The Jets season is in danger of spiraling out of control after they lost their fourth game in a row against the Steelers on Sunday night. Having lost three close games, the Jets were blown out in Pittsburgh as the Steelers racked up 31 unanswered points. They have a golden opportunity to get back to winning ways this weekend, as they face the 1-6 New England Patriots, but a loss would be catastrophic.
Here are the biggest stories to watch as the Jets look to beat the Patriots for the second time this season:
Will the Jets respond to Davante Adams’ leadership?
New wide receiver Davante Adams didn’t have a great first game with the Jets as he caught just three passes on nine targets. However, he reportedly made an impact off the field with an impassioned postgame speech. Adams is seeking to improve the locker room culture so that the Jets can start playing up to their talent level.
The fact he even needed to make comments about issues such as a lack of energy on the sideline in such a big game is eye-opening, but he has been in the league long enough to know a thing or two about how to galvanize a team to prevent them from underachieving.
Naturally, Adams’ words will carry more weight if he has more of an on-field impact, so the Jets will also hope for more statistical production from him this week.
What kind of impact can Haason Reddick have in his Jets’ debut?
Having ended his lengthy holdout, defensive end Haason Reddick is set to suit up for the Jets this weekend. His role is uncertain right now, but it seems likely he’ll get some reps in pass-rushing situations.
Reddick will be keen to make the most of those opportunities, especially in light of the fact that a significant portion of his reworked contract depends on performance-based incentives.
Will Drake Maye be able to take advantage of a banged-up Jets secondary?
The Patriots’ rookie quarterback will be starting against the Jets for the first time, a month after making his NFL debut off the bench in New York’s 24-3 win. Since that time, both teams have lost four games in a row.
Maye was announced as the new starting quarterback two games ago and his statistics have been reasonably good, although New England lost those games by a combined 36 points and he generated much of his production in garbage time.
The Jets, who didn’t force a turnover over the past two weeks, will be aiming to force Maye into some errors on Sunday. The Pats turned the ball over four times in his first start but did not have any turnovers against Jacksonville on Sunday.
Are the Jets going to be able to establish the run against a struggling Patriots run defense?
The Jets had their best rushing performance of the season against New England in Week 3, as they put up 133 yards on the ground. The Patriots have gone from bad to worse against the run since that time, too, as they’ve allowed over 700 rushing yards in the past four games.
New playcaller Todd Downing spoke this week about the importance of establishing the run and the statistics would suggest that the Jets should be able to do this against a banged-up New England team that just traveled back from London.
However, New York’s offensive line won’t be at full strength due to Alijah Vera-Tucker’s ankle injury. Third-stringer Jake Hanson looks set to start at right guard while Vera-Tucker is out.
Will Aaron Rodgers protect the football better this week?
With Adams’ arrival, last week was supposed to be the week when the Jets would unleash their full firepower in the passing game. However, two more costly interceptions from Aaron Rodgers swung the momentum in Pittsburgh’s favor.
Although one of Sunday night’s interceptions came from an unlucky bounce and poor attempt at a catch by Garrett Wilson rather than a bad throw, that’s six interceptions in three games for Rodgers, who had previously gone three games without one.
Are we going to see a more conservative gameplan from the Jets this week or will New York still prioritize getting everyone on the same page and operating at full capacity?