of Duane Brown remains uncertain.

Only four teams have fewer sacks than Atlanta’s 22, but they generate pressure at a high clip. The Falcons put pressure on the QB on 23.9% of snaps which is just outside the top-10 at number 11. Atlanta isn’t a blitz-heavy team, bringing extra pressure just 25.9% of the time but if the Jets want to develop some longer routes, they’ll need to afford their QB and receivers a little extra time.

Moving the ball on Atlanta through the air is difficult; they have allowed the 9th fewest passing yards in the league. The Jets have struggled to get the ball in the endzone all season, and it won’t get any easier on Sunday. Atlanta has the third best red zone defense in football, allowing a touchdown on just 38.24% of entries; over the last three games that number drops further to 33.33%.

Atlanta also have one of the best third-down defences in football, allowing just 35.21% to be converted, which is the 6th best mark in football.

Whilst the Falcons run defence has been strong, especially in the red zone, Atlanta has allowed over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns to running backs on receptions. If the Jets were looking to get Breece Hall and Israel Abanikanda involved in the passing game, this would be an ideal week to do it.

On the defensive side of the football, there may be opportunities to exploit.

In many ways the Falcons are a mirror image of the Jets: for as good as their defence has been, the offence must improve.

Desmond Ridder has been praised by teammates for his resiliency, but he’ll be disappointed to be heading into this week with more interceptions than touchdowns.

The Falcons are averaging 19.4 points per game, and have coughed up the ball 18 times this season, suggesting opportunities for the Jets to win extra possessions through turnovers. But Atlanta has been able to move the ball, especially on the ground.

They have the 4th best rushing offence, with 139.3 yards per game on the ground, whereas the Jets have struggled to stop the run, ranking 31st in the league and allowing on average 140.3 rushing yards per game. Slowing down the Falcons’ running backs will be a crucial task for the Jets defence.

Former University of Texas star Bijan Robinson is a big reason for the Falcons success. The eighth overall pick in the draft is averaging 5 yards per carry and has 703 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground, as well as 32 catches for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. The scary thing is that you know there is more to come from Robinson, and when he takes a breather you have to contend with Tyler Allgeier or Cordarrelle Patterson.

The other positive for Atlanta is that they’ve been able to start the same offensive line all season. Jake Matthews (LT), Matthew Bergeron (LG), Drew Dalman (C), Chris Lindstrom (RG), and Kaleb McGary (RT) have all played over 700 snaps this season; something the Jets can only dream about considering they’ve had over 15 players play at least one snap on the offensive line.

Sunday’s game could pose challenges on both sides of the ball, but the Jets will need to perform if they hope to stay in the mix for the playoffs.

It’s hard to escape the fact that things are tough at the moment. The Jets are now tied with four other teams for the fewest touchdowns through the first 11 weeks of the season since 2000. None of the 2009 Raiders, 2009 Browns, 2006 Raiders and 2000 Bengals won more than four games, so the Jets do at least have the opportunity to set themselves apart in a good way.

Part of the issue this year has been the inability to find consistency on the offensive line.

The Jets have now started a league-high 12 different linemen, which includes eight different o-line combinations; the game against Miami represented the sixth successive week where they have rolled with a different starting five.

The only position on the offensive line to experience any consistency is left guard with iron man Laken Tomlinson – one of only six players in the NFL with an active streak of at least 100 consecutive starts. Every other position has been manned by at least two players, with right-guard being occupied by no less than six players this season. Alijah Vera-Tucker, Joe Tippmann, Wes Schweitzer, Max Mitchell, Xavier Newman and Chris Glaser have all taken turns.

Losing Vera-Tucker was a devastating blow to the Jets this year, and it’s the second year in a row the Jets have lost the services of their incredibly talented former Trojan. AVT’s versatility allows the Jets to survive and flourish despite injuries. Replacing AVT’s talent is extremely difficult; replacing his versatility is nearly impossible.

The results have been as you might expect: 48 sacks allowed, the third highest rate in the league. We’ve also experienced a surge in penalties; in particular, false starts. This isn’t overly unexpected when you play so many different combinations as the offensive line is a unit that needs to work cohesively. It’s hard to do that when you continue to see a new face every time you look left and right.

But enough with the negativity.

The cavalry is coming. The Jets should get 2020 first-round draft pick Mekhi Becton back this week. The former Louisville man worked tirelessly to play against Miami after suffering an ankle injury against Buffalo, but was ruled out at the 11th hour. There is real optimism that his return will solidify the line and open lanes for Breece Hall.

As well as Becton, the Jets are expecting to get Duane Brown back this week. The 16-year veteran has been missing since week two’s game against Dallas, but was activated from IR before the Miami game. He wasn’t quite ready to start and acted as a back-up for the first time in his career, but with another week of practice under his belt he should be ready to return against Atlanta.

The good news continues to trickle through, with Wes Schweitzer set to return for the first time since week nine. The former Washington man has played just 81 snaps this year, but he could offer a more sustainable answer to the problematic right guard position.

How everyone will shuffle into the five o-line spots remains to be seen, but the Jets and Robert Saleh will be delighted that they have some key personnel returning in time for a potential December push.

The offence has been struggling, but a lot of that can be traced back to the issues on the offensive line. The players who have come in have done a fine job given tough circumstances, but only Laken Tomlinson was playing in his designated position on Friday. You can survive one injury, you can maybe survive two, but running the gauntlet of injuries the Jets have had to navigate is almost impossible.

Fortunately for the Jets, the cavalry is coming.

The New York Jets will make NFL history on November 24 when they play in the first Black Friday game, taking on the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in Week 12 action.

And the Jets will be cheered on by fans in the United States and in the United Kingdom as they attempt to knock off the AFC East Division leaders one day after Thanksgiving.

The Jets and the Dolphins are holding a joint Watch Party at Shooter’s Bar in Manchester with more than 250 fans from both teams expected to be in attendance at the sold-out event. It will be the first-ever joint event held by two Global Markets Program teams in the same country.

The entire Sky Sports NFL team will also be there as I will be joined by Jason Bell, Phoebe Shecter, Jeff Reinebold and Hannah Wilkes. Our coverage of the AFC East showdown begins at 7.30pm on Sky Sports NFL. Representing the Jets on the night will be former NFL safety Erik Coleman, who made more than 650 tackles during a nine-year career in which he spent the period from 2004-2007 in New York.

Jets offensive lineman Max Mitchell said: “I think it’s really cool to play in the first-ever game on Black Friday. We’re going to have a ball and it will be really special. And it’s really cool to know we will be cheered on by Jets fans on either side of the Atlantic.”

The Jets will be led by Tim Boyle, who takes over quarterback duties from Zach Wilson. Boyle played college football at UConn and then Eastern Kentucky before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018, where he backed up Aaron Rodgers at the Green Bay Packers.

Boyle started three games for the Detroit Lions in 2021 and has thrown for 607 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions in his NFL career to date.

Head Coach Robert Saleh said: “Tim is a different style of quarterback. We want to give him an opportunity to do something with the offense.”

If Boyle can deliver the victory against a Dolphins team that has lost just three times this season, it will spark wild celebrations in New York and in Manchester!

New York Jets Player to Watch

Tim Boyle – Quarterback

He doesn’t have to be perfect, but Tim Boyle must awaken an offense that has scored nine touchdowns in 10 games. The Jets are likely to need points against the Dolphins because, even though their offense is not reaching the heights of earlier in the year, Miami are still likely to threaten the scoreboard. Finding Breece Hall out of the backfield (5 for 50 yards and a touchdown last week) would be a good place for Boyle to start.

Miami Dolphins Player to Watch

Tyreek Hill – Wide Receiver

The most explosive and dangerous receiver in the game today is going to present a serious challenge to a strong New York Jets defense on Black Friday. Tyreek Hill has caught 79 passes for 1,222 yards and nine touchdowns to lead the league. He is on pace for 2,077 receiving yards this season, which would smash the existing record of 1,964 yards set by Calvin Johnson, of the Lions, in 2012.

Stat Attack!

The Dolphins are a perfect 5-0 at home in 2023, averaging 38.8 points and 497.2 yards per game. But on the road they have a record of 2-3 with an average of 22.2 points per game and 370.8 yards per contest.

Keys to the game

While much attention falls on Miami’s passing attack, the Jets will first need to stop the run so the Dolphins cannot control the clock. The Jets play a fierce and commendable style of defense, but that unit has been under great pressure. If the offense can pick up, perhaps it will help a D that has been overworked. New York’s opponents have run an average of 67.1 plays per game (fifth-most in the NFL) and controlled the clock to an average of 32:23 per game (second-most in the league).

Whether it be through maintaining drives of their own or getting off the field on defense, those numbers have to be turned into the Jets’ favour. Also, in this particular game, creating turnovers and presenting Boyle with a shorter field could be key. And opportunities might be there. As good as he has been this season, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown eight interceptions and has fumbled nine times (third-most in the league) in 10 games.

The New York Jets face a division rival who they defeated in dramatic fashion in Week 1 in the Buffalo Bills. On the night Aaron Rodgers went down with an Achilles tear, the Jets recorded a 22-16 overtime win that was capped by a thrilling 65-yard punt return touchdown from Xavier Gipson.

Repeating that feat will require the Jets to figure out one of the most perplexing teams in the NFL in the Bills. Buffalo have lost two in a row and three of their last four to fall to a hugely disappointing 5-5. This week, some of their recent failings resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.

Quarterback Josh Allen is the epitome of Buffalo’s up and down season. He leads the NFL with 26 total touchdowns but also has 14 giveaways. Buffalo are third in the NFL with an average of 6.0 yards per play and they are among the league’s best on third downs and in the red zone. Yet they also have 18 total turnovers – second-most in the NFL this season.

With the Bills traditionally being stronger through the air, it should fall upon the Jets’ excellent pass defense which currently ranks third in the NFL to keep Allen off balance as he attempts to get on the same page as new play-caller, Joe Brady.

The Jets have also dropped their last two games and have failed to score an offensive touchdown in either of those outings. They have been quick to address that situation with a players-only meeting this week.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson said: “It was just us and we got to make sure we are all on the same page about where we are at and how the hell we get out of this funk. We talked and hopefully it leads to results… it doesn’t guarantee anything. This has been something that has weighed heavy on all the players on offense because we want to go out there and perform and leave a legacy and have a chance to win a Super Bowl. That is what we all signed up for and what we believe we have.”

The Jets remain very much alive in a crowded AFC playoff race and are just one win off the final spot in the playoffs, which is currently occupied by the Houston Texans. But they don’t have a huge amount of room for error and that is reflected by the urgency shown within the team facility this week. All that remains now is to go out and get the job done against an inconsistent Bills squad.

New York Jets Player to Watch

C.J. Mosley – Linebacker

Having just said that Buffalo are a pass-heavy team, defending the run could be vital in Sunday’s game. The Bills have talked about the need to find more balance in their attack and new play-callers often come in and send a message by completely flipping the script. If the Bills come out running, New York will be ready with one of the elite linebackers in the game in C.J. Mosley. The 10-year veteran remains as fresh as ever and has recorded a team-leading 96 tackles in nine games. Pro Football Focus has Mosley as their highest-graded linebacker in the league with a rating of 90.1.

Buffalo Bills Player to Watch

Josh Allen – Quarterback

While he has blown hot and cold and been responsible for both wins and losses in 2023, the Bills still rely on Josh Allen at quarterback. And if there is to be a run to the Super Bowl, it will still be powered by their Pro Bowl passer. Allen ranks fourth in the NFL with 2,600 passing yards in 2023 and he leads the league with 19 touchdown strikes. He also leads the NFL with 11 interceptions, offering turnover hope to the Jets.

Stat Attack!

Josh Allen has a career passer rating of 79.0 when facing the New York Jets. In 10 career games, Allen has a 6-4 record but has only thrown nine touchdown passes compared to 10 interceptions. He has lost two of his last three games to the Jets. In Buffalo’s Week 1 loss to the Jets, Allen threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.

Keys to the game

Take the football away! It all starts there for the Jets. That is the case every week as a fearsome defense attempts to help an offense yet to fire on all cylinders. But that especially has to be the case this week given Buffalo’s total disregard for looking after the football. The Bills may play things closer to their vest this weekend and attempt to establish more of a rushing attack. But the Jets have the bodies to shut that down. And if Allen is forced into difficult passing situations, those are opportunities for New York to strike.

Offensively, the Jets have to wake from their offensive slumber. If the passing game can have more success, the dangerous Breece Hall might discover a little more room to run. New York rushed for 172 yards in that Week 1 win over the Bills, but Hall has not topped 50 rushing yards in game since going off for 177 yards and a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in Week 5. Hall is the focal point of this attack, but the key to his success might actually lie in the hands of quarterback Zach Wilson and receiver Garrett Wilson.

Sometimes in football, tough decisions need to be made. The Jets’ decision to release third year running back Michael Carter this week was a tough decision, made with all the right intentions.

Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh went to great lengths to reiterate how much he loves Carter, and that the release was in part to enable him to find a bigger role elsewhere, as the Jets shake up their running back room.

The Arizona Cardinals claimed Carter off waivers and he’ll now head to the Grand Canyon State looking for a fresh start and a bigger role. I’m sure we all wish him the best of luck going forward.

What that move does is open up an opportunity for Israel “Izzy” Abanikanda to make his season debut this week against the Buffalo Bills. The Brooklyn native has had to stay patient this year with Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Michael Carter ahead of him in the pecking order, but that patience looks to have paid off.

The Jets are currently experiencing an offensive funk. There is no way to hide from that reality and if you’re reading this then you likely already know the stats. New York is last in red-zone offence, scoring touchdowns on 22.7% of trips, and last in third down offence, converting at a 25% rate.

Change is needed, and while Izzy won’t come in and dominate touches with Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook around, he does offer another home run threat to an offence who needs an injection of life.

Izzy dominated college football last year, rushing for 20 touchdowns and 1,426 yards. Nobody had more rushing touchdowns and only Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim matched that 20 TD mark.

But whereas Ibrahim ran through people, Izzy ran past people. Only Bijan Robinson and Chase Brown came away with a higher relative athletic score at running back in the draft process, and Izzy scored an “elite” mark for both explosion (vertical & broad jumps) and speed (40 yard dash, 20 yard split, and 10 yard split).

Last year in Pittsburgh, he had 38 plays that went for 10+ yards on the ground and 19 of those went for over 15 yards. He’s a firework ready to explode on every snap, and while there are always things you can work on, adding a home run threat is never going to hurt an offence.

When he was drafted, he was asked what Jets fans can expect from him:

“They are getting a running back who can break tackles,” said Abanikanda. “I can run in any type of scheme, outside zone, inside zone, under the center. I also can line up at slot and catch the ball and break away. A home-run runner with great ball security as well.”

The New York Jets saw their three-game winning streak snapped with a Monday Night Football loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and if they are to emerge victorious in Week 10, it will come on another national stage.

The Jets are taking on the Raiders on Sunday Night Football and will be looking for their first primetime win since opening night back in September. The Silver and Black were in turmoil 10 days ago, firing head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler and benching veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Interim head coach Antonio Pierce gave the Raiders an initial boost and they got a clean game from rookie passer Aidan O’Connell (209 passing yards, no interceptions and no sacks) in a 30-6 win over the New York Giants, but the Jets defense will present an entirely different challenge.

The Jets were on the wrong end of a 27-6 scoreline in Week 9 but the positive was, once again, the form of a defense that held another Pro Bowl quarterback in check. The normally-prolific Justin Herbert was held to just 136 passing yards and no touchdowns for a rating of 65.4. And he was sacked five times, including one and a half from Bryce Huff, who now has at least one sack in four straight games. This feels like a contest where the Jets could overwhelm an inexperienced quarterback like O’Connell.

Zach Wilson spread the ball around nicely against the Chargers, hitting 11 different receivers. But the Jets could not find the end zone and that has to change against the Silver and Black, who have a defense that currently ranks 19th in the NFL in points allowed (21.4 per game).

Breece Hall, who leads the Jets with 493 rushing yards at an impressive rate of 5.2 yards per carry, remains New York’s leading offensive threat and once he gets going, that will open opportunities for Garrett Wilson, who caught seven passes for 80 yards last week.

With a young quarterback in their cross-hairs, the Jets have the opportunity to leave the feel-good factor around the Raiders firmly in Week 9. In doing so, they will put themselves back in the AFC playoff race.

New York Jets Player to Watch

Sauce Gardner – Cornerback

It promises to be a best on best battle in Week 10 as All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner looks to lock down Davante Adams, wide receiver for the Raiders. Gardner is still looking for his first interception of the 2023 campaign and now would be the perfect time to deliver. A lack of interceptions is misleading, however, as few quarterbacks want to challenge Sauce on a weekly basis. More important on Sunday night will be limiting the effectiveness of Adams.

Las Vegas Raiders Player to Watch

Davante Adams – Wide Receiver

For the past six years, Davante Adams has been considered the gold standard of NFL wide receivers. The former Green Bay Packer – who is now in his second season with the Raiders – has been voted to six Pro Bowls since 2017 and has been named All-Pro in each of the last three seasons. But his 176 receiving yards over his last five games are the fewest in a five-game span in any season for Adams since his second NFL campaign in 2015.

Stat Attack!

Get Breece Hall in the end zone! The Jets are a perfect 8-0 in games where Hall scores a touchdown. In games where he does not hit paydirt, New York have a record of just 1-6.

Keys to the game

Both running games are going to be vital in this contest and let’s start with the Jets. Pressure gets alleviated across the board if New York can establish the run, win on first and second down and get into favourable third down conversion scenarios. It would also make life easier for Wilson, who has been sacked at least four times in each of his past four games.

The Raiders need to apply the same formula to help O’Connell and to draw Jets defenders closer to the line of scrimmage for shots downfield to Davante Adams. Reigning NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs is averaging just 56 rushing yards per game this season, down from 97 per outing a year ago. But he is coming off his best game of the year in which he rushed 26 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns. The Jets have to keep him in check.

The good thing about a Monday Night Football defeat is that the turnaround is usually pretty quick. Despite the defence doing what the defence has been doing all season, the game got away from the Jets as a tough 27-6 loss to the Chargers dropped them to 4-4 on the season.

They have the perfect opportunity to put things right on Sunday, as they head to the West Coast to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Win in Vegas and the Jets move back above .500 and can put the Chargers game well and truly in the rearview mirror.

More of the same will be the instruction to the defence. After holding Justin Herbert to his lowest passing total in his NFL career, the Jets will now face the 27th ranked scoring offence in football (17.3 PPG).

The Raiders are coming off a big 30-6 win against the Giants last week, boosted by the classic coaching change injection. Following the trade deadline, owner Mark Davis fired Head Coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, putting former Super Bowl winning linebacker Antonio Pierce in charge in the interim.

There is an element of mystery around the Raiders with a new man calling the shots, but there are some safe assumptions. They’ll almost certainly try to pound the rock with Josh Jacobs, and get superstar receiver Davante Adams more involved in the game plan. After catching 100 passes from former QB Derek Carr for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, Adams has just 573 yards and 3 touchdowns through the first half of this season.

Despite the Raiders being 31st in the league with just 76.1 rushing yards per game, in Pierce’s first game in charge, Jacobs rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, with the Raiders as a unit rushing for 125 yards. Although some of the season stats could be a little misleading based on the changes in coaching, it’s also too soon to draw any concrete conclusions based on 60 minutes of football.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Jets have a challenge on their hands.

One week after facing off against Joey Bosa, the offensive line will have Maxx Crosby to deal with. No player in football has generated more pressures than Crosby’s 53 in 2023. Not Micah Parsons, not Aidan Hutchinson, not Nick Bosa and not even Bryce Huff. Only Danielle Hunter over in Minnesota (10) has more sacks than Crosby (9.5).

For a Jets offensive line that is already depleted by injuries, the potential return of Duane Brown could provide a boost to help them deal with Crosby’s presence.

On average, the Raiders allow 21.4 points per game which is middle of the pack, but two key stats offer reason for optimism:

The Raiders have one of the worst third down defences in football, allowing 43.10% to be completed (26th in the league).

The Raiders have one of the worst red-zone defences in football, allowing 65.52% of red zone entries to be converted into touchdowns (27th in the league).

Given the Jets recent struggles on third downs and in the red zone, the matchup could provide a perfect opportunity to start climbing those rankings.

The Raiders are a little bit of an unknown entity at the moment with Antonio Pierce at the helm, but while a new coach can offer an injection of energy, there could still be ways to exploit their weaknesses.

Most of the damage against this Raiders defence has been done on the ground. Las Vegas ranks 31st, allowing 138.7 rushing yards per game and they’re also right at the bottom in terms of opponent rushing touchdown percentage and opponent rushing first down percentage.

In short: Breece Hall can expect a heavy workload, and if the Jets want to walk out of Vegas with a royal flush, they’ll likely need Hall to spin the wheel.

It has not always been pretty and it has required a great deal of fight in recent weeks, but the New York Jets are 4-3 and the proud owners of a three-game winning streak that has them firmly in the AFC playoff race.

There are some key statistics that point to reasons for the recent successes. Robert Saleh’s defense is allowing just 4.8 yards per play – the fourth-lowest amount in the league this season, running back Breece Hall has more than 90 scrimmage yards in each of New York’s four wins and quarterback Zach Wilson has won three straight games as a starter for the second time in his NFL career.

But what cannot be measured is the heart and spirit shown by the Jets week in and week out in a season that started in the most challenging of circumstances when future-Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with an achilles injury on opening night.

New York will be keen to put together a strong performance from all three units in the same game this weekend. Last week’s win was initially led by defense and special teams, with punter Thomas Morstead landing three key kicks inside the Giants’ five-yard line. In a game where every yard and every second counted, that was vital, allowing Wilson and the offense the opportunity to work their match-winning magic in the dying moments at MetLife Stadium.

And now here comes another quality Pro Bowl passer in Week 9 in the form of the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who threw for 298 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while also not being sacked in a 30-13 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Herbert can expect more pressure in New York on Monday night. The Jets are pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 42.2 percent of their drop-backs in 2023 and a new star is emerging on a defense loaded with big-time players.

So, that feels like a perfect way to lead into this week’s players to watch.

New York Jets Player to Watch

Bryce Huff – Edge Rusher

Bryce Huff leads the Jets with 31 quarterback pressures and he has made opposing quarterbacks feel the heat on 26.5 percent of his rushes this season – best in the NFL ahead of the likes of Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary and Myles Garrett, who make up the remainder of that fearsome top four. Huff has at least one sack in three straight games and Herbert will feel him in this game.

Los Angeles Chargers Player to Watch

Austin Ekeler – Running Back

Justin Herbert is the star man for the Chargers, but the cannon-armed passer needs help around him, of course. That comes in the form of Keenan Allen, who has caught 54 passes for 643 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Austin Ekeler, who appears to have returned to full health after missing three games with an ankle injury. Ekeler had minimal impact as a runner against Chicago, but he caught seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown and remains one of the best pass-catching backs in the league.

Stat Attack!

The Jets have faced three of the six quarterbacks with contracts worth $250 million in 2023. The Jets are 2-1 in such games and have allowed just three passing touchdowns while grabbing eight interceptions. Those quarterbacks have compiled a combined passer rating of 61.7.

Keys to the game

The Chargers are allowing 391 total yards per game in 2023 – second-worst in the NFL ahead of just the Denver Broncos. At that pace, it would be the second-most yards per game conceded by the Chargers in their team history. So, this feels like a week where the Jets can attack on the ground with Breece Hall and then find Garrett Wilson on the explosive plays that have become the norm against the Chargers D.

Defensively, the Jets will be expecting business as usual. Get after Herbert and make life difficult for yet another Pro Bowl quarterback. The Jets certainly have the players to handle that side of the ball as well as they have been doing in recent weeks.

I’ve always had an affinity for special teams play; maybe it’s my British nature having an interest in anything that involves kicking a ball with your foot. A long time ago I wrote a piece about Pat Leahy and a few weeks later received a message from a family member just thanking me for bringing attention to the best Jets kicker in franchise history.

Pat still holds the franchise all-time scoring record with 1,470 points; Nick Folk is second with 729 which shows just how good and how consistent Leahy was.

Over the last few years, the Jets have struggled to find consistency in their special teams unit, despite finding consistency within their coaching setup with Brant Boyer having been with the team since 2016. It’s a testament to Boyer’s talent that he’s remained with the Jets despite a number of head coaching changes.

Here’s how the Jets have ranked in terms of special teams DVOA since Brant Boyer took charge all the way back in 2016:

2016: 32nd

2017: 25th

2018: 1st

2019: 4th

2020: 29th

2021: 2nd

2022: 26th

2023: 1st

“DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) calculates a team’s success based on the down-and-distance of each play during the season, then calculates how much more or less successful each team is compared to the league average.”

If the Jets can maintain the early-season form throughout the rest of the season, it would represent the 4th time that Brant Boyer has put together a top-5 special teams unit since 2016. It’s not just DVOA either, in terms of EPA (Expected Points Added), the Jets also rank #1.

Thomas Morstead was arguably the Jets MVP during their win against the Giants on Sunday. It was the first time that Morstead had downed 3 punts inside the 5-yard line in the same game. He’s also the first Jets’ punter to ever do it, and just the 15th punter to do it since 1970. What was the secret to that success? Well, according to Morstead: “Sometimes you gotta talk a little dirty to the ball and just tell it what to do.. and it listened.”.

We probably don’t talk about special teams as much as we should. It usually only becomes a real topic when you have a poor unit. A unit costing you territory, points and opportunities. The Jets are the polar opposite.

Consider some of these stats. The Jets rank inside the top-five in the NFL in terms of field goal conversion percentage (94.44%), inside the top-10 for net yards per punt (44.0), inside the top-10 for punts downed inside the 20 (18), we’ve not had a single kick or punt blocked and we’re one of only three teams who have returned a punt for a touchdown.

There is a level of consistency this year where you feel as though the special teams are a huge strength of the team. At no point did I feel as though Morstead was going to shank a punt in the rain, at no point did I fear that Greg Zuerlein would miss the FG to send us to overtime or to win us the game. It’s a feeling that a lot of teams don’t enjoy; we do.

The Jets have worked through eight kickers since losing All-Pro Jason Myers to free-agency in 2018, and 2023 represented the first time the Jets had started the season with the same kicker in back-to-back seasons for 7 years in the form of Zuerlein. If consistency is key, the Jets have unlocked this unit’s potential.

Outside of our own kicking game, the coverage unit on special teams has been phenomenal. Whether that’s special teams captain Justin Hardee, safety Ashtyn Davis, linebackers Jamien Sherwood, Chazz Surratt, Sam Eguavoen or wide receiver Irvin Charles…the Jets have a number of people they can call on to help the defence by pinning the opponent deep.

In terms of their punt coverage, the Jets have the #1 ranked unit in football allowing the opponent an average of 39.1 net yards per punt attempt. We also have the #3 ranked unit in terms of opponent field goal success rate not including blocks (76.19%), and all you need to do is look at Will McDonald’s effort against the Giants and Graham Gano on the 4th quarter missed field goal to see why.

Morstead appeared on the Pat McAfee show this week to talk about this performance against the Giants, and after speaking about and praising the performance of the defence, he was able to take time to give the special teams unit a much deserved pat on the back…

“I can say we’ve had a hand in all four of our wins this year, not only on the punt team. Special teams have been awesome. Greg Zuerlein has been balling as well. We just have a crew of guys that believe that, and we are doing it week in and week out. It’s exciting to be a part of.”

Long may it continue.

Sunday’s game between the Jets and the Giants was a battle of attrition that needed extra time to decide a winner.

With players on both sides dropping at an alarming rate and the defences forcing a stalemate, the Jets somehow won a 13-10 game in OT as Greg Zuerlein tied the game with a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter and then won it with a 33-yard boot in overtime. The Jets’ second overtime win this season was their third consecutive victory and pushed their record to 4-3.

Zach Wilson struggled for most of the game, but Graham Gano missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt wide left that left the door open for a comeback. With 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Wilson completed consecutive 29-yard completions to Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard. Wilson spiked the ball with 1 second left, setting up the first of Zuerlein’s two clutch kicks.

“Initially before the ball is snapped we’re thinking ‘clock situation, get the ball down and get a shot to a Hail Mary’”, HC Robert Saleh said of the team’s final drive in regulation. “Thankfully, they gave us a free play, get the explosive and gave us a chance to get in field goal range. So, it’s a series of sloppy ball all around, but they never ask how, they ask how many.”

Then in OT, the Jets defence forced a three-and-out and Wilson got the ball back to lead the heroics. The Jets finally found success on third down as G. Wilson (7-100) got 11 yards on a third-and-10 and then Malik Taylor, a practice squad call up, drew a 30-yard pass interference penalty. Zuerlein ended one of the wildest games in the Metropolitan rivalry the next play.

“Playing great defense, all that stuff, that’s sustainable,” Saleh said. “Making mistakes, penalties, turnovers, not sustainable. The good news is that we can correct it on a W, but there’s a lot of things we have to clean up for sure.”

The Jets defence was dominant throughout, holding Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito to minus-9 yards passing and 0 completions in the second half. While the Giants went 2 of 19 on third down, the Jets offence had trouble sustaining drives. Wilson was sacked 4 times (lost a fumble), the Jets rushed for 2.6 yards a carry and went 2-for-15 on third down. In a game that featured 24 punts, Thomas Morstead was superb all afternoon, averaging 48.1 yards on 11 boots and landed four inside the 20 including three inside the 5-yard line.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley rushed for 128 yards on 36 tough carries and his 34-yard scamper on the second play of the second half was critical in a game that didn’t have many explosives. That play set the home team up on the Jets’ 35-yard line. The Green & White were flagged for a pair of unnecessary roughness penalties (Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson) that extended the Giants drive. The Green & White held a 7-3 lead at halftime, but DeVito’s 6-yard TD run on a run-pass option looked like it would hold up before the late-game drama.

The Giants lost Taylor (ribs) midway through the second quarter when he was driven to the ground on a split-sack by Jets LB C.J. Mosley and DL Quinton Jefferson.

“Thought our defence was awesome. The drive coming out of the locker room was disappointing, but those were self-inflicted I felt like. Overall, I thought our guys showed grit. It’s very easy to just cash in at the end of the game, feeling like the game is over, who cares if they get a first down. But they fought. I thought we were great on third down. For the most part I thought we did a nice job.”

The Jets were forced to scramble in front of Wilson all afternoon as starting C Connor McGovern exited with a knee injury after 18 snaps. Then Wes Schweitzer, who moved from RG to C, went down with a calf injury after 10 snaps and was replaced by Xavier Newman, a Saturday practice squad elevation, who was playing in his fifth pro game. Newman entered the game at right guard when Schweitzer moved to the pivot and finished the game at center. With the Jets down to an emergency center and the Giants turning to their third QB, a rock fight ensued.

It was a defensive slugfest from the onset, but Breece Lightning proved to be the perfect complement for the unrelenting rain. After an early Giants field goal, the teams exchanged six punts with the Jets inching forward in the field-position game.

Taking over at midfield late in the first quarter, Wilson threw a short pass to Hall and the second-year back did the rest. He avoided a couple of defenders in the center of the field, took off to the sideline and got a key block from TE C.J. Uzomah before leaping in the end zone for a 50-yard TD. Hall’s dash was the Jets’ first TD in the first quarter in 13 games.

The Giants recorded a takeaway on the Green & White’s fourth offensive play as Kayvon Thibodeaux had a strip-sack of Wilson that was recovered by LB Jihad Ward. But the Jets’ fourth-ranked red-zone defence stiffened and limited the Giants to a Gano 31-yard field goal.

The Jets defence was dominant over the first 30 minutes, holding the Giants to 74 total yards and 0 of 10 on third down. Neither team converted a third down before intermission and the teams combined for 15 punts. DeVito, a Don Bosco Prep HS alum, went 2 of 7 in relief of Taylor for -1 yard.

Jetcetera

The Jets offensive line transitioned into emergency mode Sunday against the Giants. Wes Schweitzer, who started at RG in place of Joe Tippmann (quad), moved over to center in the second quarter when Connor McGovern exited with a knee injury. Xavier Newman, a practice-squad elevation on Saturday, came in off the bench and finished the game at RG. …

DT Al Woods sustained an Achilles tendon tear in the second stanza and did not return. …

With his 50-yd scoring catch and run, Breece Hall now has 5 scrimmage plays of 50-plus yards, tied for second-most by RB in franchise history. …

Top Giants receiving threat TE Darren Waller left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. …

The Jets were penalized 9 times and marked off for 85 yards, including two unnecessary roughness penalties (Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson) on the Giants’ lone TD drive. …

The Jets were credited with 4 sacks as Johnson led the way with 2. They also had 12 TFL.