FanPost

Jets Offense: Keys to Victory Week 8




What's up GGN! Earlier we took a look at our defenses Keys to Victory and now we'll be looking at things the offense can do to maintain success in Week 8 against Da Bears. As a reminder these are weaknesses/strengths that I feel like the Jets should utilize, or expose, and if there's anything you feel I missed or disagree with, leave a comment below!

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)

With injuries to Bilal Powell (IR), and Quincy Enunwa (3-4 weeks), the Jets will be without two of their mainstays on offense. Reports indicate that Robby Anderson is also a game-time decision. If Anderson was unable to go, that would leave Chris Herndon as the only skill position player on offense to play at least 50% of the snaps this season. Because of this, the Jets need to keep it simple on offense. We already saw in Week 7 how timing, and overall effectiveness on offense was negatively altered by playing inexperienced skill position players. It becomes difficult because route timing and familiarity between QB and WR occurs in practice, and without time the playbook becomes limited. I'd like the Jets to keep the playbook simple for the first half of this game, allowing Darnold and his 'new' receiving core to get acclimated with each other, and flow of the game.

Bates has done a pretty good job allowing Darnold to start the game with easy throws, and I'd like to see that trend continue against the Bears. Screens, quick pitches, and draws will not only force the defense to move lateral and become more hesitant to be aggressive, but also opens the field allowing the Jets to take more risks as the game continues. These plays also minimize 'rookie errors' allowing players to get the ball in their hands fast, and just play.

I'd also like to see Darnold utilize his RB's as check-downs more often in this game. Only 17% (37 out of 217) of Darnolds targets have been RB's this year. There are seven RB's this year who have more targets than that this season on their own. To put this in more perspective, Josh Rosen has targeted RB's on 22% of his throws this year and Mitch Trubisky targeted RBs in 25% of his throws last year. (Baker Mayfield is at 16%). Utilizing your RB's in the passing game is an effective way to just take what's given, limiting errors, and allows the QB to make a quick, and often times safe throw. I would like to see Trenton Cannon get a handful of targets in this game.

Target the TE

With a plethora of skill position payers either hurt or no longer on the team, the Jets need their young TE core to step up in this game. The Jets often have used multiple TE sets, and although the targets haven't necessarily been there (Due in large part to Enunwa's consistency as a WR), they will certainly be receiving more looks this week. One player I'm looking at is Chris Herndon. Herndon started off the year pretty mediocrely, and although I was quick to want him cut, he has started to develop into a solid contributor on offense. After only being targeted 7 times with 5 receptions in the first 5 games (47 yards), Herndon has exceeded both of those numbers in the last 2 games, with 9 targets, 6 catches, and 98 yards. He also managed to score a touchdown in each of these last two games. With Enunwa out, Herndon has become consistent target in the Jets offense.

In addition to the Jets needing to utilize the TE's more, the Bears defense has actually shown a susceptibility to being burned by TE's. In 5 games this year (Patriots did not target a TE in their game), the Bears have given up 20 catches on 34 targets, with 227 yards and 4 touchdowns. That's over 10 yards per reception, and nearly a touchdown per game to the TE. Most of this has come in the red-zone, where 3 of the 4 Tight End TD's have occurred, and make up for over 1/3 of the touchdowns given up by the Bears defense in the red-zone. If the Jets can effectively game-plan the Tight Ends in this Sunday's game I think the offense can have great success.

Keep a Clean Pocket

This is a no-brainer, but with the plethora of injuries on offense a clean pocket will make Darnold's life a lot easier. When giving up 2 or fewer sacks, Darnold has played well, posting a 3-1 record with 7 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and averaging a 91.75 Passer Rating (League Average at 93.3). To compare that, when sacked 3 or more times, Darnold has a record of 0-3 with 3 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, with a Passer Rating average of 61. There are obvious variables that play a part in each game, but those numbers certainly show a glimpse of why the Jets have struggled in their losses. Taking a further look into Sam's failures when facing pressure, and the numbers don't get any better.

When facing pressure, Darnold has thrown 4 interceptions (Tied for 2nd among qualifying QB's) and has mustered a 38.8 passer rating, good for 34th out of 38 quarterbacks with at least 85 pass attempts this season. Defenses can see that getting pressure on Darnold can obtain results, so it's up to the Jets Offensive Line, and Darnold to properly read the opposing defense and adjust accordingly. Although Darnold has shown bad numbers through pressures his offensive line hasn't helped too much, sporting two interior linemen grading in the bottom half of the league in Spencer Long (34th out of 36) and James Carpenter (21st out of 35). And although Spencer Long's absence will be a good thing for fans, having a replacement Center spot-start against one of the league's best defenses is certainly not ideal. If Darnold and the Jets want to have success, maintaining a clean pocket is going to be a huge factor. There is some hope that the Jets can stop the Bears defense, however. Although the Bears are ranked in the top half of the league with 19 sacks, 18 of those sacks came within the first four games, with only one sack since that time. Their defense has shown a vulnerability in the past few weeks, so it's up to the Jets to take advantage often and early if they wish to have success.

Overview

It's an extremely difficult task for the Jets offense heading into Chicago against a very talented, and high performing defense of the Bears. Khalil Mack has shown why he's the best in the league, and their secondary has done an excellent job causing turnovers for opposing offenses. With the large amount of injuries on the Jets offense, plays will be limited, but if the Jets can succeed at the simple things I think they can have fairly positive success on the offensive side of the ball. I don't expect a win here, but if the Jets can show some growth I'll be a happy camper.

What do you think are the Keys to Victory for the Jets offense?

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