Week 16 will not be a walk in the park for the New York Jets. They will take on the AFC-leading New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots are having another excellent season at 12-2, while the Jets are having a horrid season at 4-10. To make things worse, the Jets are dealing with 14 players currently on the injured reserve. And to top things off, the Patriots will be at home where they are nearly unbeatable in the Tom Brady era. Still, crazier things have happened and Todd Bowles and company will be heading into Gillette Stadium with the goal of squeaking out a win against their bitter rivals.
New York Jets Week 16 Keys to Victory
The Offensive Linemen Must Play at Their Highest Levels
The offensive line has been sub-par and injured for most of the season. Last week Bryce Petty had two of the most powerful defensive ends in football hit him simultaneously. That cannot happen again. Right now Petty is not at 100%. If he gets hit hard again this Saturday, he will most likely be knocked out of a game for the second week in a row.
Last week offensive linemen Ben Ijalana and 2016 fifth-round pick Brandon Shell received the second and third highest grades for Jets offensive players by Pro Football Focus, respectively.
Top-graded @nyjets Saturday:
HB Bilal Powell 85.6
LT Ben Ijalana 81.9
RT Brandon Shell 81.6
DE Sheldon Richardson 81.6#MIAvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/rjo5NFFvYf— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 18, 2016
Center Wesley Johnson has also scored well with Pro Football Focus over the stretch that he has replaced Nick Mangold. Brian Winters hasn’t been too bad either, but has recently been put on the injured reserve joining Mangold, Breno Giacomini, and Ryan Clady. Winters absence could make the offensive line even weaker than last week.
Still, if Johnson, Ijalana, and Shell play at their highest levels, then Petty may have some time to throw this week. That is a lot to ask from these guys, but that is important for the Jets success this week.
Brandon Marshall Needs to Rebound
Considering the Jets are 4-10 and lack production from many positions, their receivers haven’t done too bad recently. Robby Anderson has been repaying the Jets for signing him as an undrafted free agent. He had 80 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins. Quincy Enunwa had a 109-yard game against the Patriots in Week 12 just a few weeks ago and had 64 yards against the Dolphins. Austin Seferian-Jenkins has even been getting some receptions in the last three games which seems unprecedented as offensive coordinator Chan Gailey does not typically use tight ends in his offense.
While all these young receivers have done their job recently, veteran Brandon Marshall has struggled. Marshall hasn’t had a 100-yard game since Week Five. His last touchdown came in Week 12 against the Patriots. His 16 yards on Saturday was his second lowest amount of the season.
It’d be hard for Marshall to perform worse than last week. Also it is promising that he already put up 67 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots this year. Marshall hasn’t been doing much with Petty under center so far. Marshall and Petty will have to get on the same page if they want a shot at beating the Patriots.
The Secondary Has to Show Up
Week 15 featured Matt Moore, a backup who hadn’t started a game since Week 17 of 2011, passing for four touchdowns and 236 yards against the Jets. Knowing that, it will be scary to see what Brady will do against the Jets.
While Brady is coming off his worst game of the year in regards to quarterback rating (68.2), it was against the tough Denver Broncos defense. The Jets are 21st in the NFL in passing yards allowed with 3,525. Also the secondary is more banged up now then in their last matchup with the Patriots, as free safety Marcus Gilchrist is out for the season.
There doesn’t seem to be much hope for the Jets secondary at this point, but the biggest key to beating the Patriots is for the secondary to show up and perform well.
