I think we all want to dispatch that Denver game into the darkest corners of our memory and while it was disappointing and raised plenty of questions, we have to remember that it’s just one game and there is still a lot of football to be played.

So instead of looking back, we’ve made the decision to look forward, which seems fitting considering the Jets are on their way to London town. Jets fans from all over the UK (and beyond) will descend on the capital this weekend in the hope of seeing an Aaron Rodgers masterclass coupled with a dominant defensive display. Standing in their way is an old friend in Sam Darnold, who’s playing the best football of his career while guiding Minnesota to a 4-0 start.

When asked to choose an X-Factor for the game on Sunday, the fans went with one of our newest additions in former LA Charger Mike Williams, who arrived in New York on a one-year deal with a little help from a Taylor Ham, Egg & Cheese sandwich (thanks NYJ_Matt). 

Unfortunately for Williams, his 2023 season was cut short thanks to a torn ACL suffered during a week three matchup for the Chargers against this week’s opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.

As they did with Breece Hall last year, Robert Saleh and the Jets have stuck to their word when it comes to easing a player back following a serious injury. 

In week one against the San Francisco 49ers Williams appeared in just 18% of the offensive snaps. In week two that increased to 65%, before dropping slightly to 45% in week three before another jump back up to 58% in week four. It’s likely that as the season progresses he’ll start hitting the 75%+ threshold that he became accustomed to in LA. 

“These last few weeks I have been building up and getting better every week. I have been trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get. When the ball comes my way, I make a play. I am excited for my role to keep growing and make plays.” – Williams told the official Jets website.

So far we’ve seen glimpses of what a healthy Mike Williams can bring to a starting offense, including this remarkable catch on Sunday against the Broncos

“When the ball is in the air, I kind of zone out,” Williams said. “I don’t see too much around me, I just see the football. I know where I am on the field, so I can just let my feet die so they can land in bounds. I knew it was a catch and started celebrating. Then I saw everyone trying to get into a hurry-up play, but I knew it was a catch, and I got out of bounds for the clock to stop.”

One thing the Jets have missed recently is that big, powerful, imposing wide receiver who is capable of climbing the ladder to make contested catches while absorbing contact. Bringing that kind of skill-set into the building offered a perfect complement to Garrett Wilson. 

Williams built a reputation in LA for making difficult catches look very easy and he’s brought that to the east coast this season. 

Through the first four weeks of the season he is averaging 15 yards per reception on 8 catches for 120 yards, with his best game coming on Sunday against the Broncos (4 catches for 67 yards). 

But if you look at the advanced numbers, it’s even more impressive. He’s caught 80% of all his targets, he is also catching 80% of all contested catches (4 from 5). When Aaron Rodgers looks his way his passer rating is 116.7 and Williams is yet to come close to dropping a ball. He has zero penalties and 6 of his 8 catches have resulted in first downs. 

In short, he’s a reliable chain mover who should become more and more involved the longer the season goes, and these numbers are not an aberration. 

Over the course of his entire career, he has just 22 drops on 517 targets. He catches 62.7% of all those targets and holds a contested catch rate of 54.3%. 

But while Williams is one of the better contested catchers in the NFL, he wants to be known as so much more and it’s easy to understand why. 95 of his career NFL catches have been on contested balls, meaning 219 were gained in other scenarios. Through his speed, his intelligence, his route-running and his savvy.

“When you get somewhere and do something so well, people only see you as that,” Williams said. “I feel like I can do a lot more than that one thing. You want to get your routes called so you can run them in a game, and the ball doesn’t always come your way, so you need to take advantage of when it does. I caught a slant a couple games ago and it was my first opportunity. I just need to keep attacking those moments.”

The Jets have a good one and considering Minnesota have the 32nd ranked defense in the league, this weekend may be the best time to unleash him. 

Aaron Rodgers confirmed what we all thought to be true: through the first three weeks of the season, opposing defensive coordinators have committed to stopping Garrett Wilson. 

You can’t really stop someone like Wilson, your best hope is to slow him down. Through the first three weeks of the season Wilson has caught 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown.

But when defences are keying in on one player it opens up opportunities for others.

Tyler Conklin may not get all the plaudits on a weekly basis but the former Minnesota Viking has been one of the key contributors through the first three weeks of the season. 

In the week two win against the Tennessee Titans it was his blocking in focus, as he sealed the outside on a long gain by Breece Hall. Although he only recorded a single reception for 10 yards, he was a key part of the team that walked out of Music City with a victory. 

Last week, we saw Tyler Conklin the receiver as he worked his way to a career best 93 yards on 5 receptions, having put up a season’s best 621 receiving yards in 2023. The next stage is ensuring he takes a few trips to the endzone, somewhere he hasn’t been for the Jets since week 8 of the 2022 season – a stat that is hard to believe. 

If teams are going to continue to try to take Garrett Wilson away – and there’s no reason they shouldn’t considering #5 is one of the best receivers in the NFL – then Conklin will continue to play a key part.

Head Coach Robert Saleh spoke about Rodgers’ mind operating at a high level, and the Jets QB has identified the tendency of opposing defences to play cover-2 to prevent explosive plays down the sideline to the Jets big-play receivers, but that leaves space in the middle.

If you can isolate your tight end against linebackers, and your tight end is as effective as Conklin, good things are going to happen. He can beat his man, like below, or find the right spot by getting in behind, like above.

53 tight ends caught a pass in week three, but only two forced more than one missed tackle by the defence. Noah Fant in Seattle was one, Tyler Conklin was the other. 

Conklin also possesses some of the safest hands in the NFL from the TE position. Through 101 games, Conklin has a drop percentage of just 3.5%. That’s 8 drops on 301 targets. 

Last year, 23 tight ends earned at least 60 targets, but only one player (Cole Kmet 1.4%) had a better drop percentage than Tyler Conklin’s 1.6%. 

With Rodgers calling the shots and so many new faces on the offence, it’s going to take time to develop in-game chemistry. Look back to the Green Bay Packers 2020 season and you’ll see a 600+ yard and 12 touchdown season for tight end Robert Tonyan, so if the player is right and the playcalling is right, the TE position can be very fruitful with #8 slinging the football. 

Conklin showcased what he can do, now there needs to be some consistency within the game plan and performance. But you listen to any interview Conklin has ever given, and you get the impression that personal accolades don’t interest him. So if he has to block and leave the touchdowns to everyone else, you get the impression he’s fine with that as long as the Jets are winning football games, and right now the Jets are winning football games. 

When asked about his performance he diverted the accolades to Aaron Rodgers saying: “A couple of those situations were scramble drills. I was just trying to do my best to get open for him. All I had to do was catch the ball. He made it pretty easy on me.”

If there’s one thing I could get used to it’s the sight of the ‘Killer B’s’ taking over and powering the Jets to victory, which is exactly what happened on Sunday as the Jets silenced ‘Music City’ and got their season up and running with a tough 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans. 

It’s a well known fact that the Jets have both the NFL’s oldest (sorry Aaron) and youngest player (Braelon) in the NFL. At just 20 years old, Allen became the youngest player in NFL history to record two touchdowns from scrimmage in a single game. The expectation is he’s only just getting started this season. 

During the preseason, Breece Hall compared Allen to Derrick Henry: “Braelon’s just like his own beast, like, he’s really big, he’s athletic, he can run.” So perhaps it was fitting that his NFL coming out party took place on the same field as the Titans legendary running back. Henry may be plying his trade in Baltimore now, but the punishment he dished out still reverberates around Nissan Stadium. 

For defensive coordinators it’s going to be a case of picking your poison. Especially if the Jets continue to operate with both Hall and Allen in the same backfield, as they did for the first touchdown on Sunday. A beautiful misdirection play that got the ball into the hands of Allen with Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson all climbing to put the key blocks in place. 

Because of Allen’s 235 lb size, it’s easy to pigeon hole him into a certain physical role. Especially when on 3rd and one his number is called and he makes converting look so easy. But his game on Sunday showcased everything about his game. 

The touchdown catch showcases his receiving ability, his burst, and his physicality. The late touchdown run showcased his vision, his decisiveness and his long speed. The 3rd-and-1 conversion showcased his pure power and you feel as though he’ll be asked to do more blocking in the passing game. 

For a lot of draft analysts, it was surprising to see Allen still available in the 4th round. After all, here was a player who stands 6’1 and 245lbs, 19 years of age and coming off a three year college career at Wisconsin where he produced 3,482 yards and 35 touchdowns while rushing at 5.8 yards per attempt. 

If you dig deeper into the numbers, you see 145 missed tackles forced, 2,182 yards after contact and 49 plays which went for 15+ yards. When you combine the kind of physicality that Allen has with plus speed, then you’ve got a problem for opposing defences. 

Braelon’s second touchdown was aesthetically extremely pleasing to the eye for a number of reasons. 

First, it resonated with a Robert Saleh quote following the game: “The run game is always a second-half thing, but in order to make it a second-half thing you have to be able to commit to it in the first half.”

The Jets had a lot of inside runs stuffed on Sunday, that’s what happens when you have a DT combination of Sweat and Simmons both taking on double teams and allowing linebackers and safeties to shoot the gaps. On the second touchdown play you had that happening, but the Jets weren’t targeting the A-gaps. 

Instead, Braelon used his speed and vision to run off-tackle. Take a moment to appreciate the blocking by TE Jeremy Ruckert and WR Allen Lazard on the outside. You’ve also got Morgan Moses sealing the outside by flipping his hips and pinning his man inside. Allen then uses his speed and acceleration to get into the second level, quickly flat-footing the defender and breezing past him. 

Sometimes there are touchdowns that wow you instantly (hat-tip to Calvin Ridley there) but some get better every single time you see it. This touchdown is more than a single play, it’s a culmination of a number of plays, some of which failed. It’s a showcase of what happens when everyone executes. It’s what happens when you have someone special running the football. 

We don’t know what this season is going to have in store for Braelon… but it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch his development. 

When I put the vote out for this week’s column, I didn’t expect people to select Will McDonald. Especially after Monday’s breakout performance from Allen Lazard who recorded multiple touchdowns for only the second time in his professional career. 

But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. 

Following a difficult matchup in San Francisco, there is growing concern from some parts of the fanbase that maybe this defence isn’t quite as good as we were all led to believe. Of course, it’s far too early to draw any conclusions, and my confidence in this team and this defence is still sky-high. 

There were plenty of questions asked when the Jets, loaded with defensive end talent, decided to take Will McDonald 15th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Where would he play and would he get the reps expected of a first round talent? Could the Jets, a team in win-now mode, afford to take a player many saw as a luxury at the time?

In his rookie season, McDonald showed flashes of his game-breaking ability that made the Jets select him. In only 99 pass-rush snaps he recorded 3 sacks, 12 pressures, 5 QB hits and 4 tackles for a loss. That’s a sack every 33 snaps and a pressure every 8 snaps. 

The advanced numbers provided by PFF also painted a positive picture. His 8.5 pass-rush productivity score was second on the team, and compared favourably to Maxx Crosby over in Las Vegas. His 16.0 pass-rush win percentage was also a top 25 number in the league (minimum 50 snaps) and showed that he could get pressure on the quarterback when given a chance.

Over the summer, McDonald worked to become stronger and Head Coach Robert Saleh pointed out the improvements in his game at the start of August:

“Will [is] much, much stronger. I know he looks the same, but his strength in the run game, his strength in the pass game is showing up,” Saleh told reporters.

“He’s flashed a little bit. I know he’s gotten a couple of wins on our starting tackles, and I really like the way he’s progressing.”

With the departures of Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers over the winter, McDonald was expected to claim a bigger role in his sophomore season. The pressure to perform is always there for a first-round pick, but that pressure has been intensified with the reliance that the Jets now have on the young edge rusher.

That larger role came to fruition on Monday night as McDonald was given 18 pass-rush snaps, which trailed only Jermaine Johnson at defensive end.

In those 18-pass rush snaps, McDonald was able to generate 2 QB pressures which is in line with the pressure-per-snap numbers showcased during his rookie campaign. Ultimately, however, the pass rush wasn’t able to be as effective as hoped, as the 49ers offence kept them off-balance all night.

Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the job done by the opposing team. The 49ers offensive line held up well and Brock Purdy was sharp with his decision-making. San Francisco’s QB had 15 attempts where the ball left his hand within 2.5 seconds, making it very hard for the Jets pass-rush to get home. 

McDonald spent as many snaps going against Trent Williams at LT (16) as he did Colton McKivitz at RT (16), showcasing his versatility but with little success on either side.

One of the most basic concepts of football is running the ball to slow down the pass-rush. McDonald is of course part of the unit that needs to slow that run-game down, but he’s predominantly a speed-rusher at this point in his career. The success of the San Francisco running game put the defence into third-and-short situations that made it difficult for McDonald to pin his ears back and show off his trademark moves to get home.

Not only does that create scenarios where Purdy was able to look for those schemed short completions but it gets speed rushers on their heels not wanting to be caught upfield against the run. 

If you watch the game again, the performance of #99 might not jump out at you. But don’t expect it to stay that way, starting this weekend against a Titans team who struggled to keep Will Levis clean in a week one loss to the Chicago Bears. The Jets defence will no doubt be keen to get back to their usual dominant ways, and that could well start up front with McDonald.

The 2024 NFL season is upon us, and with the return of football is the return of the International Fan of the Year contest, back for its second iteration!

The International Fan of the Year title celebrates extraordinary fans globally who inspire others with their passion for the game and have been a rallying force across their family, friends and local community through fandom. Fans can nominate themselves through this link for a chance to win a trip to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin and to possibly be announced as the ultimate Fan of the Year.

Frazer Campbell, a die-hard Jets fan from the Isle of Man, was named our inaugural International Fan of the Year in 2023, and represented the team in Detroit in the NFL Draft this April. The launch of the 2024 competition will allow a new fan to be put in the spotlight for their dedicated and passion to the New York Jets, in a year where the team will travel internationally to London for a week five encounter with the Minnesota Vikings.

As of this year, there are nine eligible international markets for the contest, with the additions of Brazil, Spain and Ireland, allowing for a diverse number of fans from around the world to put themselves forward.

The submission window is now open, and will remain open though 11:59 p.m. ET on November 15, 2024. Fans must be 21 years or older to enter, and more information can be found at the application link.

To enter the 2024 International Fan of the Year contest:

1. Click this link to get started.
2. Fill out the form and nominate yourself for the title of NFL International Fan of the Year

Each NFL team will nominate their own International Fan of the Year, and the ultimate winner will be revealed on stage during the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 2024 NFL season kicks off this weekend, with the New York Jets taking to the field on Monday for their curtain-raiser against the San Francisco 49ers.

After a nine month hiatus, Jets football returns, with a schedule that includes a game in London, six primetime games in the first 11 weeks and season-ending rivalry games with the Bills and Dolphins.

Fans wanting to follow the action live have got a number of options from the UK and Ireland. To watch every minute of every game, NFL Game Pass on DAZN provides season-long access to live games, 40 minute recaps plus additional programming including documentaries and archived games.

With New York Jets FC, fans can subscribe to the ‘MVP’ membership tier to gain full access to NFL Game Pass, plus a host of other benefits including merchandise discounts and exclusive giveaways – so make sure to sign up now and enjoy the full season access.

Away from Game Pass, Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch every primetime game that the Jets play in (Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football), plus select games from the 6pm and 9pm windows, depending on weekly scheduling.

Sky Sports will also be airing ‘One Jets Drive’, the Emmy-award winning in-season documentary produced by the New York Jets in-house production team.

There will also be free-to-air options for Jets fans through the season, highlighted by the week five game in London which will be shown live on ITV. Alongside this, every Monday Night Football game, including the season opener, will be live on Channel 5.

For radio listeners, talkSPORT will be providing season-long coverage of the Jets, including live broadcasts of 10+ games with exclusive interviews and content too.

Finally, on our Jets UK and Ireland social media channels, we will have the usual gameday coverage of every contest all season long with video highlights and to-the-minute updates!

After a long hiatus, New York Jets football is returning to our screens!

The Jets get their preseason campaign underway on Saturday 10th August against the Washington Commanders, with further contests to come against the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.

Every minute of the Jets’ preseason schedule will be available to watch live on the New York Jets website for fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Fans in the United Kingdom can access the live streams at the links below, which will go live when each game begins:

vs WAS: CLICK HERE

@CAR: CLICK HERE

vs NYG: CLICK HERE

And fans in Ireland can access the live streams through the links below:

vs WAS: CLICK HERE

@CAR: CLICK HERE

vs NYG: CLICK HERE

Fans in the United Kingdom will alternatively be able to watch our final preseason game against crosstown rivals the New York Giants live on Sky Sports Mix. The game kicks off in the early hours of Sunday 25 August at 12:30AM.

The Jets will then have a week off before their regular season schedule gets underway on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers, live on Sky Sports and Game Pass International!

The New York Jets are delighted to announce the launch of their new international membership club, New York Jets Fan Club (NY Jets FC), for fans in the UK and Ireland!

Sign ups to NY Jets FC will be automatically placed into the ‘Rookie’ tier, with the option to upgrade to ‘MVP’ (£159.99 UK or €179.99 IRE). ‘Rookie’ tier members will enjoy a host of benefits, including a one-off Weekly Pro Game Pass International (GPI) code, entry into a London Games ticket ballot, merchandise discounts, a digital membership card, priority access to tickets at MetLife Stadium and Jets events in the UK, exclusive sweepstakes and more.

MVP members will earn access to GPI Season Pro, a full-season subscription to stream every NFL game including the Playoffs and Super Bowl, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, Hard Knocks and more for the entire ’24-’25 season. MVPs also have a greater chance to obtain London Games tickets, increased merchandise discounts, a physical membership card with a game-worn Jets jersey inlay, and access to virtual meet-and-greets with current and former Jets stars. See below for a full breakdown of benefits at each membership tier.

To celebrate the launch of NY Jets FC, new members will have the opportunity to enter an exclusive launch giveaway for the chance to win an autographed Aaron Rodgers Jets Football and a signed Legacy White Quincy Williams Jersey. Running from 31^st July to 20^th August 2024, fans can sign up to become a member at nyjetsinternational.com and activate their membership account to learn more.

Commenting on the launch of the new international membership club, John MacCarter, New York Jets Vice President, Finance and Analytics, commented, “After spending time connecting and listening to fans outside of the US we are pleased to introduce New York Jets FC to fans everywhere. The UK and Ireland are two important markets for the Jets, and we are excited to offer this growing fan base a new touchpoint to engage with us. We hope that the bespoke and unique offerings of New York Jets FC will continue to strengthen the bond and connection that our international fans feel with the team.”

NY Jets FC furthers the team’s commitment to its UK and Ireland fanbases, where they were awarded marketing rights through the NFL’s Global Markets Program (formerly IHMA) in 2022 and 2024, respectively. The Global Markets Program awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S. through fan engagement, events, and commercial opportunities.

The news also comes ahead of the team’s highly anticipated return to the UK on October 6th to take on the Minnesota Vikings at the 2024 London Games. The game marks the team’s third trip to London, having previously played the Miami Dolphins (2015) and the Atlanta Falcons (2021).

As part of its commitment to the UK and Ireland, the team, in partnership with Charles Tyrwhitt, is also providing an opportunity to ‘Jet Across the Pond.’ From 31st July to 10th September 2024, UK and Ireland residents can win a three-night stay in New York, tickets for the New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills (14th October) and two $500 Charles Tyrwhitt gift cards. Fans can enter on the fan zone page now!

More information about NY Jets FC and how to join can be found at nyjetsinternational.com, and members can access their membership portal at https://members.nyjetsinternational.com. Please note that members must be 18 years of age or older and reside in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.