2017 Jets Coverage Stats: Week 5

Welcome back to yet another look at the Jets in coverage in 2017! The first quarter is in the books, and I have to say that I am surprised at a lot of the data I’ve collected. Let’s move on into the second quarter of the season, starting with Week 5 and a visit to the Cleveland Browns. For the Jets, this ends a 5-week stretch to start the season against mostly mediocre to poor quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how well the team can hold up its numbers past this point of the year.

Previous editions: Week 1, 2, 3, 4

RULES

• The coverage numbers include only legitimate targets into the general area of a receiver. Throwaways and deflections at the line are excluded.
• The stats for each individual are that of the quarterback’s passing numbers when targeting the individual’s matchup. A player could have an interception to his coverage credit even if the interception itself was made by a teammate. For example, when Tyrod Taylor threw an interception targeting Darron Lee’s matchup, Juston Burris ended up with the interception, but I would add that incompletion and interception to Lee’s resume.
• I did not apply the same rule to fumbles; I will only count those if forced by the covering defender.
• Penalties counted are only those accumulated in coverage.

Remember that these numbers reflect raw production only, and not always are indicative of true performance level! It’s plausible that a defender can get completely smoked and end up being credited with an interception, or vice versa, bringing very tough coverage but allowing big yardage due to an incredible catch. Make of these numbers what you like!

WEEK 5 SYNOPSIS

The Jets turned the world on its heels by getting above .500 with a 17-14 win over the Browns. DeShone Kizer had an awful start before being replaced by Kevin Hogan, who was much more passable. Altogether, the Browns completed 24 of 36 passes for 281 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, an 83.2 rating.

Trumaine and the Rams lost 16-10 at home to the Seahawks.

Williamson’s Titans were defeated by the Dolphins in Miami, 14-10.

COVERAGE NUMBERS

Overall coverage yield: The first chart shows the total coverage numbers allowed by each individual Jet in Week 5. Avery Williamson did not see a target and is not pictured.

The Browns went at Morris Claiborne plenty, and the Jets’ top corner responded very well. He allowed a first down on only 3 of 13 targets while grabbing his first interception as a Jet. Altogether, the Browns averaged only 6.4 yards per attempt and had a 41.5 passer rating targeting Claiborne.

Juston Burris missed the game, and Marcus Williams took most of his snaps. He was released immediately after this game, a decision backed up by the numbers above.

Coverage by matchup and field side: The chart below shows the Week 5 coverage yield for each Jet broken down by opponent matchup and the side of the field they lined up on. Check out my glossary at the bottom of the image!

Jamal Adams had his first rough game in coverage. He gave up 52 yards on four receptions, including one touchdown and two other first downs. David Njoku beat Adams for a pair of 15+ yard receptions.

Trumaine Johnson settled his game down after allowing 200 yards over the previous two weeks. He didn’t force an incompletion into his coverage against the Seahawks, but he was very steady throughout the game and only allowed three receptions for two first downs.

FILM

Outstanding coverage rep from Marcus Maye here. A terrible decision by DeShon Kizer, yes, but that was only because Maye made such a great read to make this pick.

Morris Claiborne really took advantage of a bad offense that was pinpointing him all game. Ricardo Louis beat him for a trio of intermediate first downs, but other than that Claiborne was consistently all over his matchup. Here he makes a very athletic interception off of a bad throw.

Nice pass breakup here from Claiborne, on the bottom of the picture. This is good recognition followed by a quick break and strong play on the ball.

Jamal Adams saw a (to this point) season high 4 targets in this game, and he did not do a good job mitigating them. Here, he allows a 21 yard touchdown to a fellow rookie, tight end David Njoku. He’s lined up against the in-line Njoku on the right. He has good coverage initially, and Njoku gets physical at the top of the route. Adams fights back and stays with him, but after disengaging he decides to play the underneath throw, allowing room for Hogan over the top. I can’t tell if Adams simply decided to make that gamble or if the physicality threw him off and he stumbled in that direction, but either way he gives up a wide open score.

SEASON TOTALS

Here is how the Jets are stacking up after five weeks of work in 2017.

What are your thoughts on how things went down for the Jets in coverage in Week 5?