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) | –> | Joe Burrow (91) |
| Halfbacks | ||
| Breece Hall (76) | –> | Joe Mixon (94) |
| Wide Receivers | ||
| Corey Davis (79) | –> | Ja’Marr Chase (87) |
| Elijah Moore (79) | –> | Tyler Boyd (85) |
| Garrett Wilson (76) | –> | Tee Higgins (84) |
| Tight Ends | ||
| C.J. Uzomah (79) | <– | Hayden Hurst (76) |
| Tyler Conklin (78) | <– | Drew Sample (69) |
| Offensive Linemen | ||
| 78 Overall | <– | 77 Overall |
| Defensive Linemen | ||
| John Franklin-Myers (81) | –> | Sam Hubbard (75) |
| Carl Lawson (83) | –> | Pernell McPhee (72) |
| Quinnen Williams (86) | <– | D.J. Reader (84) |
| Linebackers | ||
| Quincy Williams (72) | <– | Bruce Irvin (71) |
| C.J. Mosley (82) | <– | Germaine Pratt (74) |
| Kwon Alexander (75) | –> | Logan Wilson (83) |
| Defensive Backs | ||
| D.J. Reed Jr (80) | –> | Chidobe Awuzie (85) |
| Sauce Gardner (78) | –> | Mike Hilton (82) |
| Ashtyn Davis (74) | –> | Jessie Bates III (90) |
| Chris Harris (84) | <– | Vonn Bell (83) |
The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the league right now and Cammy has really been one of the most impressive coaches so far this cycle. The Bengals will be without star defensive end Trey Hendrickson and the Jets are still without their best defensive end in Carl Lawson. It’s only week 3, but both teams are coming off victories in week 2, and the Jets are looking to follow up on their blowout win over the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals are averaging 41.5 points per game and the Jets are going to have to slow the game down because it’s going to be difficult for their offense to match the Bengals offense point for point.
Players to Watch –
Joe Burrow –
The defensive pass rush for the Jets has been one of the highlights of the season, but Joe Burrow’s fearless ability will allow him to ignore defensive pressure even when it’s staring at him in the face. Normally 87 throw power would make a quarterback almost useless, but Burrow has the ‘Set Feet Lead’ ability that gives him increased throw power on bullet passes. Borrow has thrown 6 touchdowns in his first two games and 0 interceptions. In a league where some quarterbacks have thrown over 10 interceptions in two weeks, Joe Burrow is looking like a strong candidate for the MVP title.
Joe Mixon –
The ultimate three down back, Joe Mixon, has two of the better abilities in the game that give him the edge to defeat one-on-one tackles in the open field. ‘Arm Bar’ is a powerful ability since tackle battles have been introduced in the game and spamming ‘X’ has its rewards. However, the strip mechanic is enhanced when a defender is stood up in the tackle battle animation. Mixon is averaging just over 5 yards a carry with an average of 19 carries a game. Cammy is going to look to control the clock and keep the Jets off the field, similar to what the Ravens did in their week 1 victory versus the Jets.
Jessie Bates –
Acrobat. Jessie Bates has the ‘acrobat’ ability and it instantly makes him the best player on the field. He also has a deep zone knockout ability that will give him a boost when covering receivers down the field. Bates is one of those safeties that you gameplan to throw away from. He had 2 interceptions last week against the Dallas Cowboys and the Jets will have to be aware of where Bates is playing at all times.
Game Recap –
The Cincinnati Bengals came dressed to impress in their all white Bengals uniform. The white striped helmet is one of the greatest helmet designs in the NFL. Joe Burrow and company marched down the field with relative ease and punched the ball in with Joe Mixon on the goalline. The biggest fumble of the game for the Bengals was the special teams play, because on the kickoff following the touchdown, Braxton Berrios returned the kick for a 94 yard touchdown. Joe Burrow ended up getting demolished after driving near the red zone and threw an interception, but the game stayed at 7-7 until midway through the second quarter when the Bengals punted the ball from their own 4 yard line. Some spotty coverage and lack of blocking led to a blocked punt and the Jets took a 14-7 lead. Both of their touchdowns came off of special teams. Lets fast forward to the fourth quarter where the game was tied at 17. Joe Burrow had his worst game this season while throwing 3 interceptions, one of which was the D. J Reed for the go ahead pick 6 that gave the Jets a 24-17 lead with 3 minutes left in the game. Don’t count out Joey B just yet… He led his offense down the field and drained all of the time off the clock. Joe Burrow found Chase on a slant on 3rd and goal with 1 second left on the clock to make the game 23-24. Understanding that the Bengals were going to be iced, coach Cammy marched his offense back on the field and despite running on almost every goalline opportunity, Joe Burrow found his tight end wide open for the two point conversion after coach Fallen blitzed the house. This was the second time this season that the Jets had lost to an opponent after seemingly having the game wrapped up late in the fourth quarter.
The New York Jets will have to rebound quickly as they face their final AFC North opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers next week. The Steelers are looking to identify themselves on offense. Kenny Pickett was drafted to be the franchise quarterback but his lack of power in his throws has coach Arod questioning if Pickett really is the answer in the Steel City.
