The Jets opened their preseason schedule on Saturday night at Lambeau Field against the Packers.
But unlike some teams in today’s NFL, several Jets starters played, including quarterback Justin Fields. However, if you blinked, you missed the starters on the field.
The offensive and defensive starters mainly played one series and each side was effective. Let’s evaluate some of the takeaways from the Jets’ preseason opener.
FIELDS SOLID
Fields was efficient during his only drive of the night. Unlike a better part of training camp, Fields was decisive, finding underneath passes to his fullback, Andrew Back, and wide receiver Tyler Johnson. That helped set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Fields, which gave the Jets an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in March, hoping he will solidify their quarterback position. From the moment he was signed, Glenn said they were going to let Fields play the quarterback position. In other words, Glenn intends to build the Jets’ offense around Fields.
That’s why the Jets will have a run-heavy offense, leveraging Fields’ ability to scramble outside the pocket and make plays. They also have three running backs in Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis, who they expect to use heavily. Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand came from the Lions organization, which had one of the better running back tandems in the NFL in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Throughout training camp, Fields has struggled mainly with accuracy and his indecisiveness against the Jets’ defense. Fields and the Jets are hoping he can improve his decision-making and continue to show the confidence that he displayed against the Packers. In that case, the Jets will have a chance to be in every game because of their elite defense, which has finished in the top three in yards allowed each of the last three seasons.
ALLEN CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Not saying Breece Hall should be worried about his starting running back job, but Braelon Allen is making the case to receive more carries this fall.
Allen’s intense camp paid off in Saturday’s game against the Packers. He rushed for 32 yards on six carries, which included a 14-yard run in which the Jets’ offensive line paved a huge lane for him to run through.
If training camp is any indication, the Jets’ passing game could be hit or miss to begin the regular season. That’s why Allen, in addition to Fields and Davis, will likely be a focal point of the offense.
JETS’ DEFENSE
The Jets ‘ team defense was in midseason form against Jordan Love and a Packers team that made the playoffs a year ago. Love completed just 1-of-5 passes for 7 yards.
Sauce Gardner, in particular, continued his strong camp by knocking passes down and showcasing his elite coverage skills. The Jets’ defense allowed just 21 yards during the first quarter. This has been on par with what the Jets defense has shown throughout training camp, as they’ve been a menace to Fields and the entire offense for the previous three weeks.
In the second quarter, Jets defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III stripped Packers quarterback Malik Willis and defensive tackle Jay Tufele recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
The next test for the Jets’ defense will come during the back-to-back joint practices against the Giants beginning on Tuesday. But Glenn has to be impressed with how the defensive line attacked Love and the overall play of the Jets’ secondary.
PENALTIES STILL AN ISSUE
The Jets have led the league in penalties each of the last two seasons. Aaron Glenn has been committed to cleaning up that area, especially after the Jets’ 12 penalties during their Green and White scrimmage last week.
However, the Jets still have a lot of work to do to eliminate the bonehead infractions. On the Packers’ first offensive play from scrimmage, Jets defensive tackle Jay Tufele was called for an encroachment penalty.
Later on in the first quarter, defensive end Michael Clemons was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty after he was in the middle of a scrum with a few Packers players. Then defensive lineman Eric Watts and linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball were each flagged for unnecessary roughness on back-to-back plays.
Glenn was visibly upset on the sideline with the penalties after he had expressed his desire to clean that area up during the preseason. But clearly, Glenn still has a lot of work to do to eliminate the self-inflicted mistakes.
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