MORSE: Week 8 – Previewing the Jets
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Up next for the Pats is the New York Jets. The familiar foe is struggling to win games, and their best outing was against the Pats in week three at the Meadowlands. Aaron Rodgers is running the show on the field and in the Front Office. They hitched their wagon to Rodgers and so far, he has been disappointing.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| QB | Aaron Rodgers Q | Tyrod Taylor | Jordan Travis O | – |
| RB | Breece Hall | Braelon Allen | Isaiah Davis | Israel Abanikanda |
| WR | Davante Adams | Mike Williams | Malachi Corley | – |
| WR | Garrett Wilson | Xavier Gipson | Malik Taylor IR | – |
| WR | Allen Lazard Q | Irvin Charles | Marcus Riley IR | – |
| TE | Tyler Conklin | Jeremy Ruckert | Anthony Firkser | Kenny Yeboah IR |
| LT | Tyron Smith | Olu Fashanu | – | – |
| LG | John Simpson | Jake Hanson | – | – |
| C | Joe Tippmann | Xavier Newman IR | – | – |
| RG | Alijah Vera-Tucker Q | Wes Schweitzer IR | – | – |
| RT | Morgan Moses Q | Olu Fashanu | Carter Warren | Max Mitchell |
The Jets Offense ranks 23rd in the league with 307.6 yards per game. The Passing Offense is ranked 11th with 224.6 yards per game and the Running game is 31st in the league at just 82.6 yards a game. They had their best game running game against the Pats in game 3 with 133 yards. The Offensive scoring is 24th at 18.3 points a game and they have scored over 20 points just twice this season.
Rodgers is ranked 21st in QBR ranking by ESPN, #13 by the Ringer and 22nd by Pro Football network. He received a big boost when they acquired Davante Adams a favorite target of Rodgers in Green Bay. Last week in a loss to Pittsburgh Adams had 3 catches on 9 targets from Rodgers. This will also free up Garret Wilson who had 5 catches on 9 targets. Breece Hall was the top target, catching 6 balls on 9 targets. This shows Rodger’s inaccuracy. Backup is Tyrod Taylor who is more of a runner than QB.
Adams can still play at the age of 31. Given that he had just a few days of practice, he received a lot of targets. Wilson won’t receive the double coverage he did previously and that should make him a more attractive target. The Jets have given Mike Williams permission to seek a trade. They acquired Adams for a 3rd round pick that can be elevated to a 2nd if he meets certain requirements. The Jets took on his entire salary in the deal. Alan Lazard, another ex-Packer is third on the team with 30 catches on 44 targets. However, Lazard Did Not Participate (DNP) in practice on Wednesday or Thursday with a chest injury. Wilson leads the team with 46 catches on 76 targets.
Ty Conklin is a very dependable TE. He has 23 catches on 34 targets and scored a TD. Jeremy Ruckert will occasionally contribute a catch here and there.
Breece Hall was expected to have a breakout season with the revamped Offensive Line. In the 2023 season finale against the Pats, he rushed for 178 yards and earlier this season in Week 3 he scored two touchdowns. For 2024 he has rushed for 324 yards (24th), 3 TDs and a 3.66 Yards Per Carry. Receiving he ranks 19th in the league among all receivers (32 catches) but 3rd in Yards After Catch (278 yards) and a 9.59 Yards Per Catch and a TD. The Patriots must stop Hall if they want any chance of winning this game. I love the backup running back Braelon Allen. The rookie 6’1” 235 pound back runs a 4.46 40-yard dash. The Wisconsin product had three straight seasons with 150+ carries, 10+ TDs, 5.25+ YPC. His 35 career TDs ranks 11th in Wisconsin history. Last season he ran for 984 yards despite missing time with an ankle injury versus Ohio State and carried just 3 times in the next game versus Northwestern. Isaiah Davis is a change of pace back out of South Dakota State. Israel Abanikanda had a good year last season as a rookie out of Pittsburgh but hasn’t got a single carry this year.
The Jets spent a lot of their salary cap on the Offensive Line. Tyron Smith was the big signee in Free Agency. Soon to be 34-year-old is entering his 14th season in the NFL. He has been selected 1st team All Pro twice, 2nd Team All Pron three times and a Pro Bowler 8 times. Last season with the Cowboys Smith played in 13 games. Injuries have been his calling card. The previous three seasons he missed 13, 6 and 14 games. From 2016 – 2019 he missed 3 games each season. It’s not a question of if he will breakdown, it’s when he will get injured. His Pro Football Focus (PFF) rating is 68.5 and ranked 37th amongst Tackles.
The back up is Oli Fashanu who they drafted with the 11th pick. That would have been the Patriots draft position if they had traded with Minnesota. They would have also received the #26 pick and probably a high pick in 2025. They could then have taken a QB or WR. John Simpson was a great acquisition by the Jets. Simpson was a 2020 4th round selection (#109) by Las Vegas out of Clemson. In 2021 he started all 17 games. Then was waived in December 0f 2022 and signed to Baltimore’s practice squad. In 2023 he started all 17 games for Baltimore. In 2024 he signed with the Jets and has been outstanding. Simpson has an overall grade of 74, good for 15th amongst all Guards.
At Center they have Joe Tippmann an outstanding young lineman out of Wisconsin. He is rated at 71.4 overall good for 10th among Centers. The 6’6” 317-pound Center is big for the position and is only 23 years old. He was taken in the 2nd round (#43) of last years’ draft. Alijah Vera-Tucker is at Right Guard. The former 1st round pick (#14) of the 2021 draft out of USC. His overall grade is 71 and his rank is 22. Vera-Tucker has an ankle injury and was a DNP at practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Right Tackle is Morgan Moses another Free Agent signee. The 6’ 6” 320-pound Tackle is 32 years old. Moses also started 14 games for Baltimore last year. His PPF rating is 60.3 and ranked 69th. Moses appeared on the injury report with a knee and was Limited Participant on both Wednesday and Thursday.
The Jets have one of the better Defenses in the league. Overall, they are ranked 6th, 2nd in Pass Defense with 154 .7 yards a game, but 31st against the run at 127.7 yards a game. Scoring they are ranked 11th giving up 20.7 points a game. In the Red Zone they are 16th at 54.5%. They hold their opponents on Third Down at 34.1%. good for 12th. Finally, they are 6th in the league in sacks with 21. However, they got a big boost this week with the re-signing of Haasan Reddick who ended his holdout on Sunday. Expect to see Reddick in the game on passing downs.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | |
| LDE | Will McDonald IV | Takk McKinley | Braiden McGregor |
| LDT | Javon Kinlaw | Leki Fotu Q | – |
| RDT | Quinnen Williams | Solomon Thomas | Leonard Taylor III |
| RDE | Haason Reddick | Micheal Clemons | Eric Watts |
| WLB | Jamien Sherwood | Marcelino McCrary-Ball | Zaire Barnes IR |
| MLB | C.J. Mosley | Chazz Surratt | – |
| SLB | Quincy Williams | Sam Eguavoen | Jimmy Ciarlo IR |
| LCB | Sauce Gardner | Qwan’tez Stiggers | Jarrick Bernard-Converse |
| SS | Ashtyn Davis Q | Jalen Mills | Chuck Clark IR |
| FS | Tony Adams Q | Isaiah Oliver | – |
| RCB | D.J. Reed | Brandin Echols | – |
| NB | Michael Carter II | Isaiah Oliver | Kendall Sheffield |
Will Anderson is the former Defensive Rookie of the Year last season. The Alabama product was the 3rd overall pick last year and was named to the Pro Bowl. He had 7 sacks last year and 1.5 so far this year. Javon Kinlaw came over from San Francisco as a Free Agent after 3 seasons with the 49ers. Last year he played in all 17 games, starting 6 and had 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He replaces Leonard Williams who was traded to Seattle. Kinlaw is not a good run defender. Quinnen Williams was given a contract extension and is a stalwart on the line. The 2019 1st round (#3) pick out of Alabama is a disruptive force in the middle. He was selected as All Pro in 2022 and a 2-time Pro Bowl selection. Last season he had 62 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The 30-year-old Reddick ended his prolonged holdout Sunday. He was traded to the Jets this offseason without a contract extension. The two-time 2nd team All-Pro and 2-time Pro Bowl selection was drafted by Arizona in the 2017 draft in the 1st round (#13). In the last 4 seasons, the Temple product has had double digit sacks each year.
The Linebacker corps is very strong. Jamien Sherwood is a very underrated player. The 2021 5th round pick (#146) by the Jets has come back from a torn Achilles injury in 2021. He started in the first game of 2021 until his injury. He has started 6 of 7 games this season and has 62 tackles already. CJ Mosely is the man in the middle of the defense. The former Baltimore Raven was signed as a Free Agent in 2019. The 32-year-old was selected as 2nd team All Pro 5 times and Pro Bowl 5 times. In the last 3 years, Mosely has 150+ tackles each year. Quincy Williams, the brother of DT Quinnen Williams and is the Strong Side backer. The 2019 3rd round pick (#98) by Jacksonville, played for Murray State. The 5’11” 230-pound tackling machine kas had over 100 tackles each of the last three seasons for the Jets.
The secondary is a bit banged up and has four players listed as Questionable. Nickel Back Michael Carter was Limited in practice on Wednesday but a Full Participant on Thursday. Ashtyn Davis has a concussion and hasn’t been approved to practice yet. He was a DNP both days. Tony Adams has a Hamstring injury and was a DNP on both days. I don’t expect him to play Sunday. DJ Reed was a full participant at practice but is working back from a groin injury. PFF has him ranked as the #3 CB in the league. The stud in the secondary is Sauce Gardner. No QB in the league is throwing at him. They avoid him at all cost.
The backup to Gardner is Qwan’Tez Stiggers. If you followed my pre-draft projections, you would know about Stiggers. It is a great story. He is the only player drafted this year, 5th round (#176), that didn’t play college football. He was supposed to play at Lane College, but his father was in a severe auto accident and Stiggers left school without ever playing. His father died and Stiggers went into severe depression. At his mothers’ urging, Stiggers tried out for an Arena Football team in Atlanta called Fan Controlled football. A scout from the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts saw him play and urged him to tryout for the Canadian League. He made the Argos opening roster and started the entire season. He went on to be selected as the Most Outstanding Rookie in the Canadian League. Stiggers was invited to play in the East West Shrine game and his outstanding play that week put him on the map for Pro Scouts. I was surprised he was taken in the 5th round.
Special Teams
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | |
| PK | Greg Zuerlein | – | – |
| P | Thomas Morstead | – | – |
| H | Thomas Morstead | – | – |
| PR | Xavier Gipson | Isaiah Davis | Malachi Corley |
| KR | Xavier Gipson | Isaiah Davis | Malachi Corley |
| LS | Thomas Hennessy | – | – |
Thomas Morstead is a veteran punter and is averaging 47.4 yards per punt (#19). Net is 42.3, good for 15th. Greg “the leg” Zuerlein is not having a good year, hitting on just 61.5% of his Field Goals. He is ranked 33rd in the league, dead last. Despite the strong leg, he has hit only 1 of 4 kicks beyond 40 yards. Xavier Gipson is the primary kick returner for both kickoffs and punts. He ranks 15th in Punt Return yards per punt return with a 7.8 average and his 18 punt returns is tied for the most in the league. Kickoff returns are way down, and Gipson ranks 4th with a 26.1 average. Only 7 players are listed on kickoff returns.
The Patriots signed Keshawn Banks a Defensive End/LB from San Diego State. He signed with the Green Bay Packers as an UDFA in 2023. He was cut and then re-signed to their Practice Squad. In 2023 he did not play in a single regular season game. However, he did get elevated for one playoff game. He signed a futures contract with Green Bay and went to training camp with them in 2024 only to be cut at the final cutdown. No one signed him until the Michigan Panthers of the UFL signed him on October 9th. The Patriots came calling and he jumped at the chance to be on their Practice Squad. The 6’3” 252-pound lineman ran a disappointing estimated 4.8 40-yard dash.
In a corresponding move, the Patriots released LS Tucker Addington, who was elevated last week and played against the Jaguars. Joe Cardona missed the game due to personal issues he had to deal with.
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