This is going to be a season-long blog where we take a look at the starting matchups of my opponents and compare them to the starters on the Jets. We will be using the depth charts of our opponents as a reference for their starters. We are also going to take a look at the three biggest threats on the opposing team and identify any possible weaknesses to exploit.
Quarterbacks
Zach Wilson (73) –> Lamar Jackson (87)
Halfbacks
Breece Hall (76) –> J.K Dobbins (81)
Wide Receivers
Corey Davis (79) <– Rashod Bateman (77)
Elijah Moore (79) <– Demarcus Robinson (76)
Garrett Wilson (76) <– Devin Duvernay (73)
Tight Ends
C.J. Uzomah (79) –> Mark Andrews (93)
Tyler Conklin (78) <– Isaiah likely (66)
Offensive Linemen
78 Overall –> 80 Overall
The starting offensive linemen’s overall were all added up and divided by 5 to get the average for the group.
Defensive Linemen
John Franklin-Myers (81) <–Justin Madubuike (76)
Carl Lawson (83) –> Calais Campbell (87)
Quinnen Williams (86) –> Michael Pierce (88)
Linebackers
Quincy Williams (72) –> Justin Houston (79)
C.J. Mosley (82) <– Patrick Queen (75)
Kwon Alexander (75) –> Odafe Oweh (78)
Defensive Backs
D.J. Reed Jr (80) –> Marlon Humphrey (90)
Sauce Gardner (78) –> Marcus Peters (86)
Ashtyn Davis (74) –> Marcus Williams (86)
Lamarcus Joyner (78) <– Kyle Hamilton (76)
*Carrot is pointing to the better player in each matchup.
The New York Jets are overwhelmingly underpowered in comparison to the Baltimore Ravens. The Jets have a young nucleus of wide receivers that slightly have an edge on the wide receivers for the Ravens, but all of the other position groups favor the Ravens.
Players to Watch –
Lamar Jackson –
Lamar is going to be the heart and soul of the offense and it is going to be crucial to keep him in front of the defense. His 96 speed is dangerous in the open field. A conservative approach may be the way to go because stopping J.K Dobbins should be easier than stopping Lamar if he breaks free. Lamar has an ‘deal’ sense of pressure, so he is prone to throwing wild balls when feeling the heat. The New York Jets should be able to match up well on the defensive side of the ball against the receivers, so the most important factor for their success will be containing Lamar and forcing him to throw the ball earlier than he wants.
Mark Andrews –
This is the best player on the Ravens and he has the ‘matchup nightmare’ ability, so it will be crucial that the Jets do not try to cover him with a linebacker. Safety Ashtyn Davis will have his hands full trying to cover Andrews throughout the game. This madden favours bigger bodied receivers and Andrews will tower over most defensive backs, but he will do most of his damage across the middle of the field. Lamar will want to use him as a safety blanket, so disguising coverage blitzes could be the way to go in stopping Andrews from taking over the game.
Calais Campbell –
The Ravens defensive line is something to keep an eye out on. Their linebackers are more athletic and getting past the defensive line to the secondary will be a huge factor in the outcome of this game. Campbell has the ‘inside stuff’ ability and the ‘run stopper’ ability, so expect the Jets to double team Campbell and design most of their rushing attempts away from him.
Game Recap –
Do you wanna know what it feels like to be winning the entire game only to b*** fumble the game at the end? The New York Jets do.. It seems to be the trend in New York and they just can’t get away from it. The Jets wanted to stop Lamar Jackson before he was able to get going. They knew that they wanted to blitz him, all game long. The Jets started the game with the ball on offense and they were able to find the endzone quickly with a two yard touchdown by Bryce Hall. The Jets were feeling confident after their first drive and even more so when Kwon Alexander picked off Lamar Jackson the proceeding drive. The Jets got out to a 10 point lead and were able to hold onto it until the fourth quarter. They were driving down the field, but were held to a 4th and 2 with 1:09 left in the game. It was the right call to go for it, but the Jets decided to run a stretch to the right side, and it was blown up in the backfield. The Jets ran the ball four times instead of going for the killshot and it ultimately ended up costing them the game. Lamar Jackson was able to lead his team down the field to tie the game and the Baltimore Ravens won the coin toss in overtime. The momentum swung heavily in favour of the Ravens and there was too much pressure for the Jets defense as they fell 20-26 in overtime. The Baltimore Ravens dominated to the time of possession in this and held the ball for well over 75% of the game. It was one of the best approaches to this game for the Ravens and despite the early scare, it ultimately gave them the victory.
Rookie Watch –
Bryce Hall – 21 rushing attempts, 125 rushing yards, and 1 touchdown. 2 receptions and 38 receiving yards.
Bryce Hall was one of the featured players when the Jets had the ball. Zach Wilson was forced to get the ball out quickly but of his 25 passing attempts, he only completed 10. The offensive line for the Jets is average at best, but they will need to protect their quarterback far better than they did in this game as the season progresses.
The Cleveland Browns are up next for the Jets and they will look to bounce back from this suffering defeat. The Browns are coming off a huge victory over the Carolina Panthers and the Jets have to avoid going 0-2 at all costs.
