5 New York Jets players to watch against the Patriots on Sunday
Sauce Gardner and the Jets have been on a roll lately, winning four games in a row.
The Patriots are a slight favorite against the Jets this week, which is surprising given that New York is one of the hottest teams in the AFC right now.
After dropping two of their first three against Baltimore and Cincinnati, the Jets have put together a four-game win streak. They beat the Packers and Dolphins by three scores apiece, and skated by Denver and Pittsburgh with close wins.
The streak has produced some memorable moments, such as cornerback Sauce Gardner walking off Lambeau Field wearing a cheesehead hat before it was smacked off of his head by a Packers player.
New England is last in the AFC East, and a win against New York could go a long way towards helping them climb back into the division race.
Here are five Jets players to keep an eye on for Sunday’s matchup.
DB Sauce Gardner
The rookie corner has been so solid that Jets head coach Robert Saleh practically challenged other teams to “keep trying him.”
Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was named AFC defensive player of the week for his 10-tackle, 3-pass deflection performance in last week’s win over Denver.
One of the league’s emerging defensive stars, Gardner leads the NFL in pass deflections with 12.
DT Quinnen Williams
Williams, who already has an impressive five sacks as a defensive tackle, has established himself as a force in the middle.
And with David Andrews’s status up in the air after an illegal blindside hit knocked him out of the game and reportedly forced him to go through concussion protocols, the Patriots could be without their starting center.
New England could have a tall task keeping Mac Jones’s former Alabama teammate out of the backfield.
RB Michael Carter
The Jets received bad news this week. Leading rusher Breece Hall is expected to miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear.
Michael Carter could end up getting an increased workload in Hall’s absence. Although the Jets traded for James Robinson this week.
The Patriots defense allowed 243 rushing yards last week. Chicago’s Justin Fields added a dimension as a mobile quarterback that New York doesn’t have. But, the Patriots’ defensive line still struggled without Christian Barmore who is battling a knee injury.
LB C.J. Mosley
Another former first-rounder from Alabama, linebacker CJ Mosely, has played a huge role for the Jets’ defense.
Mosley leads the team with 69 tackles and has posted 10 or more in five of his seven games.
He’s helped the Jets hold their last five opponents to 20 points or less.
QB Zach Wilson
The Jets have been winning since Wilson returned from a torn meniscus earlier this month.
But, the former No. 2 overall pick’s numbers have been far from spectacular. He’s got 693 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions on 58-for-101 passing.
He’s averaging 177 passing yards per game, which is pretty close to the 179 yards Justin Fields had last week.
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