Burning Questions Ahead of Jets vs. Seahawks

Wh*ich* player on the Jets or the Seahawks, despite maybe a slow start, has improved drastically this season and should be part of the opposing team’s gameplan as they prepare for Sunday?

JB: On offense, second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has gone from important contributor on offense to a focal point. His improvement has had more to do with opportunity coming more often later in the season than either player not doing his job early on. Smith-Njigba, a first-round pick in last year’s draft, had a great training camp and hopes were high for him, but with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on the roster, there are only so many targets to go around. So while he was having a solid start to the season, he wasn’t putting up huge numbers. Over the past three games, however, Smith-Njigba has piled up 367 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he now ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards (755) and eighth in receptions (66).

JP: Rookie RB Braelon Allen has really settled into his role as the season has gone along and had a positive impact on the Jets’ offense, that might isn’t obvious based on counting stats. Allen, a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin by the Jets in April’s NFL Draft (No. 134), has rushed for 229 yards on 62 attempts and found the end zone 3 times, twice on runs. In recent weeks, Allen has primarily been used in short-yardage situations. Through the last 9 games, he is 9 of 9 on third-and-1- or 2-yard conversion runs. Now playing second fiddle to RB Breece Hall, Allen (6-1, 235) has developed an affinity for the bruising short-yard attempts and been essential to keeping offensive drives alive in the past month.