The Jets are currently on a three-game winning streak.
However, Gang Green’s offense has been stuck in the mud during the first seven games of the season.
The Jets are averaging 273.3 yards per game, the 29th-best in the league. They’re also 26th in points per game (18).
But despite the offensive numbers, the team is still finding ways to win games.
“I would say resiliency,” Jets quarterback Zach Wilson said. “Guys are fighting regardless of who’s in there. We’ve got some injuries, guys moving around, but just fighting all the way until the end.
“I’d say we’re moving the ball, we’re just not producing on third downs, and that’s obviously where the fix needs to be. We’re showing that we can move the ball, we’re doing some good things, so it’s really just trying to be more well-balanced and find a way to get it done all the way around.”
Losing Aaron Rodgers four plays into the season has undoubtedly been catastrophic for Gang Green’s offense. But so have all the Jets’ recent injuries on the offensive line.
Ten different players have started on the offensive line this year through seven games and more changes are coming to the unit.
On Thursday, the Jets started left tackle Duane Brown’s practice window. Brown has been on injured reserve since after the Jets’ loss at the Cowboys in Week 2.
When a player is cleared to practice, it begins a 21-day window during which they must be activated to the 53-man roster or be placed on season-ending injured reserve at the end of the three weeks.
After Brown’s injury in late September, the Jets offensive line has been like a game of musical chairs, minus left guard, where Laken Tomlinson has started and played in every game.
Last week against the Giants, the Jets lost both Connor McGovern (knee) and Wes Schweitzer (calf). Both players have been placed on injured reserve. Joe Tippmann, the starting right guard and the backup center to McGovern, has also been nursing a quadriceps injury he suffered against the Eagles on Oct. 15.
But good news could be on the way. Tippmann was seen warming up with the rest of his teammates during Thursday’s practice. It was the first time Tippmann practiced since Oct. 13.
“It’s been challenging,” Jets coach Nathaniel Hackett said about the injuries on the Jets offensive line. “I give so much credit for all of those guys being ready to go. That’s a huge accomplishment to them, to [Jets offensive line coach] Keith Carter, to [assistant offensive line coach] Ben [Wilkerson] because we’ve had a lot of changes there.
“We’ve had a lot of different lineups, a lot of different guys this past game. I’ve been doing this for a while and never had two centers go down. So that was very unique.
“In the end, in the moment, you’re just, what can we do, what can they handle, how can we help certain people? You just keep grinding and try to find ways to be able to help people.”
Defense and special teams have been the Jets calling card this season. That has allowed them to be in every game. But at some point, the Jets hope their offense can improve with the hopes of crashing the postseason party beginning in Monday night’s game against the Chargers.
Third-down conversions remain an issue. The Jets have been successful 23% of the time, dead last in the league.
Red zone efficiency also hasn’t been too kind to the Jets. They are last in the league (26.32%). Gang Green is also tied with the Giants for the fewest touchdowns in the NFL (eight).
“Yeah, not great,” Wilson said. “We need to be better there. I think it’s studying the film, just seeing how we can be better, everyone doing their part, finding a way to get a little bit better.
“Good communication, same for me, I’m trying to find anything I can do to find a way to help us be better on third downs. To be a great offense, you have to be great on third down.”
Last Sunday, the Jets offense was the equivalent of winter time in Alaska during the first 58 minutes of last Sunday’s win against the Giants. Gang Green only scored seven points, which came on a 50-yard touchdown reception by Breece Hall in the first quarter.
The Jets only rushed for 58 yards and averaged 2.6 yards per carry against the Giants. Gang Green was also 2-for-15 on third-down. Still, like they’ve done in other games this season, the Jets persevered and found a way to defeat the Giants, 13-10 in overtime.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Jets offense got going when it mattered the most. Following Graham Gano’s 35-yard missed field goal attempt that would have put the Giants up by six points, the Jets drove 58 yards in four plays with 24 seconds left in regulation. That allowed Greg Zuerlein to nail a 35-yard field goal to force overtime. Zuerlein later won the game with a 33-yard field goal.
Punter Thomas Morstead was also clutch in helping the Jets defeat the Giants. He punted the ball 11 times in the game for 529 yards (48.1 avg), including three fielded inside the five-yard line.
“I feel like we have probably the best kicker combination in the league,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said. “T-MO [Morstead] had an MVP performance Sunday. I love that dude and Zuerlein has really stabilized the kicking position for us.
“Brant Boyer has done a phenomenal job with that group. I think when we talk about effort, toughness, violence, and heart, mind, and fist and everything that we’re trying to stand for as a team, as competitors, I think you see that every rep with our special teams.”
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
