It is a tough Monday morning in New York Jets land. Following just a gut-wrenching 27-22 loss to the now 10-2 Minnesota Vikings, the Jets dropped to 7-5 on the 2022 season.
Luckily, in the four o’clock set of games in the late afternoon yesterday, the Jets did happen to get some big help with regard to their playoff chances.
With the Los Angeles Chargers losing to the Las Vegas Raiders, they dropped to 6-6. It keeps the Jets in the playoffs in the seventh spot for the moment. Also, the Miami Dolphins lost to a non-conference team in, the San Francisco 49ers. The Jets are just a game behind the Dolphins.
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New York Jets Week 13 Recap:
Beginning with the team stats, it was a bad day for the Jets, no matter where you look. They lost the third-down battle horribly. The Vikings went 9-18 (50%) in comparison to the Jets’ dreadful 3-16 (18.8%).
The Jets lost the turnover battle to the Vikings 2-0. And, the stat everyone is well aware of. In the red zone, the Jets finished 1-6 (16.7%). On the other hand, the Vikings were 100% inside the 20, going 3-3.
The Vikings did allow four more yards in penalties than the Jets (44 to 40), but the Jets did commit double the amount of penalties (six to three).
On the road against one of the best teams in football, executing like this as a team will likely not get it done.
The lone area the Jets did win from a team standpoint was the time of possession, which they deserve credit for after a bad first half when it came to controlling the football. The Jets possessed the ball for 31:38 and ran 83 plays, their season-high. This is the first time since Week 4 in which the Jets eclipsed 67 plays.
Jets defense limits high-flying Vikings offense to under 300 yards:
One impressive feat for this elite Jets defense. Especially considering how shockingly poor the first half went.
The Jets’ defense remains the fourth-ranked in the NFL following yesterday. They held a talented Vikings offense to just 287 yards (4.3 yards per play).
Up front, the Jets run defense gave up 128 yards, two touchdowns, and 4.4 yards per carry. They did a much better job in the second half, slowing the run in comparison to the first.
When it came to rushing the passer, the Jets finished with two sacks and nine quarterback hits. Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson each picked up a sack. Williams also had three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. He also broke up a pass—just another utterly dominant day for the Jets’ best player. Lawson had two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss as well.
Kwon Alexander and Michael Carter II picked up the other two TFLs. Sheldon Rankins and Quincy Williams each had two QB Hits. The final one was recorded by Nathan Shepherd.
The Jets’ pass rush did come alive in the second half when it was needed. In particular, on some third downs.
When it came to tackling, Jordan Whitehead led the unit on the day with 11. Whitehead brought it with his physicality all game. He had one pass defended as well. C.J. Mosley was a close second with nine total tackles.
The Jets’ top-tier cornerback trio of Sauce Gardner, DJ Reed, and Michael Carter II all had one pass defended. Collectively, the three did a great job of limiting Justin Jefferson to 45 yards. Kirk Cousins only threw for 173 yards (4.9 yards per attempt) on the day.
While the first half consisted of some shocking, underwhelming execution, the Jets’ defense did their thing in the second half, showing some resiliency.
Jets offense led by trio of Mike White, Zonovan Knight, and Garrett Wilson:
For the second week in a row, Mike White did an impressive job leading the Jets’ offense. He completed the day going 31-57 (54.4 completion %) with 369 yards (6.5 yards per attempt), no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 59.8 rating.
The final few stats mentioned may not make things look great, but the first interception was a batted ball and the second was on the final play of the game when he had to take chance. White also had three runs for seven yards and a touchdown. All in all, there is certainly something to be excited about with White. Whether it be his toughness, command, poise, decision-making, White gives this Jets football team the distributor it needs under center.
Undrafted rookie running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight appeared in his second game yesterday and went over 100 yards again. He led the way on the ground for the Jets on the day. Knight got 15 carries, totaling 90 yards (six per rush) with a big 48-yard play. Out of the backfield, Knight caught all five passes that came his way for 28 yards, giving him 118 from scrimmage. In two games, Knight has 221 all-purpose yards. He is giving this offense some explosion that it needs.
Garrett Wilson was tremendous yet again. He saw a whopping 15 targets (passes 14 from Week 2) come his way on the day, catching eight for 162 yards (20.3 yards per catch) with a big 62-yarder. Wilson was White’s go-to guy all day, and he delivered, leading this Jets passing game.
Aside from Wilson, Corey Davis finished the day with 10 targets, five catches, 85 yards (17 per catch), and a big 31-yarder on a fourth down late in the fourth. Ty Johnson saw seven targets, catching six for 38 yards.
Up front, the Jets’ offensive line had a great day. They led the way for the Jets’ ground game averaging five yards a rush. Also, they slowed the Vikings’ pass rush to just one sack and eight quarterback hits. Pressure was hardly an issue in this one, especially on third downs.
This loss is undoubtedly a painful one for the Jets. However, they need to turn the page quickly here as a game in Buffalo with the Bills awaits.