Which Jets Were the Most Efficient Targets in 2017?

One way to measure a receiver’s efficiency is to look at the average quarterback rating when throwing at a particular player. It’s far from flawless, as we all know that many incompletions and interceptions are mostly on the quarterback, but it is an interesting metric to look at. After all, when you throw a ball to a receiver all you are hoping for is productivity. So, who was producing when the ball came their way?

I also listed the difference between their McCown rating and their Petty rating, if applicable. To compare to average, McCown’s rating was a 94.5, Petty’s was a 55.1.

Wide Receivers

Jeremy Kerley - 22/27 (81.5%), 225 yds, 8.3 Y/A, 1 TD, 0 INT, 113.7 rating

Jermaine Kearse - 65/102 (63.7%), 810 yds, 7.9 Y/A, 5 TD, 3 INT, 92.4 rating (103.4 McCown, 54.4 Petty)

Robby Anderson - 63/114 (55.3%), 941 yds, 8.3 Y/A, 7 TD, 5 INT, 84.7 rating (92.3 McCown, 56.4 Petty)

Chad Hansen - 9/16 (56.3%), 94 yds, 5.9 Y/A, 0 TD, 0 INT, 73.4 rating (84.4 McCown, 62.5 Petty)

ArDarius Stewart - 6/13 (46.2%), 82 yds, 6.3 Y/A, 0 TD, 0 INT, 66.8 rating (81.9 Petty, 58.8 McCown)

Running Backs

Matt Forte - 38/46 (82.6%), 293 yds, 6.4 Y/A, 1 TD, 0 INT, 100.5 rating (104.0 McCown, 64.0 Petty)

Elijah McGuire - 17/26 (65.4%), 177 yds, 6.8 Y/A, 1 TD, 0 INT, 97.8 rating (112.1 Petty, 88.8 McCown)

Bilal Powell - 23/33 (69.7%), 169 yds, 5.1 Y/A, 0 TD, 1 INT, 68.9 rating (73.8 McCown, 39.6 Petty)

Tight Ends

Eric Tomlinson - 8/11 (72.7%), 11.0 Y/A, 1 TD, 1 INT, 100.9 rating (106.5 McCown, 87.5 Petty)

Austin Seferian-Jenkins - 50/74 (67.6%), 4.8 Y/A, 3 TD, 0 INT, 92.0 rating (99.1 McCown, 56.3 Petty)

Neal Sterling - 6/11 (54.5%), 82 yds, 7.5 Y/A, 0 TD, 0 INT, 78.6 rating (92.7 Petty, 42.4 McCown)

Takeaways:

ASJ’s numbers stand out to me. The TD/INT (which easily could’ve or should’ve been 5-0) stands out along with the catch rate, but that yards per attempt is ghastly. In order to be a legit weapon at tight end you have to be able to stretch the field, which ASJ did not. Maybe the coaches know he isn’t capable of it, maybe they were too stubborn to try. Either way, that’s something he can still add to his game if he returns.

I am a little surprised at how bad Powell’s numbers are. I don’t think he worked past the line much, instead taking a lot of screen passes, compared to Forte and McGuire who ran a lot of receiver-type routes. I thought Forte actually did well in the open field as a receiver, while McGuire really flashed down the field. For Powell, I do think he was less productive himself as a receiver than the other two, but his numbers looking that bad is more a product of the types of plays he was given, to me.

Anderson’s mediocre rating shouldn’t discount his play. The 5 picks are what drag it down, which will happen when you have a QB room like that and a receiver is working downfield often. Anderson’s yards per reception at that volume is pretty rare, especially for a Jets receiver.

What do you think of the Jets’ receiving talents across the board?