The NFL doesn't care about its players. Don't let them tell you otherwise. Playing football on a Thursday after a Sunday game has long been absurd and will continue to be absurd. Then, think about what the Jets are going through — three games in 11 days. I know you're not going to cry about that, and it certainly could prove beneficial to the Patriots, but this is rotten, and I would be surprised if the quality of play is good. It usually isn't on these short weeks. Anyway...I took a crash course in the Jets. Here are my crib notes.
OFFENSE
You have to start with Aaron Rodgers. He understandably looks rusty after missing all but four snaps of last season because of a torn Achilles. Where it shows up most is in the lack of mobility. Rodgers doesn't want to move, so the ball comes out quickly. Over 50% of his throws have been slants, flats, and go balls (he's throwing to a spot).
Play action has not been an effective part of the Jets' offense. They rank 30th out of 32 teams (only the Broncos and Panthers are worse). In his previous life, Rodgers was at least in the middle of the road in play action, so while it's a small sample size, it caught my attention.
"His arm is still as good as it gets," a pro scout texted me. "There isn't a throw he can't make. But if you can get him off his spot, he doesn't react to the pressure like he used to."
Thirty of Rodgers' 37 completions have gone to three players: Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Allen Lazard. You could argue that Hall is their second-best receiver, and he's a running back. His touchdown catch at Tennessee on Sunday was a thing of beauty. But if he's the second-best pass catcher, that's a problem.
The Jets are slowly working Mike Williams back into the lineup. His snap count jumped from six in the opener to 25 in week two, but he and Rodgers are not vibing yet. Second-rounder Malachi Corley isn't advanced enough as a route runner to get meaningful reps. He has just two this season. Lazard is slow. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert has been getting snaps in the slot, which won't threaten any defense. I wonder if the Pats bust out the old Belichick plan where your best corner, Christian Gonzalez, blankets Lazard or Williams and Jonathan Jones, with safety help, combats Wilson.
What did come out of the win over the Titans was the birth of their two-back offense with Hall and 20-year-old rookie runner Braelon Allen. That kid brought JUICE to the offense, even at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds. He scored two touchdowns Sunday and looked better as a ball carrier than Hall. Rodgers reportedly argued with OC Nathaniel Hackett to use the two backs together, and the TD pass was beautiful. They had run a swing pass to Hall earlier in a drive, then went fake swing pass while running a screen for Allen on the backside. Pretty. I'd expect more of those two together on Thursday.
The offensive line has been solid in the passing game, though Rodgers certainly aids that with the quick snap-to-throw times. In the run game, they're still sorting it out. It is interesting to note (at least to me) that Rodgers has been spending a ton of time at the line of scrimmage. Perhaps he is still in the process of trying to decipher how defenses are playing him/them after a year off.
DEFENSE
This group hasn't been as good as advertised through two weeks. The 49ers ran the ball down their throats in the opener, and the lack of adjustments from defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and head coach Robert Saleh, himself a defensive guru (allegedly), was something we would have slaughtered the Pats for. Mercifully, the New York/New Jersey media did the job on the Jets for us all.
They were better against the Titans, but not by much. Sauce Gardner surrendered a long touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley (ahem), and the run defense remained suspect, giving up 130 yards on the ground. That's the 10th time in their last 19 games that the Jets have given up 130 or more rushing yards in a game. Last year, some of that was the game script. With their collection of craptastic quarterbacks - Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, Trevor Siemian - the Jets were often in a hole, and teams worked the clock. This year, it's less about the game script and more about ineffectiveness.
Quinnen Williams has yet to be his dominant self. He's one of the league's best three or four interior defensive linemen. Linebacker C.J. Mosley had to leave Sunday's game with a toe injury and is listed as questionable for this one. He may not be the player he once was, but his absence along the spine of that defense is felt. Jamien Sherwood, a hybrid linebacker/safety (he played safety in college), stepped in, and he's been good so far, but he's only 220 pounds. Running right at him would be my thought.
The safeties are arguably the worst position group on this football team. Tony Adams plays in the box a lot. He's not been good in the box. He already has four missed tackles. Chuck Clark is the other safety. He too blew out his Achilles last year and looks slow so far. He should have given Gardner the over-the-top help on the long TD to Ridley but looked like he was stuck in quicksand.
"If you can isolate either one of those guys in space, do it," texted the same scout.
The corners are good, even if they haven't played to their level just yet. I mentioned Gardner. D.J. Reed (knee) is the other outside CB and has been cleared to play after missing last weekend's game. Michael Carter is a terrific slot corner, and got himself a well-deserved extension this summer. If anything happens to these guys, Brandin Echols is more than capable. I don't view Gardner in particular as a good tackler, so if the Pats can successfully attack the edges, something they've struggled to do in the first two weeks, that would be a positive.
The Pats have been in 12-personnel 39% of the time and have run out of it 60% of the time. I'd be surprised if there's any variance in that number.
COACHING
I'm not a fan of Saleh or Hackett, but that staff has more experience together prepping for a game on a short week than the one the Pats have assembled. Not sure they can make that an advantage, but on paper, it should be.