The Jets have left themselves little to no margin for error when they tackle the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. And if head coach Robert Saleh knows what’s flipped the script for his team from their early burst from the gate to their recent slump, he wasn’t getting too specific early this week.
“The good news is that we’re in these games and putting ourselves in position to win,” Saleh said. “We’ve got to go back and find a way to recapture what we were doing in the first half of the season over the next stretch of games and hopefully extend it. … Quick turnaround but we’ve got to find a way to finish in the fourth quarter.
“It all starts with Jacksonville.”
Here’s a pre-primetime peek at some themes that the Jets will explore against the Jags on their first and possibly only night game this season (although the NFL could flex their regular-season finale at Miami).
Seeking a Run-Game Remedy
A bump up in the Jets’ run game will help Zach Wilson, getting his second start after his three-game rest, find his receivers, as he did vs. Detroit with 317 passing yards and seven 20-yards-plus connections, the most by a Jets QB since Sam Darnold had seven 20-pluses vs. Oakland in 2019. That pass-catching group should include Corey Davis, back from one game away in the concussion protocol, and Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah, who have combined for two two-TD games, the first time the TE position has done that since Dustin Keller in 2011.
But the rushing attack was ground down against the Lions’ 26th-ranked run defense, gaining 50 yards at 2.3 yards/carry with no run longer than 6 yards. The average was the Jets’ lowest since they had 1.8 yards/carry at New England in 2019. The backfield, which took a hit with Breece Hall’s season-ending injury in Game 7, may be constricted vs. the Jaguars by Bam Knight’s ankle, although Saleh said “his arrow’s pointing up” for being able to play. As for the offensive line’s blocking, the coach had a simple observation: “It’s got to be better…
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