The Jets are a surprising 3-2. Here’s why
The New York Jets have won three straight games. They have a share of the lead in the AFC East.
All after the Jets and the idea of an 0-16 finish served as the Internet’s punching bag in the leadup to the season. That doesn’t seem to be lost on players, either, the notion that they were not good enough to win even a singular contest in 2017.
“Since the beginning of the season we’ve been going into games wanting to win and expecting to win,’’ defensive end Leonard Williams said. “We weren’t going to go into the season and try to tank and all of this other stuff people were saying. We knew what we had on this team and we knew what we were trying to reach.’’
Yes, the Jets have some warts they’d like to figure out how to remove, or just cover up. Yes, they have a journeyman quarterback, a depleted running back corps, two rookie safeties starting, a struggling pass rush, and a slew of inconsistencies.
But here they are, at 3-2, tied with the New England Patriots in the division standings as they host their arch nemesis for a Week 6 showdown with first place on the line.
“We haven’t done anything; we’ve won three out of five,’’ coach Todd Bowles said this week. “No matter how pretty or how ugly it is, it’s good to string together wins, but by no means are we perfect.’’
Here is a look at how the Jets have gotten off to a surprising start:
‘A unity wave’
Rewind four weeks to halftime of a 45-20 beatdown of the Jets at the hands of the Oakland Raiders. There, in that break between halves, in that visitors’ locker room, you’ll find what this Jets team credits for starting this three-game winning streak.
“That was a moment that was a turning point, where we could really see ourselves and how good we could be,’’ linebacker Demario Davis said Monday. “I think that sparked something and we’ve been rolling with that momentum ever since.’’
Players traded encouraging messages, trying to instill belief and confidence to create “a unity wave.’’ Of course, Oakland went on to shellack New York. But that sense of unity has remained for the last three weeks.
“It’s something we continued to use,’’ Williams said Monday. “It’s a unity wave. We’re on a unity wave of being with each other, playing for each other and playing hard and fast. We just have to keep riding that wave.’’
“I think they came together as a team on that day,’’ Bowles said.
Gritty, grimy, and ugly
The Jets lost their first two games — to the Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders — by a combined score of 66-32. But in their last two games, they won by three points. And they defeated the Dolphins, Jaguars, and Browns by a combined score of 60-40.
In that stretch, they have managed a plus-two turnover margin, averaged 339.7 yards of offense, and given up 318.3 yards per game.
Against the Browns, they produced 34 rushing yards and 212 total yards, including 103 through the first three quarters, were 4 of 12 on third down, and had 51 offensive plays to the Browns’ 70. Not to mention their nine penalties for 80 yards.
Jermaine Kearse (10) and Austin Seferian-Jenkins (88) each caught a touchdown pass against the Browns.
But in the fourth quarter, leading the winless Browns, 10-7, quarterback Josh McCown and the Jets’ offense pieced together an eight-play, 97-yard drive that was capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass from McCown to Jermaine Kearse. That came after Cleveland had rung up three sacks and seven hits on McCown, and after the defense had held the Browns scoreless in three trips inside the red zone, two of which resulted in turnovers and the third resulted in a turnover on downs.
“The Jets did not play a great football game Sunday. They did not play a complete game last week against the Jaguars. You could argue they should have lost both games. But they didn’t,’’ the New York Post’s Brian Costello wrote. “They are finding ways to win, and that’s a credit to coach Todd Bowles, his staff and these players. There is a confidence in the locker room, a bond that is rooted in ‘us against the world’ as much as they like to pretend they did not know everyone predicted them to be the worst team in football.’’
It’s been ugly on this stretch. But the Jets are winning.
“We have, in no way, arrived,’’ left tackle Kelvin Beachum said. “We’ll enjoy this win, but we know we can’t play like this and win the division and achieve our other goals.’’
Run it back
The Jets’ ground attack has been inconsistent through five games. Its output: 38 yards vs. Buffalo, 126 vs. Oakland, 103 vs. Miami, 256 vs. Jacksonville, and 34 vs. Cleveland. New York ranks 13th in rushing yards per game (111.4) and is tied for sixth in yards per rush (4.5).
The Jets have relied on Bilal Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire, as Matt Forte has missed two straight games with turf toe. But they may be turning to the rookie full-time this week. Powell injured his calf just before halftime Sunday and is day-to-day. That makes McGuire, a sixth-round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette, the primary ballcarrier.
“It will be the next man up,’’ Bowles said Monday. “Obviously, we’ve got everything in right now. Eli will carry the load and we’ll go from there. It’s early in the week, so we’ll see how they progress.’’
The Jets also have Travaris Cadet, who was brought on after Forte’s injury and had a brief stint with the Patriots in 2015. He can be a factor in the passing game and on third down. McGuire has 34 carries for 176 yards and one touchdown and has played 26 percent of snaps this season.
Elijah McGuire is averaging 5.2 yards per carry so far this season.
“All of their players, all of their backs, are really, I’d say, three-down backs, can be in there in any down or any situation,’’ Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on a conference call Tuesday. “They’re very good in the passing game, good in the running game, so they use a lot of empty formations and things like that, free releases where they get the backs out into the pattern so they’re out quickly as an option, as a receiver and not just as a late check-down type of player. They get them out really into the heart of the pattern. Yeah, I’d say that’s the group, a versatile group.’’
Meanwhile, the Jets’ rush defense has been poor, allowing 143.0 yards per game, ranked 30th in the league. It has allowed 170 or more rushing yards in three games, with the Bills and the Raiders piling up 190 and 180 yards, respectively, in their wins over the Jets. They are giving up 4.6 yards per carry, have allowed six carries of at least 20 yards and two carries of at least 40 yards.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is wary, especially considering seven of the last eight bouts between the rivals have been decided by 7 or fewer points.
“They’ve got a physical front,’’ McDaniels said on a conference call on Monday. “They’ve got a very talented front. They’ve got speed at linebacker. They’ve got length on the edge. They’ve got some really, really talented inside players with Williams, [Muhammad] Wilkerson, [Steve] McLendon. Those guys are tough to block and do a really good job for them inside.’’
A few other notes on the Jets
■ Neither Williams nor Muhammad Wilkerson has a sack this season. And neither defensive lineman recorded a quarterback hit against the Browns.
■ Kony Ealy, the defensive end traded to New England this offseason before the Patriots cut him a week before the season started, has played 57 percent of snaps for the Jets. He has two quarterback hits, nine QB hurries, an interception, five pass breakups, and five tackles.
“They’ve got a deep group. Kony’s a part of it now,’’ McDaniels said, “and we certainly are familiar with some of the things with him from being in camp with him, and [he will] be a big part of the challenge that we’ve got to deal with on Sunday afternoon.’’
Josh McCown has completed 105 of 147 pass attempts this season.
■ McCown has completed better than 70 percent of his passes this season, second in the league behind Alex Smith among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. He has amassed 1,020 yards, thrown for five touchdowns and four interceptions, and is sitting on a 90.5 passer rating.
His favorite targets are Kearse (22 catches on 28 targets for 220 yards and three scores) and Robby Anderson (14 catches on 29 targets for 220 yards and a touchdown). However, Anderson’s 48.3 catch percentage is the lowest on the team.
■ Against the Browns, Kicker Chandler Catanzaro set a franchise record for longest field goal, hitting a 57-yarder as time expired in the first half that proved to be the difference in the Jets’ win. That came a week after he made a 41-yard field goal in overtime to beat the Jaguars.
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