Entering Halloween night the New York Jets‘ season was spiraling out of control. What was supposed to be a dream season with tons of shiny new additions and their future Hall of Fame quarterback back in the fold had turned into a nightmare following a five-game losing streak that had many throwing dirt on their grave.
However, the Jets breathed some life back into their season, defeating the previously 6-2 Houston Texans by a score of 21-13 to resuscitate their playoff odds slightly, though they still sit at a grim 12.1%. The positives and negatives from this game will be crucial storylines as the team essentially has to win out the rest of the way to reach the promised land.
The Jets’ dynamic duo WRs finally take off
When the Jets pulled the trigger on the trade for All-Pro WR Davante Adams the thought was that he and 2022 Offensive Rookie of the year, Garrett Wilson, would combine to form one of the most formidable wide receiver duos in the NFL. The early returns, however, hadn’t been there. Prior to the trade, Wilson had difficulties getting on the same page with Rodgers before rounding into form, and Adams looked sluggish coming off a hamstring injury.
With the rejuvenated Allen Lazard hitting IR and former Charger WR Mike Williams struggling to return to form returning from a torn ACL, the Jets needed Adams and Wilson to live up to their billing. The pair responded emphatically. Wilson hauled in nine passes for 90 yards and two highlight-reel touchdowns. Adams was nearly equally impressive with 7 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
The pair combined for all three of the Jets’ scores. Should they play like this every week, the Jets’ offense will finally reach the stratosphere they’d hoped for.
The Jets dialed up the blitz and corralled Houston’s high-flying offense
Over the last few seasons, the Jets have been blitzed less than almost every other team in the NFL. The principles of former head coach Robert Saleh’s and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich’s defense has typically been winning with four via waves of fresh pass rushers as part of a heavy defensive line rotation.
However, this season, even now with star pass rusher Haason Reddick back in the fold, the depth has been lacking and the performances from all defensive linemen not named Will McDonald have been underwhelming. Something needed to change as the defense had been among the worst in the league since Robert Saleh’s firing, giving up an average of 28.3 points per game in the three games with Ulbrich at the helm.
What we saw on Thursday was a different approach as Ulbrich got aggressive, sending some more exotic blitzes. As a result, D.J. Reed recorded a sack off of a corner blitz. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood recorded two sacks of his own. The onslaught also freed up struggling defensive linemen, like edge rusher Micheal Clemon who recorded two sacks of his own, to get after the quarterback.
All told, the Jets tallied 8 sacks on the evening while holding C.J. Stroud to just 11 of 30 passing, good for just a 36.6% completion percentage. It was the get-right game the defense needed to get its swagger back.
Malachi Corley’s gaffe is a microcosm of the Jets’ season
Corley, who the Jets traded up for in the third round and general manager Joe Douglas stated was the 4th ranked WR on their draft board, has struggled to make an impact this season. After recording just one offensive snap in each of the first two games of the season, Corley was primarily a healthy scratch before tallying six snaps without recording a stat in Week 8’s loss to the New England Patriots. At that point, the self-proclaimed “YAC King” had only recorded one catch for 4 yards which occurred in Week 2.
Against Houston, Corley again saw 6 snaps and this time had the chance to make an impact. At the start of the second quarter, Corley took the ball on an end-around following Rodger’s faking a handoff to Breece Hall. On this well-designed play, a convoy of blockers clears the way and Corley scampers 18 yards to the end zone for what appeared to be an easy touchdown.
However, Corley dropped the ball before breaking the plane of the goal line resulting in the touchdown call being overturned and the play instead being ruled a fumble and a touchback, handing the ball over to Houston.
Just as this Jets team is full of potential that’s rarely shown through, that flash of brilliance combined with a mind-numbingly bad miscue, Corley’s season is a living example of the Jets season, great on paper and poor in execution. Luckily for Corley and the Jets, there’s still a lot of runway left in 2024, but time to turn it around is running out.
Next up Week 10 against the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals
This Sunday the Jets travel to the desert to take on the surprising 5-4 Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals just fortified their pass rush, acquiring hybrid linebacker Baron Browning from the Denver Broncos, and have proven to be one of the NFL’s biggest surprises after picking fourth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
For the Jets, this is a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive. Arizona presents a significant challenge, but even factoring in their surprising success, the Jets’ remaining strength of schedule is the fifth easiest in the league with an opponent’s winning percentage of .435. The team can ill-afford another loss, so the focus will be on stringing together their first winning streak of the season.