N.Y. Jets Throttle Up The Bengals

From the desk: WALT MICHAELS' REVENGE

WEEK EIGHT

Bengals   31

JETS        34

FINAL

Rising Like a Phoenix From The Ashes ... 

A week after getting shot down over New England skies, head coach Robert Saleh and the Jets recovered all their broken parts and somehow pieced themselves back together again.

Robert Salah rearranged the cockpit by sticking his offensive coordinator up in the box instead of down on the field, and by opening kickoff, it was all systems go!

The Jets won the coin flip and elected to receive.  They proceeded on a ten-play 75-yard game-opening drive capped off by Michael Carter's eight-yard romp for a touchdown.  In turn, the defense did not allow a point in the first quarter.

No one was surprised when Cincinnati answered with 17 points in the second quarter.  But the Jets embarked on another eight-play 67-yard drive, and with 0:15 showing on the clock, Braxton Berrios received an eight-yard pass from Mike White to make it a 17-14 game.

Cincinnati went five plays and out to open the third quarter.  Upon receiving the punt, the Jets went on another 13-play 82-yard drive resulting in a field goal and a tie game.  But with the quarter winding down, the Bengals struck back for a 24-17 lead.

The Jets put together yet another ten-play 69-yard drive on their next possession, resulting in a field goal.  Likewise, the Bengals scored on their next possession for a 31-20 lead with 7:29 left in the fourth quarter.

Not only did Mike White lead the Jets on another eight-play 75-yard drive, but he also caught the resulting touchdown pass thrown by running back Ty Johnson.

With the Jets down by five and 4:36 left in the fourth quarter, Shaq Lawson batted and intercepted a Joe Burrow attempt giving the Jets the football back at Cincy's 15-yard line.  Two plays later, Tyler Kroft received a touchdown pass from Mike White, and with a two-point conversion, the Jets seized a 34-31 lead and the final margin of victory.

Just a phenomenally entertaining game ...

In his second NFL game and making his first-ever start, Mike White connected on 37/45 passes for 405 yards, three touchdowns, two INTs, and one touchdown reception.

The Jets amassed 511 total yards!  Both teams had an equal twelve offensive drives, but the Jets held the ball for 36:20 minutes, achieved 14 more first downs, and limited the Bengals to just 41 yards rushing.

Crazy!

N.Y. Jets: Grounded in New England

From the desk: WALT MICHAELS' REVENGE

WEEK SEVEN

Jets              13

PATRIOTS   54

FINAL

Gridiron Grasshopper vs. Sensei

The Jets are the youngest team in the NFL.  If you're a rebuilding team, football is about improvement. 

Positional competition fosters team competency.  Weekly opponents are your measure of progress, and so forth.

TWO GAMES:

• JETS - rookie head coach Robert Saleh, rookie staff, a rookie quarterback, and a young team. 
• PATRIOTS - grizzled old NFL senior citizen Bill Belichick and his accomplished staff, and his rookie quarterback and his young rebuilding team.

With their mission statement in hand, the Jets effectively doubled their offensive output against the Patriots.  The Jets were limited to six points in week two.  On Sunday, they scored 13 points.  So, there's that.

Defensively, the Jets in week two allotted the Patriots 25 points.  This time, coming off a bye week, they allowed the Patriots 54 points.

This game was somewhat more calamitous than the first because the Jets lost their rookie quarterback to a knee injury for a couple of weeks.  In the meantime, New England's rookie quarterback was 24/36 for 307 yards and two touchdown passes.

New England's backfield rushed 23 times for 127 yards and four touchdowns.  Three different Patriots caught touchdown passes.  The Jets had three turnovers with none by the Pats.

On Sunday, New England amassed 551 yards on offense.  It's taken the Jets two games against the Patriots to amass 559 yards.

After two meetings against the (no Tom Brady) New England Patriots, the question now begs to be asked: what the hell are the Jets doing?

N.Y. Jets Arrive in New England for Rookie QB Rematch

From the desk: WALT MICHAELS REVENGE

Jets Must Start Tightening Their Security Measures

The Jets are coming off a bye week, and boy, did they need it.  Zach Wilson was being punished.

He so far has been sacked 18 times through five games (3.2 times per game), not to mention 32 other QB hits.  

Carolina in week one sacked Wilson six times and registered ten other hits, and that was with Jet offensive lineman Mekhi Becton still in the game for 48 snaps.  Becton has been out since.

In week two, their first meeting against the Pats, Wilson was sacked four times and hit seven other times while also being inducted into four interceptions.  The following week, Denver sacked Wilson five times and hit him nine other times.

Tennessee is the aberration.  They managed just one sack and one other QB hit, and of course, lost that game - Gang Green's lone win.  It's no coincidence that the game marks Zach's best performance to date - a season-high 297 yards and two touchdowns.

Lastly, the Falcons two weeks ago sacked Wilson twice and hit him five other times.  Meanwhile, Wilson threw his ninth INT this season.

I do not see the Jet's second encounter against the Pats playing out differently from the first.  Now that Belichick has game film from their first head-to-head matchup, there's no way the Jets even get off the ground.  Bill Belichick tries taking away what teams do best.  Thus, he will seal the edges and prevent Wilson from throwing downfield miracle passes on the run - especially to Elijah Moore.  With no viable run game to speak of, Wilson will be forced to stay in the pocket and throw right into Belichick's traps.   

After all, this is still a matchup between the grasshopper, i.e., Robert Salah, going up against Sensei.

If C.J. Mosely tries playing with a barking hamstring, Belichick will tell Mac Jones to attack him too.  Jones threw for 186 yards with no mistakes in his meeting against the Jets.  Zach Wilson made four.

N.Y. Jets: Flying High After Overtime Victory Against Titans

From the desk: WALT MICHAELS' REVENGE

WEEK FOUR

Titans  24

JETS    27

OVERTIME

Zack Wilson Has His Moon Landing

Sunday's victory over the Titans was impressive in so many ways.  

Still playing minus Mekhi Becton, the offensive line did a stellar job of protecting their rookie quarterback, yielding just one sack for eight yards.  Tennessee managed just one other QB hit.  Linebacker Harold Landry III accounted for both plays.  Otherwise, Zack Wilson remained untouched.

In return, Wilson led the Jets in a second-half comeback with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, first to Jamison Crowder on second and goal from the three, then to Corey Davis for 53-yards.  It gave the Jets a 24-17 lead.  

In overtime, Zack led the Jets on a 13-play 71-yard drive resulting in the decisive field goal.  He completed four of six attempts for 57 yards on connections for nine, 29, eleven, and eight yards, respectively.  

Corey Davis caught four of seven targets for a game-high 111 yards, and Jacksonville castoff Keelan Cole secured three of four targets for 92 yards.  That's two receivers for two hundred yards - Boom!

Rush Hour

The Jets perhaps rushed the ball better during that overtime drive than they did all game.  Interspersed in Zack Wilson's heroics, the Jets ran five times, four times for positive rushes of two, eight, five, and two yards.  Otherwise, the Jets backfield rushed twenty times for 53 yards.  Braxton Berrios (receiver) added 15 yards on two attempts.  Overall, the Jets ran for just four first downs.  One came in the overtime drive, and on a 2nd and ten, they rushed for eight yards to make it third and short.  On the very next play, Zack Wilson connects with Keelan Cole for 29 yards.

Williams & Williams, & Co.

Brothers Quinnen and Quincy Williams join together for 19 tackles and total disruption of Ryan Tannehill and the Titans' offense.  Quincy had ten solo tackles and one sack, Quinnen made six solo tackles with two sacks and two other QB hits, and C.J. Mosley was simply out of control.  All told, the Jets sacked Ryan Tannehill seven times with 14 other QB hits.  

Sure Tannehill still threw for nearly 300 yards, and Derrick Henry ran for 157 yards ...

But, hey, the Jets win!

Congratulations, Robert Saleh.

N.Y. Jets: No Better Time To Underestimate The Patriots Than Now

From the desk: WALT MICHAELS' REVENGE

WEEK TWO

Patriots

vs.

JETS

Old Football Curmudgen Versus Rookie Head Coach

Week One - The Patriots were moving in for the kill last week against Miami when they fumbled away the ball with less than five minutes left in the game.  The Dolphins ran out the clock to win 17-16 at New England.  

That was one of two lost fumbles for the Patriots.  We know that's not happening again, at least not this upcoming Sunday.  

Rookie Mac Jones was 29/39 for 281 yards and a touchdown.  Four different receivers caught at least five passes, and he was sacked just once.  Damien Harris rushed for 100 yards by himself, and the Patriot defense held the Dolphins under twenty points while allowing only 259 total yards.

This is what the Jets face in Week Two.

Not coincidentally, the Jets managed 252 total yards against Carolina, but only 45 yards came on the ground.  Making matters worse, this week and moving forward, they'll be without standout offensive lineman Mekhi Becton.  That obviously negatively affects both the passing and running game.  The Jets yielded six sacks last week, but Zack Wilson stayed poised and threw two TD passes.

We all know Bill Belichick will take away what little rushing ability the Jets have, play cover-two, and force Zack Wilson into making mistakes between the numbers.  The million-dollar question is, will Zack Wilson get baited into Belichick's traps.  He played last week with a less than full complement of ball handlers.  Some of those players should be available on Sunday.

Otherwise, Sam Darnold and Mac Jones performed very similarly last week.  Carolina amassed 381 total yards against the Jets defense in just over 31:00 minutes in time of possession.

Then there's the coaching.  This is Sensei versus Grasshopper, Bill Belichick against Robert Saleh, an old football curmudgeon opposed by a rookie coach.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ...

Hang in there, Jets fans.

N.Y. Jets: Robert Saleh Era Cleared For Take-Off

From the desk: WALT WICHAELS' REVENGE

WEEK ONE

Jets

vs.

PANTHERS

The Zach Wilson/Robert Saleh Era Begins

The Jets enter the season as the youngest team in the league.  To that, I say you cannot be disappointed with what you do not expect.  The hope is Joe Douglas finally gets the Jets flying in the right direction.  Otherwise, I really don't know what more to say.  Gang Green has much work to do.  

Zach Wilson was selected second overall in the draft.  He'll be receiving play calls from first-time offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, and both will answer to new head coach Robert Saleh, who answers to Joe Douglas.  The Jets might very well have finally put the right pieces in place.  But that remains to be seen.

That being said, I do anticipate the Jets performing exponentially better this season than during any time under former head coach Adam Gase.  The difference will be stark.  Adam Gase was more prohibitive in Sam Darnold's development than anything else.  In his third season in the league, Darnold still wasn't allowed to audible at the line of scrimmage.  The fact Gase is gone already makes the Jets a far better team.

Meanwhile, Sam Darnold, in the first game of the season, gets to play against the team that ruined the first three seasons of his career.  His ordeal in New York will serve him well.  As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  Darnold finally gets to line up with real players and work for real coaches on a real team that plays in their own stadium.

The Jets will obviously implement a run-oriented offense.  It's up to Zach Wilson to learn and grow into a complementary component.  On Sunday, I expect Sam Darnold to carve up the Jets' defense like a Thanksgiving turkey.  Gang Green does not yet have the requisite pass rush to influence the outcome of a game.