The good thing about a Monday Night Football defeat is that the turnaround is usually pretty quick. Despite the defence doing what the defence has been doing all season, the game got away from the Jets as a tough 27-6 loss to the Chargers dropped them to 4-4 on the season.

They have the perfect opportunity to put things right on Sunday, as they head to the West Coast to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Win in Vegas and the Jets move back above .500 and can put the Chargers game well and truly in the rearview mirror.

More of the same will be the instruction to the defence. After holding Justin Herbert to his lowest passing total in his NFL career, the Jets will now face the 27th ranked scoring offence in football (17.3 PPG).

The Raiders are coming off a big 30-6 win against the Giants last week, boosted by the classic coaching change injection. Following the trade deadline, owner Mark Davis fired Head Coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, putting former Super Bowl winning linebacker Antonio Pierce in charge in the interim.

There is an element of mystery around the Raiders with a new man calling the shots, but there are some safe assumptions. They’ll almost certainly try to pound the rock with Josh Jacobs, and get superstar receiver Davante Adams more involved in the game plan. After catching 100 passes from former QB Derek Carr for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, Adams has just 573 yards and 3 touchdowns through the first half of this season.

Despite the Raiders being 31st in the league with just 76.1 rushing yards per game, in Pierce’s first game in charge, Jacobs rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, with the Raiders as a unit rushing for 125 yards. Although some of the season stats could be a little misleading based on the changes in coaching, it’s also too soon to draw any concrete conclusions based on 60 minutes of football.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Jets have a challenge on their hands.

One week after facing off against Joey Bosa, the offensive line will have Maxx Crosby to deal with. No player in football has generated more pressures than Crosby’s 53 in 2023. Not Micah Parsons, not Aidan Hutchinson, not Nick Bosa and not even Bryce Huff. Only Danielle Hunter over in Minnesota (10) has more sacks than Crosby (9.5).

For a Jets offensive line that is already depleted by injuries, the potential return of Duane Brown could provide a boost to help them deal with Crosby’s presence.

On average, the Raiders allow 21.4 points per game which is middle of the pack, but two key stats offer reason for optimism:

The Raiders have one of the worst third down defences in football, allowing 43.10% to be completed (26th in the league).

The Raiders have one of the worst red-zone defences in football, allowing 65.52% of red zone entries to be converted into touchdowns (27th in the league).

Given the Jets recent struggles on third downs and in the red zone, the matchup could provide a perfect opportunity to start climbing those rankings.

The Raiders are a little bit of an unknown entity at the moment with Antonio Pierce at the helm, but while a new coach can offer an injection of energy, there could still be ways to exploit their weaknesses.

Most of the damage against this Raiders defence has been done on the ground. Las Vegas ranks 31st, allowing 138.7 rushing yards per game and they’re also right at the bottom in terms of opponent rushing touchdown percentage and opponent rushing first down percentage.

In short: Breece Hall can expect a heavy workload, and if the Jets want to walk out of Vegas with a royal flush, they’ll likely need Hall to spin the wheel.

It has not always been pretty and it has required a great deal of fight in recent weeks, but the New York Jets are 4-3 and the proud owners of a three-game winning streak that has them firmly in the AFC playoff race.

There are some key statistics that point to reasons for the recent successes. Robert Saleh’s defense is allowing just 4.8 yards per play – the fourth-lowest amount in the league this season, running back Breece Hall has more than 90 scrimmage yards in each of New York’s four wins and quarterback Zach Wilson has won three straight games as a starter for the second time in his NFL career.

But what cannot be measured is the heart and spirit shown by the Jets week in and week out in a season that started in the most challenging of circumstances when future-Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with an achilles injury on opening night.

New York will be keen to put together a strong performance from all three units in the same game this weekend. Last week’s win was initially led by defense and special teams, with punter Thomas Morstead landing three key kicks inside the Giants’ five-yard line. In a game where every yard and every second counted, that was vital, allowing Wilson and the offense the opportunity to work their match-winning magic in the dying moments at MetLife Stadium.

And now here comes another quality Pro Bowl passer in Week 9 in the form of the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who threw for 298 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while also not being sacked in a 30-13 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Herbert can expect more pressure in New York on Monday night. The Jets are pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 42.2 percent of their drop-backs in 2023 and a new star is emerging on a defense loaded with big-time players.

So, that feels like a perfect way to lead into this week’s players to watch.

New York Jets Player to Watch

Bryce Huff – Edge Rusher

Bryce Huff leads the Jets with 31 quarterback pressures and he has made opposing quarterbacks feel the heat on 26.5 percent of his rushes this season – best in the NFL ahead of the likes of Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary and Myles Garrett, who make up the remainder of that fearsome top four. Huff has at least one sack in three straight games and Herbert will feel him in this game.

Los Angeles Chargers Player to Watch

Austin Ekeler – Running Back

Justin Herbert is the star man for the Chargers, but the cannon-armed passer needs help around him, of course. That comes in the form of Keenan Allen, who has caught 54 passes for 643 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Austin Ekeler, who appears to have returned to full health after missing three games with an ankle injury. Ekeler had minimal impact as a runner against Chicago, but he caught seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown and remains one of the best pass-catching backs in the league.

Stat Attack!

The Jets have faced three of the six quarterbacks with contracts worth $250 million in 2023. The Jets are 2-1 in such games and have allowed just three passing touchdowns while grabbing eight interceptions. Those quarterbacks have compiled a combined passer rating of 61.7.

Keys to the game

The Chargers are allowing 391 total yards per game in 2023 – second-worst in the NFL ahead of just the Denver Broncos. At that pace, it would be the second-most yards per game conceded by the Chargers in their team history. So, this feels like a week where the Jets can attack on the ground with Breece Hall and then find Garrett Wilson on the explosive plays that have become the norm against the Chargers D.

Defensively, the Jets will be expecting business as usual. Get after Herbert and make life difficult for yet another Pro Bowl quarterback. The Jets certainly have the players to handle that side of the ball as well as they have been doing in recent weeks.

I’ve always had an affinity for special teams play; maybe it’s my British nature having an interest in anything that involves kicking a ball with your foot. A long time ago I wrote a piece about Pat Leahy and a few weeks later received a message from a family member just thanking me for bringing attention to the best Jets kicker in franchise history.

Pat still holds the franchise all-time scoring record with 1,470 points; Nick Folk is second with 729 which shows just how good and how consistent Leahy was.

Over the last few years, the Jets have struggled to find consistency in their special teams unit, despite finding consistency within their coaching setup with Brant Boyer having been with the team since 2016. It’s a testament to Boyer’s talent that he’s remained with the Jets despite a number of head coaching changes.

Here’s how the Jets have ranked in terms of special teams DVOA since Brant Boyer took charge all the way back in 2016:

2016: 32nd

2017: 25th

2018: 1st

2019: 4th

2020: 29th

2021: 2nd

2022: 26th

2023: 1st

“DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) calculates a team’s success based on the down-and-distance of each play during the season, then calculates how much more or less successful each team is compared to the league average.”

If the Jets can maintain the early-season form throughout the rest of the season, it would represent the 4th time that Brant Boyer has put together a top-5 special teams unit since 2016. It’s not just DVOA either, in terms of EPA (Expected Points Added), the Jets also rank #1.

Thomas Morstead was arguably the Jets MVP during their win against the Giants on Sunday. It was the first time that Morstead had downed 3 punts inside the 5-yard line in the same game. He’s also the first Jets’ punter to ever do it, and just the 15th punter to do it since 1970. What was the secret to that success? Well, according to Morstead: “Sometimes you gotta talk a little dirty to the ball and just tell it what to do.. and it listened.”.

We probably don’t talk about special teams as much as we should. It usually only becomes a real topic when you have a poor unit. A unit costing you territory, points and opportunities. The Jets are the polar opposite.

Consider some of these stats. The Jets rank inside the top-five in the NFL in terms of field goal conversion percentage (94.44%), inside the top-10 for net yards per punt (44.0), inside the top-10 for punts downed inside the 20 (18), we’ve not had a single kick or punt blocked and we’re one of only three teams who have returned a punt for a touchdown.

There is a level of consistency this year where you feel as though the special teams are a huge strength of the team. At no point did I feel as though Morstead was going to shank a punt in the rain, at no point did I fear that Greg Zuerlein would miss the FG to send us to overtime or to win us the game. It’s a feeling that a lot of teams don’t enjoy; we do.

The Jets have worked through eight kickers since losing All-Pro Jason Myers to free-agency in 2018, and 2023 represented the first time the Jets had started the season with the same kicker in back-to-back seasons for 7 years in the form of Zuerlein. If consistency is key, the Jets have unlocked this unit’s potential.

Outside of our own kicking game, the coverage unit on special teams has been phenomenal. Whether that’s special teams captain Justin Hardee, safety Ashtyn Davis, linebackers Jamien Sherwood, Chazz Surratt, Sam Eguavoen or wide receiver Irvin Charles…the Jets have a number of people they can call on to help the defence by pinning the opponent deep.

In terms of their punt coverage, the Jets have the #1 ranked unit in football allowing the opponent an average of 39.1 net yards per punt attempt. We also have the #3 ranked unit in terms of opponent field goal success rate not including blocks (76.19%), and all you need to do is look at Will McDonald’s effort against the Giants and Graham Gano on the 4th quarter missed field goal to see why.

Morstead appeared on the Pat McAfee show this week to talk about this performance against the Giants, and after speaking about and praising the performance of the defence, he was able to take time to give the special teams unit a much deserved pat on the back…

“I can say we’ve had a hand in all four of our wins this year, not only on the punt team. Special teams have been awesome. Greg Zuerlein has been balling as well. We just have a crew of guys that believe that, and we are doing it week in and week out. It’s exciting to be a part of.”

Long may it continue.

Sunday’s game between the Jets and the Giants was a battle of attrition that needed extra time to decide a winner.

With players on both sides dropping at an alarming rate and the defences forcing a stalemate, the Jets somehow won a 13-10 game in OT as Greg Zuerlein tied the game with a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter and then won it with a 33-yard boot in overtime. The Jets’ second overtime win this season was their third consecutive victory and pushed their record to 4-3.

Zach Wilson struggled for most of the game, but Graham Gano missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt wide left that left the door open for a comeback. With 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Wilson completed consecutive 29-yard completions to Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard. Wilson spiked the ball with 1 second left, setting up the first of Zuerlein’s two clutch kicks.

“Initially before the ball is snapped we’re thinking ‘clock situation, get the ball down and get a shot to a Hail Mary’”, HC Robert Saleh said of the team’s final drive in regulation. “Thankfully, they gave us a free play, get the explosive and gave us a chance to get in field goal range. So, it’s a series of sloppy ball all around, but they never ask how, they ask how many.”

Then in OT, the Jets defence forced a three-and-out and Wilson got the ball back to lead the heroics. The Jets finally found success on third down as G. Wilson (7-100) got 11 yards on a third-and-10 and then Malik Taylor, a practice squad call up, drew a 30-yard pass interference penalty. Zuerlein ended one of the wildest games in the Metropolitan rivalry the next play.

“Playing great defense, all that stuff, that’s sustainable,” Saleh said. “Making mistakes, penalties, turnovers, not sustainable. The good news is that we can correct it on a W, but there’s a lot of things we have to clean up for sure.”

The Jets defence was dominant throughout, holding Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito to minus-9 yards passing and 0 completions in the second half. While the Giants went 2 of 19 on third down, the Jets offence had trouble sustaining drives. Wilson was sacked 4 times (lost a fumble), the Jets rushed for 2.6 yards a carry and went 2-for-15 on third down. In a game that featured 24 punts, Thomas Morstead was superb all afternoon, averaging 48.1 yards on 11 boots and landed four inside the 20 including three inside the 5-yard line.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley rushed for 128 yards on 36 tough carries and his 34-yard scamper on the second play of the second half was critical in a game that didn’t have many explosives. That play set the home team up on the Jets’ 35-yard line. The Green & White were flagged for a pair of unnecessary roughness penalties (Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson) that extended the Giants drive. The Green & White held a 7-3 lead at halftime, but DeVito’s 6-yard TD run on a run-pass option looked like it would hold up before the late-game drama.

The Giants lost Taylor (ribs) midway through the second quarter when he was driven to the ground on a split-sack by Jets LB C.J. Mosley and DL Quinton Jefferson.

“Thought our defence was awesome. The drive coming out of the locker room was disappointing, but those were self-inflicted I felt like. Overall, I thought our guys showed grit. It’s very easy to just cash in at the end of the game, feeling like the game is over, who cares if they get a first down. But they fought. I thought we were great on third down. For the most part I thought we did a nice job.”

The Jets were forced to scramble in front of Wilson all afternoon as starting C Connor McGovern exited with a knee injury after 18 snaps. Then Wes Schweitzer, who moved from RG to C, went down with a calf injury after 10 snaps and was replaced by Xavier Newman, a Saturday practice squad elevation, who was playing in his fifth pro game. Newman entered the game at right guard when Schweitzer moved to the pivot and finished the game at center. With the Jets down to an emergency center and the Giants turning to their third QB, a rock fight ensued.

It was a defensive slugfest from the onset, but Breece Lightning proved to be the perfect complement for the unrelenting rain. After an early Giants field goal, the teams exchanged six punts with the Jets inching forward in the field-position game.

Taking over at midfield late in the first quarter, Wilson threw a short pass to Hall and the second-year back did the rest. He avoided a couple of defenders in the center of the field, took off to the sideline and got a key block from TE C.J. Uzomah before leaping in the end zone for a 50-yard TD. Hall’s dash was the Jets’ first TD in the first quarter in 13 games.

The Giants recorded a takeaway on the Green & White’s fourth offensive play as Kayvon Thibodeaux had a strip-sack of Wilson that was recovered by LB Jihad Ward. But the Jets’ fourth-ranked red-zone defence stiffened and limited the Giants to a Gano 31-yard field goal.

The Jets defence was dominant over the first 30 minutes, holding the Giants to 74 total yards and 0 of 10 on third down. Neither team converted a third down before intermission and the teams combined for 15 punts. DeVito, a Don Bosco Prep HS alum, went 2 of 7 in relief of Taylor for -1 yard.

Jetcetera

The Jets offensive line transitioned into emergency mode Sunday against the Giants. Wes Schweitzer, who started at RG in place of Joe Tippmann (quad), moved over to center in the second quarter when Connor McGovern exited with a knee injury. Xavier Newman, a practice-squad elevation on Saturday, came in off the bench and finished the game at RG. …

DT Al Woods sustained an Achilles tendon tear in the second stanza and did not return. …

With his 50-yd scoring catch and run, Breece Hall now has 5 scrimmage plays of 50-plus yards, tied for second-most by RB in franchise history. …

Top Giants receiving threat TE Darren Waller left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. …

The Jets were penalized 9 times and marked off for 85 yards, including two unnecessary roughness penalties (Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson) on the Giants’ lone TD drive. …

The Jets were credited with 4 sacks as Johnson led the way with 2. They also had 12 TFL.

The Jets won’t have to travel too far in Week 8 even though they are officially on the road. They will stay at ‘home’ to face the Giants at MetLife Stadium in a battle for New York bragging rights.

And this game represents a key run for the Jets as they come out of their bye with renewed hope in the AFC East division race after both the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills lost last week. The next three contests offer a chance for the Jets to put together a run of form as they face the Giants, the Los Angeles Chargers at home and the Raiders in Las Vegas.

The Giants snapped a four-game losing streak last week when beating the Washington Commanders. But the 14-7 scoreline suggests they have yet to fix their offense, even though Saquon Barkley looked back to full strength at running back.

The Big Blue have averaged just 12.1 points per game in 2023 – fewest in the NFL. And they allow an average of 5.3 quarterback sacks per game – second-most in the league. This is a game in which the Jets should be able to stamp their authority on yet another opposing offense.

The likes of Pro Bowlers Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts have struggled against New York’s defense already this season. The Giants have looked livelier in the past couple of games with Tyrod Taylor under center but he is likely to struggle against the Jets defenders who do a very good job of bringing pressure without the need to blitz.

Offensively, the Jets just need a clean game and production from Breece Hall against what is a porous Giants defense against the run. That should be enough to secure Big Apple bragging rights for the fans decked in green and to have Robert Saleh’s team move above .500 for the season.

New York Jets Player to Watch

Quincy Williams – Linebacker… Already a star in New York, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams is starting to get some much-deserved national attention. In the opening six games of the season, Williams has proven himself to be a do-it-all defender, recording 60 tackles, two sacks, five pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. 

New York Giants Player to Watch

Saquon Barkley – Running Back… The Giants have really struggled to put points on the board this season and have not been helped by the absence of their Pro Bowl running back for three games with an ankle injury. Barkley showed his value to the Giants in last week’s win over Washington as he compiled a season-high 118 scrimmage yards and scored on a 32-yard catch and run. 

Stat Attack!

According to Next Gen Stats, the Jets have a 41.9 percent QB pressure rate in 2023 (3rd in NFL). The Jets also get home without blitzing with a pressure rate of 37.0 percent when not sending extra defenders (4th in NFL). Giants passers have been pressured on 109 dropbacks in 2023 – 3rd-most in the NFL.

Keys to the game

With limited threats at wide receiver, the Giants are going to lean heavily – as they always do – on running back Saquon Barkley, whether that be on the ground or in the passing game. Quincy Williams is going to be his usual active self in this game and if he can slow Barkley’s progress, who else will the Giants rely on?

Zach Wilson is going to need to handle some of Wink Martindale’s exotic and aggressive blitzing, but only if he and the Jets are forced into obvious passing situations. The preference would be to have a run-heavy game led by Hall, who is averaging 6.5 yards per rush this season – a pace which would see him set a new single season NFL record.

If the Jets are to start a post-bye week march to the playoffs, they absolutely need to win this type of game and I think they match up well across the board against the Giants. If they stay ahead of the chains on offense and play to form on defense, they should get the job done.

“Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants.”

Those were the words of owner Harry Wismer back in 1959 following the announcement of his new team in New York, participating in the upstart AFL. It was at that point that the battle for New York supremacy began.

Teams fought for the hearts, minds and wallets of New York sports fans, and while a rivalry on the field never really developed, there was certainly a commercial rivalry off the field. The Jets were the noisy neighbours, moving into the Giants territory and upsetting the apple cart.

But talk to any Jets or Giants fans now, and few would consider the other a real rival. For us, it’s all about the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots; for the Giants it’s all about the Eagles, Commanders and Cowboys.

When you play each other so infrequently, a rivalry is hard to sustain. But, despite it not being a heated rivalry, we always want to walk away from the game with bragging rights, and this year the Jets can use a victory against the Giants as a springboard for the second half of the season.

The first matchup between the teams came at Shea Stadium back in 1970 with the Giants running out 22-10 winners. With Joe Namath, Emerson Boozer and Matt Snell all missing the game, Jets fans might argue that the result comes with a heavy caveat.

That’s not to say there haven’t been marquee games in this “rivalry”.

For the final regular season game of the 1988 season, the Jets came in at 7-7-1 and with the playoffs out of the picture. The Giants on the other hand were 10-5, on a three game win streak and had the playoffs and the divisional title in their sights, needing a victory to secure both.

The Jets played the perfect spoiler that night. They sacked Giants QB Phil Simms 8 times on the way to a 27-21 win, knocking the Giants out of the playoff picture.

While the two teams met periodically over the years, you have to fast-forward all the way to 2011 to find the next marquee game that would be considered consistent with that of a rivalry.

Rex Ryan – who wasn’t shy in sharing his thoughts – wrote in his autobiography:

“When people ask me what it¹s like to share New York with the Giants, my response is always: I am not sharing it with them — they are sharing it with me.” And: “I have news for you: we are the better team. We’re the big brother. People might say they are the big, bad Giants, but we are not the same old Jets.”

“We are going to take over the town whether the Giants like it or not, so those fans on the fence that like both teams are going to be Jets fans in the end.”

For as much as Rex tried to stoke the flames, and for as difficult as it was to hear the stadium we played our games in referred to as “Giants Stadium”, the rivalry just simmered and never really exploded into the minds of the fans.

Even when Rex had the equipment staff tape up the Super Bowl logos of the Giants before the game, even after Rex and Brandon Jacobs exchanged words and almost more in the post-game environment, even with Fran Tarkenton tossing a ball at Larry Grantham and Earlie Thomas getting into a ruckus with Giants CB Kenny Parker, even with the Jets winning the first overtime sudden death contest in NFL history (1974) against the Giants remembered for Joe Namath hobbling into the endzone on his balky knees to score his first rushing touchdown since 1969, the Giants are just another team that we have to beat.

That being said: it’ll be nice to hold the bragging rights for at least a little while.

That 2011 matchup which resulted in a 29-14 Giants victory largely eliminated the Jets from the playoffs and the blue half of New York went on to win the Super Bowl by defeating the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady led Patriots.

So while the game might not constitute a ‘real rivalry’, in the way a divisional contest would, there’s evidence for how important the result can be, not just from a bragging rights perspective but in setting the team up for the rest of the season. As the Jets look to carry their pre-bye week momentum into the second ‘half’, a victory on Sunday would be sweet in more ways than one.

Four plays into the 2023 season and it was supposed to be all over for the New York Jets. Losing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his first drive in Gotham green was supposed to signal the death knell for one of the most fancied AFC teams heading into the new campaign.

If it was all over after Rodgers tore his achilles, no one told head coach Robert Saleh and his talented, tough and determined team. As they get some well-earned rest with their bye week this weekend, the Jets can hold their heads high and take that quick break in the knowledge that they are very much alive in the AFC playoff race.

Four of New York’s first six opponents were against high-quality playoff teams from a year ago, including both Super Bowl participants. Despite having to face Buffalo, Dallas, Kansas City and Philadelphia out of the gate, the Jets are well positioned at 3-3 – a record that points to a collective effort driven by great locker room spirit.

It also helps when you have one of the NFL’s best defences! I’ve always been quite a bit of a stats guy but the numbers lie when you look at the 2023 New York Jets on the defensive side of the ball. That unit ranks 22nd in the league in yards allowed per game (351.8) and 13th in points per game (19.8).

The eyeball test – coupled with making key plays in big spots – suggests those numbers are a total fallacy. Those key plays in big spots have driven recent wins against Denver in Week 5 (Bryce Hall scoring on a fourth quarter fumble return) and against Philadelphia in Week 6 (Tony Adams key interception on third down to set up Breece Hall’s game-winning touchdown run late in the fourth).

And it doesn’t get much bigger than facing the quarterback trio of Josh Allen (Buffalo), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) and Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia). The Jets beat Allen and Hurts and were a couple of plays away from taking down the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

The combined numbers for that quarterback trio against the Jets D? They went 75 of 116 (64.6%) for 719 yards, three touchdowns and eight interceptions. That’s a combined rating of 61.7 – a mark that would be the lowest in the NFL this season if it were applied to a single player.

There are plenty of stars on defence. The secondary – led by All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner – continues to make life very difficult for opposing passing games and Jermaine Johnson already has two sacks in his second NFL season after recording two and a half sacks in all of 2022.

But the star of the defensive show has to be linebacker Quincy Williams, who demands our attention each and every week as he flies from sideline to sideline making key plays like knocking the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hand for a game-clinching scoop and score against Denver. In six games, Quincy has recorded 60 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He is a true team leader and as reliable as they come.

Offensively, the Jets have steadied the ship following the shock of losing Rodgers. Zach Wilson has thrown just one interception in his last four starts and has grown in confidence with more playing time, Garrett Wilson is on pace for a second straight 1,000-yard season at receiver and Breece Hall looks back to his explosive best a year on from his torn ACL.

Hall has been a driving force on the offensive side of the ball, carrying 66 times for 426 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 6.5 yards per rush and has already ripped off an 83-yard run against the Bills and a 72-yard scoring sprint against the Broncos. He is a true home run threat who can change games.

It’s been an absolute gauntlet of a schedule for the Jets – one in which even the great Aaron Rodgers would have been challenged – and they’re still standing! With back-to-back wins over Denver and Philadelphia in the books, the Jets now have the chance to build some momentum coming out of the bye.

They have winnable games coming up at the New York Giants, home to the Los Angeles Chargers and at the Las Vegas Raiders and it’s a key period that needs to be successful. Then come some tougher tests at Buffalo and home to the Miami Dolphins on Black Friday, but who knows what this team will look like by late November?

You saw who was throwing on the field before the win over the Eagles, didn’t you?

The bye week is a good opportunity to sit back and take stock of the season to date. The team has gone from the devastating injury to Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into the season, to sitting at 3-3 having beaten the heavily favoured Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. It’s been a season of momentum shifts, devastating injuries and pleasant surprises.

One of those pleasant surprises has to be the performance of Bryce Hall, the Jets 5th round pick out of Virginia back in 2020.

For many the fact that Hall was available in the 5th-round was a shocking surprise, as some outlets like CBS had released mocks with Bryce in the top-10 of the first-round, but an ankle injury his senior season caused his draft stock to plummet.

It’s rare in the modern NFL, where the passing game is king, that you have the opportunity to draft a player in the fifth round with the resume of Hall.

Over the course of four years at Virginia, the Pennsylvania native allowed just 48.9% of passes to be completed into his coverage with 5 interceptions and 31 passes broken up. In 2018, he was arguably the best cornerback in college football allowing 47.2% of passes his way to be completed with 2 interceptions and 18 passes defended.

When the Jets took him with the 158th pick in the draft, many saw it as a steal.

He allowed just 2 touchdowns during his rookie season, with 1 interception and 2 passes broken up. But it was a big learning curve for Hall who was still recovering from that ankle injury. He missed all of his rookie training camp and much of the early-season. But his play towards the backend of the 2020 season which included an interception of Jared Goff in the Jets 23-20 win over the Rams gave the team confidence to start Hall heading into 2021.

With a new coaching staff, new system and an opportunity for a full training camp, expectations were high for Hall heading into year two. His completion percentage against dropped from 75% to 59.1%, and while he did allow 6 touchdowns on 93 targets, he also put up 14 pass breakups, the third highest mark in football.

Following the arrival of Sauce Gardner through the draft and DJ Reed through free-agency, Hall’s role within the team changed. He was no longer an every down starter, and whilst that must have been disappointing, he attacked the situation rather than let it get him down. He had to stay patient and work on different areas of his game in practice, but that patience paid off in a big way.

Having seen the field for just 15 defensive snaps in 2022, Hall was called upon to start against Denver in week five this season following injuries to DJ Reed and backup outside corner Brandin Echols.

Not only did Hall allow just 12 yards through the air, he was also responsible for the scoop and score that sealed the game for the Jets following a Quincy Williams forced fumble. He scooped the ball right up against the sideline and took it to the house.

One week later, he was called on to start again, against one of the best offences in football in the Philadelphia Eagles, and again he came through with a big interception in the fourth quarter, whilst allowing only 50% of passes into his coverage to be completed.

Coach Saleh was asked about Bryce Hall following the game against Denver, about his patience, his work-ethic, and his adaptability. How a player reacted after going from starter to back-up, to not having played in over a year to sealing the game.

There’s no better way to finish this week’s column than with the quote in full.

“Yeah, Bryce Hall, I thought he did a really nice job. It was awesome for him to get his opportunity again, because it’s not easy, kind of in the same situation is Zach (Wilson) in the sense that he was the starting corner. Then we drafted Sauce (Gardner), we paid DJ (Reed). So, he had to take this backup role and he sat back. 

He learned, still did everything, prepared the way he needed to, did everything that was asked of him. Actually went from being a guy that Brant Boyer wanted nothing to do with on special teams to being a guy that he was like, “God, I can’t live without him”, where he needed Bryce out there. So, credit to him and the way he’s approached it as a pro and for him to get his opportunity. I think we were all confident that he was going to do pretty good and I thought he was outstanding yesterday.”

The New York Jets put an impressive, morale-boosting ‘W’ on the board last weekend with a 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos in Colorado.

And now the goal is to secure back-to-back victories for the first time this season as Week 6 sees New York take on yet another formidable opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets have already faced three playoff teams from last season in the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs.

After beating Buffalo in Week 1 and running the Chiefs very close before losing by three in Week 4, the Jets will be aiming to take down the reigning NFC champion Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

While Philadelphia boasts glitzy skill-position stars such as quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown, any battle with the Eagles features heavy action in the trenches. In their victory over the Los Angeles Rams last weekend, Philly rushed for 159 yards, gave up just one sack and controlled the clock for close to 38 minutes. Defensively, the Eagles recorded four sacks, limited the Rams to 54 rushing yards and did not allow a point in the second half.

But New York’s win in Denver offers encouraging signs heading into this weekend. The Jets ran the football 32 times for 234 yards and one touchdown at an average of 7.3 yards per rush. And they made plenty of plays on defence, similar to the Eagles in LA. The Jets recorded four sacks, scored on a game-deciding fumble return by defensive back Bryce Hall and held the Broncos to just one touchdown in the second half.

More impressive than the statistics was the fact that the Jets rallied together as a team, determined to take down Sean Payton’s Broncos. They continue to play with great spirit and passion – qualities that can carry teams a long way in the NFL.

It won’t be easy against the Eagles, that’s for sure; but the Jets have the right mindset when it comes to taking on the NFL’s elite, with Bryce Hall telling me this week: “That’s life in the National Football League.”

New York Jets Player to Watch

Breece Hall – Running Back… It was a joy to watch Breece Hall have a massive day against the Broncos on the very field where he tore his knee ligaments last season. Hall – who rushed for 177 yards on 22 carries – might just be the most explosive running back in New York’s history. He averaged 8.0 yards per rush in Denver and showed his home run ability by scoring on a 72-yard sprint. Getting Hall going against the league’s stingiest run defence would be a real boost.

Philadelphia Eagles Player to Watch

Jalen Hurts – Quarterback… The Eagles are led by one of the very best players in the league in quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has won 22 of his last 23 regular season games and his last 11 on the road. Hurts has heated up as a passer in the last two weeks, topping 300 yards in beating the Washington Commanders and the Rams. And he remains one of the most patient and physical running quarterbacks in the game. Hurts has started 39 NFL games and has 50 touchdown passes and 30 touchdown runs to his name.

Stat Attack!

As good as he has been in the past 13 months, Jalen Hurts could give just enough chances to New York’s opportunistic secondary led by All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. Hurts has thrown four interceptions in five games this season having only tossed up six in 15 starts in 2022.

Keys to the game

The Jets have to dominate the trenches and that is not limited to protecting Zach Wilson and getting Breece Hall going on the ground. New York has a talented defence with playmakers all over the field, so they have to tighten things up in the running game having allowed 146.2 rushing yards per game.

If the Jets can limit the Eagles’ ground attack, that could force Hurts to take a few more risks through the air. And that’s when the Jets could potentially add to Hurts’ interception totals for the season.

Oh and one more key for whenever a team faces the Eagles… you need to have an answer to the ‘Tush Push’ or what is becoming known as ‘The Brotherly Shove.’ With big men pushing him from behind and Hurts crowd surfing on the backs of his offensive linemen, the Eagles have converted 91.7 percent of their third-and-one and fourth-and-one scenarios with their starting quarterback under centre in 2023.

Fear not Jets fans, head coach and defensive mastermind Robert Saleh says he has something for the much-talked-about play. We’ll find out if it works on Sunday evening…