New England Patriots: 3 keys to striking down the New York Jets
No. 1: Limit the Jets passing game
As important it is for Mac Jones to succeed in this one, it’s just as important for the New England Patriots defense to slow down Zach Wilson too. Wilson showed that he has the ability to make some big throws when called upon in Week 1, and although he ended up falling short, he was on the cusp of leading a comeback for the Jets.
Wilson also did this without his full arsenal of receiving targets. Both Jamison Crowder and Keelan Cole were missing in action for Week 1, but it sounds like they will be ready to suit up for Week 2, presenting the Patriots secondary with a formidable challenge. Combine these two guys with Corey Davis, who exploded for two touchdowns in his Jets debut, and the Jets have a pretty decent group of receivers, assuming Wilson can find them.
The secondary had an inconsistent Week 1 performance against Miami. They covered well for the most part, but allowed too many chunk plays for DeVante Parker and Jaylen Waddle, and it ended up costing them. They will have to do a better job against the Jets top receivers if they want to come up on top.
Davis will most likely see a lot of J.C. Jackson in this one after his highlight performance in Week 1. Crowder is a renowned slot receiver, meaning Jonathan Jones will probably be tasked with shutting him down. That leaves Jalen Mills to lockdown the former Jacksonville Jaguars wideout in Cole.
For the most part the Patriots matchup with the Jets quite well on paper. Then again, we said the same thing for the Dolphins, and that ended up not going their way. The Patriots secondary will need to slow these guys down if they want to come out on top.
Something they can work on fixing is how they line up pre-snap. Their were multiple times where the corners were lining up a good seven or eight yards off the line against Miami, and Tagovailoa would just audible to a quick slant and pick up an easy 10 yards every time. That’s just a dead giveaway that you are running zone coverage, and before they could even get set the ball was out of Tagovailoa’s hands.
Next. Week 2 roadmap to the New York Jets. dark
Obviously playing closer to the line won’t change everything, but it’s indicative of the lack of situational awareness the group displayed in Week 1. They cannot fall into those same habits against the Jets if they want to come away with a win. It’s widely assumed Jones will have a good day against the Jets, but if the New England Patriots secondary locks up Wilson and the Jets passing game, they should be able to win this game comfortably.