Stifles Cowboys in best performance of season
Sam Darnold may have been the big story Sunday, throwing for 338 yards and two touchdowns in his first game after recovering from mono, but the Jets’ defense put together its best performance of the season against a highoctane Cowboys’ offense. The Jets held the Cowboys to 5.3 yards per play, almost two yards lower than their season average of 7.2. Safety Jamal Adams had a huge day, stopping Dak Prescott on a quarterback sweep on fourth down near the Jets’ end zone. Adams also broke up a pass to tight end Blake Jarwin toward the end of the second quarter.
The Jets’ defensive line went toe-to-toe with the Cowboys offensive line and came out victorious. They were missing starting offensive tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, but the Jets’ interior played well. Rookie defensive tackle Quinnen Williams finished the day with six plays and made a handful positive plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet. After a quiet outing last week against the Eagles, this was a positive step for Williams in his second game back from a groin injury. He played a big role in holding Ezekiel Elliott to 3.8 yards per carry.
“It definitely feels good, man. Getting back in the groove, being with these guys, being with these coaches. They all hold me accountable,” Williams said. “They don’t look at me like a rookie and let me make rookie mistakes. The push me forward and make me better every day and every week. I know when they turn on that film I’m going to get criticized the most just because I’m better than what I do.”
Facing the Cowboys’ interior combo of Travis Frederick and Zack Martin is no easy task for any player, let alone a rookie in just his third professional game, but Williams was appreciative of the opportunity to hone his skills against the best offensive linemen in the game. “I have so much respect for all those guys, man. Especially Jason Kelce. Coming out of college, Jason Kelce was my favorite football player!” Williams exclaimed with a huge smile. “After the game, he just gave me respect, like ‘you’re going to be a great player in this league, just keep doing what you’re doing.’ It just hit me like, bruh, Jason Kelce is totally my favorite player, like he’s been a great center for a long time. Going against Zack Martin today and guys like that — they got long resumes of being good players. It shows you the competition and shows me how much work I got to work harder.”
Williams said it wasn’t just the physical play of the defensive line that was key, but the verbal element was crucial for them as well. “We was just communicating, man. Making sure everybody knows the call, making sure everybody knows what to do, making sure everybody knows where we’re supposed to be at. That was one of the things we really focused on this week.”
Outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins had a strong outing as well, posting a sack, tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits. Jenkins said Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense gave them the time they needed to make plays in the backfield.
ROBBY ANDERSON IS BACK
Wide receiver Robby Anderson almost matched his season total for receiving yards on one long play in the second quarter. Anderson came into the game with just 131 yards for the season. With 3:34 left in the first half, Anderson was on the receiving end of a 92-yard touchdown that put the Jets up, 14-3. Anderson beat cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on a double move before accelerating down the field, where Darnold through a perfect pass in stride — even though Darnold was facing immense pressure on the throw.
Anderson finished the day with 125 yards on five receptions, which was easily his best performance of the season. Anderson converted three of his seven targets into first downs.
GASE OPENS IT UP
Sunday’s game marked a big moment for Adam Gase as well. He got to prove to everyone that his uber-conservative playcalling in the Luke Falk era was just due to Falk’s limited skillset. Gase got his quarterback back and regained his swagger a little as well. Darnold and Gase were aggressive throughout the entire game, including the first series.
Gase didn’t waste any time unleashing his talented quarterback, letting him throw a deep crosser to Demaryius Thomas for his first completion of the game. Darnold looked a little rusty on his second throw, which was a misfire on a corner route versus man coverage, but he got hot after that. Gase used a pick route on the second drive to free up Jamison Crowder for a 24-yard gain. The long touchdown to Anderson came on the fifth drive of the game, when Gase dialed up a deep route — paired with play action — to give Anderson single coverage deep down the field.
Clearly, Gase felt more comfortable throwing the ball downfield with Darnold than he did with Falk, and the second-year quarterback rewarded him for his faith.