On Sunday, the New York Jets took on the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. This was a battle between the top two picks in the 2021 NFL draft in Trevor Lawrence (#1) and Zach Wilson (#2). This matchup was hopefully the first of many more between these two quarterbacks. On this late December afternoon, it was the Jets who gave their fans a late Christmas present with a 26-21 victory, improving their record to 4-11 on the season. At this time last season, many fans hoped Trevor Lawrence would be wearing green and white, but they certainly did not feel that way today even though he had a good game as well.
In terms of the offense, they were very aggressive, maybe a little too aggressive. Due to HC Robert Saleh being out for COVID-19, TE Coach Ron Middleton coached today’s game. The Jets offense went for it five times on 4th down and converted 3 out of 5 times. However, the two times the Jets did not convert were in the red zone, leaving six points out there. Luckily this did not come back to haunt Gang Green, but it almost did. Jets QB Zach Wilson had his best game of the season as he completed 14 of 22 passes for 102 yards, a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and most importantly, no interceptions. This was the third straight week that Wilson has not thrown an interception. In addition, the 52-yard rushing touchdown by Wilson was the longest quarterback run for a touchdown in franchise history. Also, WR Braxton Berrios continues to impress and did not disappoint with a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown along with rookie RB Michael Carter rushing for over 100 yards. This was the first time in nearly a year and all season that the Jets did have an 100 yard rusher (last guy was Ty Johnson versus the Raiders last year).
In terms of the defense, they did just enough to win the game. Even though the Jets won, it was certainly not thanks to them. They allowed Trevor Lawrence to throw for 280 yards and committed costly penalties once again. The Jets were 1-yard away from losing the game but an ill-advised throw by Lawrence on 4th and goal sealed it for Gang Green. The main reason why teams like the Jets and Jaguars are near the bottom of the league is lack of discipline. For the Jets, penalties have been a problem since 2017 and HC Robert Saleh is certainly going to have his work cut out for him moving forward.
This week, the Jets will stay home to host the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This will likely be Zach Wilson’s only chance to beat Tom Brady as he is no longer on the Patriots. However, in order for the Jets to pull off the upset, they will need to have their best offensive performance of the season such as putting up 35 or more points, not turning the ball over, and most importantly, playing a disciplined football game for all four quarters. Get excited Jets fans...it looks like you may finally have your franchise quarterback. J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!!!
-Jack Henry Cicio
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