Last Sunday, the New York Jets took on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. The Jets finally emerged victorious in a 23-20 triumph over Los Angeles. With this victory, the Jets have avoided becoming the third team in NFL history to play a full 16 slate season and not win a game. However, this does affect the draft position by putting them into a tie with the Jaguars for the No. 1 pick who would likely be Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. This victory was a team effort on all levels but should still have no outcome on HC Adam Gase’s job security. In addition, this victory was against a quality opponent in Los Angeles who looks to be well on their way to the playoffs. However, after the Jets won today, the Rams fell into second place in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks whom the Jets lost to the week before.
In terms of the offense, they played their cleanest game of the season so far. QB Sam Darnold completed 23 of 31 passes for 207 yards, 1 touchdown, and no interceptions. The biggest play of the game was when Darnold connected with RB Frank Gore on a 3rd and 5 just before the two-minute warning. This essentially led to Darnold taking victory formation with three kneel downs. This was something the Jets were unable to do since Week 17 of last season.
In terms of the defense, they had a bit of an up and down game. They came out firing in the first half holding the Rams to only 3 points. They were able to put constant pressure on Rams QB Jared Goff. However, the second half consisted of multiple penalties, which led to the Rams being able to extend their drives. One could say that the defense bent but did not break. Today the penalties did not affect the outcome of the game but this must be cleaned up moving forward. Also, the special teams brought their “A” game today by blocking another punt. It must be something with SoFi stadium that brings out the best in the Jets special teams as they did the same thing back in Week 10 when they played the Chargers and lost a heartbreaker.
This week, the Jets will travel back home to take on the Cleveland Browns. Like the Rams, the Browns are still looking to clinch a playoff berth. If the Jets play like they did today, they will have a pretty good chance at picking up their second win of the season. One negative to winning next week is that this would almost guarantee that the Jets do not come away with the No. 1 pick. In my lifetime as a Jets fan, I have learned to never root for your team to lose a game on purpose or you are not a real fan. You have to take the wins as they come and cherish them all throughout the week. J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!!!
-Jack Henry Cicio
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