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Jets Flight Zone: 9/19

Date: September 19, 2022

By: Matthew Soetebeer and Justin Valenzuela

Garret Wilson comes down with a reception.

Nick Cammett/Getty Images

With 2:02 left in the fourth quarter, Nick Chubb took a handoff left, bounced it out and walked into the endzone untouched to put the Cleveland Browns up 30-17, and seemingly put the young New York Jets to rest.

What happened next, however, was unbelievable. The Jets had been hanging around all day, showing grit and fight, but this game was over.

When all hope was seemingly lost, the Browns missed the PAT, keeping their lead at only 13.

30 seconds later, a busted coverage left WR Corey Davis alone deep in the secondary for a 66-yard touchdown to make it 24-30, silencing the crowd. Then the Jets recovered the onside kick with about a minute left and all of sudden the audience was nervous.

Could the New York Jets actually win this game?

Joe Flacco and the offense then constructed a perfect 9-play, 53-yard drive and found rookie Garrett Wilson for a 15-yard strike with 22 seconds left to take the lead.

This, combined with a Jacoby Brissett interception with less than 15 seconds left and the impossible was done. The Jets came back from the dead to stun the Browns in Cleveland, 31-30.

Speaking of impossible, for the first time since Sam Darnold’s debut on Monday Night Football Week One of the 2018 season, New York has secured themselves a victory in the month of September.

After shocking the world and scoring 14 unanswered points in under two minutes, the Jets are in unfamiliar territory.

Not only is this unfamiliar territory in the sheer sense that they have secured themselves a victory. This is a talented Jets team, something fans have not been able to say in a long time.

It’s not just the fans that see it, Peter Schrager said it best: “For the First time in maybe five years, I feel like they have some playmakers,” Schrager said on Good Morning Football.

Boy, is he not wrong either. Last week, I highlighted that if the Jets wanted to win this game they needed a healthy dose of Breece Hall (responsible for 60 yards and one touchdown on eight touches), and to get the “playmakers” the ball.

Well, one playmaker stepped up to the plate big time. Rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson EXPLODED on to the scene on Sunday, as he reeled in 8 catches for 102 yards and not one, but two touchdowns, his second score being the go-ahead score with 22 seconds left.

While last week everyone was calling for starting QB Joe Flacco’s head, the 37-year-old turned back the clock, throwing for 307 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions on 44 attempts.

I myself was a bit critical of Flacco, stating if the team wanted to win, they had to keep the ball out of his hands and run the ball. They did the exact opposite, running the ball a mere 20 times totaling only 93 total yards.

Although this is a very sweet victory, the Jets were by no means a flawless team. Joe Flacco still dropped back to pass 44 times, outpacing the run game by nearly 2x (20 rushing attempts to 44 passing attempts) and the Jets were extremely undisciplined, Accounting for multiple momentum killing penalties on offense.

And more specifically, with the game on the line, the Jets were forced to punt deep in their territory. They then committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the whistle adding 15 more yards and pushing the browns past midfield.

They went on to score a touchdown to put them up 30-17 and all but surely end the game. Give credit to the Jets for fighting back, but that penalty is something that cannot happen again.

Despite the negatives this was still a great team victory for the Jets, and a building block for a young, talented team.

It’s clear the Jets are promising, but it’s what you do with that promise and how you capitalize.

After their miraculous victory over the Browns, the Jets look forward to Sunday to face the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jets need to focus on containing Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow if they hope to win. Burrow and his wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are one of the best quarterback/wide receiver tandems in the league and have the ability to wreak havoc.

Flacco needs to capitalize off of his major bounce back day and continue getting the ball to his playmakers. Garrett Wilson is filled with potential and his exceptional performance against the Browns was just one of many. After a quiet Week One from Wilson, it was good to see him dominate.

The Jets do need to get a better run game out of Michael Carter going up against Cincinnati. Carter’s 23 rushing yards against the Browns won’t suffice for a guy who was described to be the workhorse of the offense.

Speaking of running backs though, Breece Hall’s solid performances need to continue. The Bengal’s defense is the weaker of their two sides, so Hall needs to be on the attack as much as possible.

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner will have a tough test against Ja’Marr Chase. Chase has played on the biggest stages at both the college and professional level, so you already know he won’t be backing down.

The Bengal’s weakest spot is clearly their poor offensive line, and it was put on display for the entire world to see during the playoffs last year. The Jets need to penetrate through the line and rattle Burrow as much as they can to make it easier on the rest of the team.

Despite the Jets victory against the Browns, I still can’t pick them to defeat the Bengals. They just aren’t proven enough of a team, compared to a team that made the Super Bowl just last year and has a superstar quarterback. I predict a Bengals victory with a final score of 20-14.

Matthew Soetebeer and Justin Valenzuela can be reached at matthew.soetebeer@student.shu.edu and Justin Valenzuela can be reached at justin.valenzuela@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Football, NFL

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