Despite losing Aaron Rodgers four plays into the season with a torn Achilles, the New York Jets find themselves 3-3 at the bye, right in the middle of the AFC playoff race. That’s pretty incredible.
Even more incredible will be if Rodgers is able to follow through on a miracle rehab and be able to return by the end of the season.
To remain in playoff contention that long without Rodgers, the Jets will need their defense to be elite and Zach Wilson and the offense to do just enough.
The funny thing is, the Jets clearly believe they’ve got a shot to end their playoff drought after 12 years. That’s especially true after righting themselves with consecutive wins before the bye, including a stunning 20-14 upset against the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
There’s plenty for the Jets to feel good about. But there are three things the Jets must fix during their Week 7 bye.
The Jets need to start faster on offense and defense
The Jets have played from behind every game, win or lose, this season. It’ll be tough to keep that up and still be in playoff contention at the end of the season.
New York has been outscored 44-5 in the first quarter. The Jets have been held scoreless in the first quarter in five of their six games. They don’t have a touchdown in the opening 15 minutes of any game. Their only points were a field goal by Greg Zuerlein and a safety by their defense in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos.
While the offense has been particularly bad to start games, the defense has consistently started slowly, too. Case in point: the Jets' defense allowed the Eagles to march 90 yards on 19 plays for a game-opening touchdown last week.
The Jets have trailed every game at halftime, so far, and have been outscored 88-45 in the first half this season.
The good news is that the Jets have been much better as games progress. They’re outscoring the opposition 65-31 in the second half when the defense has allowed eight points or fewer in five of six games.
The Jets must find a way to piece together complete, 60-minute efforts on both sides of the ball moving forward.
Jets' offense must improve on third downs and in the red zone
Whether first or second half, the Jets have struggled to convert on third down and to score touchdowns in the red zone. They are last in the NFL on third down (25 percent) and 31st in red zone efficiency (29.4 percent).
Upticks in both areas will make a world of difference for a Jets team that seems incapable of playing anything but a close game. Converting third downs will help them maintain a flow to the offense and in theory, create more scoring opportunities. It also gives a blow to their own defense while wearing down the opposition.
Of course, once the Jets do make their way downfield, they need to start scoring touchdowns and stop relying on Zuerlein to kick field goals. Remember, seven points > three points. They just went 0-for-8 over a two-game stretch in the red zone before Breece Hall’s game-winning eight-yard TD run against the Eagles.
The playcalling from Nathaniel Hackett needs to be better, and the execution from quarterback Zach Wilson through the entire offensive group must find a higher level.
Jets need to finish sacks on defense when pressuring the quarterback
This is slightly nitpicky but even coach Robert Saleh would agree his beloved defense needs to finish better when it comes to sacking the quarterback. Remember, it’s Saleh who said the Jets' defense has “embarrassed” quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Russell Wilson this season.
Key to that statement is the pressure the Jets have placed on opposing QBs. The Jets are tied for second in QB pressures with 70, with Bryce Huff and Jermaine Johnson emerging as big-time rushers.
However, the Jets have managed only 13 sacks in six games, 23rd in the NFL. Hurts, Mahomes, Wilson, Allen and even Mac Jones have done damage slipping away from near-sacks to make plays with their legs and arm.
Simply, the Jets need to finish better when they reach the quarterback. Do that and there’s the trickle-down effect where the Jets can pin their ears back to really get after the QB in second- and third-and-long situations and simply get off the field at a better rate in third down.
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