Rebounding vs. the Jets starts with flustering Wilson one more time
After surrendering the most total yards and passing yards to an opposing offense during Bill Belichick’s tenure to the Cowboys last week, the Patriots defense needs to get back on the horse and reestablish themselves.
Having Zach Wilson and the Jets offense next on the dance card should help. It’s just what the doctor ordered, even if the Patriots, who have beaten Gang Green in 11 straight games, won’t admit it.
During the Week 2 meeting against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, the Patriots had the rookie quarterback completely befuddled.
He completed just 9 of 33 passes for 210 yards, while throwing four picks in a 25-6 loss.
So while the Patriots didn’t fare quite as well against Dak Prescott and one of the topranked offenses in the NFL, they should be able to rebound. Wilson and the Jets are averaging just 13.4 points per game, worst in the league.
Here’s how the Patriots can continue to frustrate Wilson and the Jets offense:
Stop chunk plays
Given Wilson’s elite arm talent and ability to throw on the fly, the Jets aren’t afraid to dial up some deep shots either using play action or rolling him out.
That’s part of the reason the Jets were able to upset the Titans in Week 4. Wilson was able to sling it downfield for several chunk plays.
On one, he hooked up with Corey
Davis for a 53-yard bomb for a touchdown in the overtime win.
To protect against Wilson’s deep ball, the Patriots are likely to employ a two-high safety look. Beyond that, they’ll stick J.C. Jackson on Davis (20 catches, 302 yards, three TDs).
Jackson did a good job on Davis the first meeting, and will likely draw the assignment to shut down Wilson’s favorite target once again. But he’ll also have safety help on occasion downfield.
During the Week 2 matchup, Wilson was overaggressive looking for the big play. He wound up with four interceptions, due in part to forcing the ball into areas with multiple defenders.
The Patriots will also try to keep him in the pocket, given how well he throws those missiles on the fly.
“He’s extremely accurate outside the pocket and on the run,” said Matthew Judon. “We got to make him play quarterback in a tight pocket. Have him beat us that way, instead of giving him open throwing lanes, and lanes to escape the pocket.”
Revive pass rush
The Patriots didn’t sack Prescott last week, hitting him just four times in 51 dropbacks. Needless to say, Prescott had plenty of time to throw. That has to improve against Wilson. As it is, the Jets rookie quarterback has been sacked 18 times, which is just behind Ryan Tannehill (20).
Their offensive line, with left tackle Mekhi Becton out with a dislocated kneecap, has improved since Week 2, but still can be exploited. And because of that, Wilson has been erratic. He’s only completed 57.3% of his throws for 1,117 yards, with four touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Applying pressure goes hand-in-hand with keeping Wilson in the pocket. The Patriots took him down four times in the first meeting. So it’s time to dial up the pressure again.
Be sure tacklers
The Jets have the second-worst rushing offense in the NFL, averaging just 74 yards per game, and 3.6 yards per carry.
So what’s the fuss about tackling? The Patriots didn’t do a very good job of that in the first meeting. While they gave Wilson fits, they weren’t as good bringing his backs down. Michael Carter (5.4 yards per carry), Ty Johnson (4.2 yards per carry) and Tevin Coleman (4.8 yards per carry) provided the lone spark.
The Patriots would be wise to do a better job keeping the backs at bay. Naturally, Belichick pumped up the unit, likely based on what happened in the past.
“They’ve got good speed back there and break a lot of tackles,” said Belichick. “We had trouble tackling those guys in the first game, so that’s something that’ll be a challenge for us. These guys break tackles against everybody. It’s a good group ... an explosive group of backs as well.” Linebacker Kyle Van Noy echoed Belichick’s remarks, saying: “They had some yards on us last time. We need to rally to the ball, get more hats to the ball.”