New England Patriots
The Jets are one of many worst groups in soccer, because the Patriots are 13.5-point favorites to win Sunday’s recreation.
If the Patriots want a get-right recreation after how the final two weeks went, Sunday presents an ideal alternative to try this.
The Patriots tackle the 3-12 Jets in East Rutherford on Sunday. Not solely are the 12-3 Patriots 13.5-point favorites to win this recreation, however additionally they simply dispatched the Jets earlier within the season. They took down New York, 27-14, in a fairly decisive Thursday evening victory.
Six weeks later, and the Patriots are set to battle a Jets group that’s solely gotten worse since that recreation in November. New York has gone 1-4 since that recreation, and head coach Aaron Glenn has made a number of modifications to the depth chart and training workers over that point.
So, listed here are 5 issues to know in regards to the Jets earlier than the Patriots go up in opposition to them on Sunday.
They’re very injured.
In the event you thought the Patriots’ harm report for this week was brutal, you may get some eyerolls from Jets followers. Two starters had been dominated out (tight finish Mason Taylor, edge rusher Will McDonald) on Friday, whereas a handful of different starters are on injured reserve. Huge receiver Garrett Wilson and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker headline the group of 18 gamers on injured reserve. For reference, the Patriots have 13 gamers at present on injured reserve, though solely two of these gamers (offensive deal with Will Campbell, defensive deal with Milton Williams) are common starters.
Justin Fields was among the many newest group of Jets gamers to be positioned on injured reserve this week. Nevertheless, the quarterback misplaced his beginning job following the Jets’ Week 11 loss to the Patriots and hasn’t performed since.
Nonetheless, the accidents like those Fields has suffered have paved the way in which for the Jets to play some fairly inexperienced gamers throughout their roster. Second-year undrafted free agent Isaiah Williams has seen much more enjoying time at extensive receiver, as an illustration. Their whole beginning secondary options gamers who had been both Day 3 draft picks or undrafted free brokers over the previous couple of years.
New York is beginning an undrafted rookie at quarterback, and he’s performed like one to this point.
New York can also be enjoying a fairly inexperienced participant at quarterback. Brady Cook dinner will make his third begin on Sunday, simply over seven months after the Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri. However the Jets are rolling with Cook dinner over Tyrod Taylor this week, though the veteran quarterback is anticipated to swimsuit up for Sunday’s recreation.
Cook dinner hasn’t skilled the profitable underdog arc by means of his first few video games within the NFL. He’s accomplished simply 59.2 p.c of his passes for 527 yards, one landing, and 6 interceptions to go together with a 51.7 passer score in three video games, changing Taylor of their Week 14 loss to the Dolphins. He hasn’t offered quite a bit within the run recreation, both, going for 51 yards on eight carries to this point.
By way of Cook dinner’s passing profile, he doesn’t push the ball downfield a lot. Of the quarterbacks who’ve as many dropbacks as he does, solely three have a worse common depth of goal (ADOT) than he does: Aaron Rodgers, Dillon Gabriel, and Kyler Murray.
So, this ought to be a simple check for the Patriots’ protection, even when their entrance has struggled to generate strain as of late.
Their protection has taken a serious step again.
Keep in mind when the Jets had one of many recreation’s most vaunted defenses? That’s actually not the case anymore.
In fact, it was anticipated that New York’s protection would take a step again following its stunning trades of cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive deal with Quinnen Williams. However the Jets’ defensive downfall goes past that. They rank twenty second in complete protection and thirtieth in scoring protection, giving up 28.4 factors per recreation this season. They fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after permitting a minimum of 34 factors in back-to-back video games in Weeks 14 and 15.
By way of stopping the go, the Jets rank thirteenth in passing yards allowed, twenty fourth in go rush win fee, and tied for thirty first in sacks. They’re twenty eighth in dashing protection, 18th in yards per carry in opposition to, and seventh in run cease win fee. So, the Jets actually aren’t spectacular in any aspect defensively.
On high of that, the Jets are additionally thirtieth in defensive DVOA to go together with the league’s worst passing protection DVOA. Suffice it to say, you’d be hard-pressed to discover a stat that the Jets’ protection is sweet at, particularly with regards to takeaways.
You’ve doubtless heard about their lack of interceptions to this point, however they’ll’t get takeaways.
In the event you’ve watched any Jets recreation this yr or are fairly in tune with the NFL, there’s a powerful probability you’ve heard about the truth that they’ve but to get an interception this season. New York has already set the file for the longest begin to a season with out an interception in NFL historical past, a file it set a number of weeks in the past.
However the Jets’ incapability to get takeaways isn’t only a matter of intercepting the opposing quarterback. They’ve logged simply 4 fumble recoveries, which is tied for the fourth-fewest fumble recoveries within the league.
With solely 4 fumble recoveries this yr, the Jets are on tempo to set the league file for the fewest takeaways by a group in a season in NFL historical past. The 2018 49ers at present maintain that dishonor, with solely seven takeaways in 2018.
And it isn’t essentially a luck factor, both. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt famous earlier in December that the Jets had solely pressured opposing quarterbacks to have six turnover-worthy performs by means of their first 12 video games, per Professional Soccer Focus. So, it might need to take a extremely unhealthy go from Drake Maye to ensure that the Jets to get their first interception of the season on Sunday.
The great gamers on their lively roster are few and much between.
In the event you’re looking for gamers on the Jets to control throughout Sunday, you’re going to need to do some digging. Working again Breece Corridor is arguably the one participant on their lively roster who’s an above-average starter. He’s for 954 yards on 4.2 yards per carry to go together with 45 receptions for 332 yards and 4 complete touchdowns this season, shouldering a serious burden on offense.
Defensively, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson has had his moments, however he hasn’t been terribly constant. He’s acquired three sacks in 12 video games this yr, however has been good at stopping the run (Tenth-best run cease win fee amongst edge rushers). Linebacker Jamien Sherwood is eighth in complete tackles (140), whereas second-year defensive deal with Jowon Briggs has 4 sacks this yr.
Nonetheless, it’s important to actually attain to search out the expertise on the Jets’ lively roster, which explains why they solely have three wins this yr and appear able to carry a brand new wave of expertise this offseason.
Get the most recent Boston sports activities information
Obtain updates in your favourite Boston groups, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
