The Green Bay Packers head home after their troublesome trip across the pond, trying to get right against one New York team after falling to another. While most Packers fans would have assumed this game would be an easy win prior to the start of the season, the New York Jets have been feistier than expected. Despite not having starting quarterback Zach Wilson for the first three weeks of the season, the Jets find themselves on level footing with the Packers at 3-2.
Although the Packers will still be overwhelming favorites coming into this game, it would be good to see them put away a team and play a complete game. This matchup will go a long way in revealing whether or not the upstart Jets are for real and if the Packers’ early struggles are indicative of deeper flaws.
Here are three things the Jets do well that the Packers have to watch out for.
Interior Pass Rush
When Robert Saleh became head coach of the Jets, everyone knew that this defense would take their performance to the next level. Most people didn’t expect just how good the pass rush would be just one season into Saleh’s takeover.
Quinnen Williams, the third-overall pick in 2019, has become one of the most feared defensive tackles this season, already recording 17 pressures and four sacks in just five weeks. Since the Jets have picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, Williams has played like a man possessed.
He currently has the best sack rate (3%) for a defensive tackle, along with the fifth-best pressure win rate (17.5%) and the fourth-best pressure percentage (12.9%). While most people remember him as the rookie who once blessed and thanked himself after a sneeze on live TV, this season Williams has played with much more of an edge, and he will likely make it a goal to bring Aaron Rodgers to the ground multiple times.
The Packers’ interior offensive line of Jon Runyan, Josh Meyers, and Royce Newman will have their hands full all game with Williams. The offense’s success on Sunday is likely predicated on their ability to keep the pocket clean and allow Rodgers to step into his throws.
Cover Receivers
The Jets’ ability to cover receivers has also improved under Saleh. They invested one of the first of their three first-round picks this season in Sauce Gardner, a highly touted corner from the University of Cincinnati. Despite playing one of the most challenging positions for a rookie to learn, Gardner has been very good to start the season.
So far, he has a PFF coverage grade of 68.4, and he has only allowed 50% of targets on his man to be completed. He has allowed just 127 yards in coverage, with 57 of those coming in one game against the Cincinnati Bengals when he matched up against Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. He has not allowed a touchdown since high school, going his entire college career and his first five weeks in the NFL without allowing one.
D.J. Reed Jr. is across from Gardner, and he is having an outstanding season thus far. Reed has been targeted in coverage 23 times but has allowed just 11 catches for about eight yards on average. He is allowing a passer rating of 39.8 when targeted. With Green Bay’s inexperienced wideout core and the Jets budding secondary, don’t be surprised to see the Packers’ offense lean more on Jones and Dillon to open things up, both as runners and pass catchers.
Get the Ball To Play-Makers
The Jets also invested in their offensive weapons recently. Two years ago, they added Corey Davis via free agency and Elijah Moore in the second round of the draft. They are off to good starts with 299 and 203 yards, respectively. Davis has a 130.1 passer rating when targeted and an average of 17.6 yards per reception, proving to be one of New York’s most reliable targets down the field.
The Jets also used the 10th-overall pick in this past draft to add Garrett Wilson to their wide receiver corps. Wilson has been good thus far in his rookie campaign, totaling 282 yards with two touchdowns. Davis, Moore, and Wilson have given offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur an embarrassment of riches to work with at wide receiver, something his brother Matt has sorely lacked this season.
But the offensive playmakers don’t stop at the wide receivers. Last year, the Jets’ offense also added running back Breece Hall through the draft and tight end Tyler Conklin through free agency. Hall has started to establish his ability both as a ball carrier and a pass catcher this season, rushing for 275 yards and adding 213 more through the air. Conklin has also been a welcome addition to the Jets’ offense, providing 192 receiving yards this season.
The Packers’ defense will have a much more difficult task stopping this loaded Jets offense. Considering their inability to slow down a barren Giants offense, this is a concern.
