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Following each Jets game this season, I’ll be participating in the post-game tradition of listing out the studs and duds of the Jets’ previous game — but with a new twist.
Each player listed, whether they were a stud or a dud, is capable of earning up to five points positively or negatively, depending on how good or bad their performance was. In total, the scores of each player listed will add up to match the Jets’ scoring margin from their game that week. This past Sunday, the Jets beat the Raiders by 31 points, so the combined point total of every player listed below will add up to 31.
At the end of the season, I’m hoping this scorecard system will help us get a good look at which players had the biggest impacts on the team, both positive and negative.
As an added note, no coaches (or general managers) will be involved in these lists.
The studs earn the privileges of having some nice colors attached to their name, while the duds merely get tagged with various levels of badness.
- Studs: Gotham Green (5 points), Platinum (4), Gold (3), Silver (2), Bronze (1)
- Duds: Level 5 (-5 points), Level 4 (-4), etc.
Here are my studs and duds from the Jets’ Week 10 victory.
Studs
Sam Darnold - Platinum (4 points)
Darnold took advantage of a terrible pass defense yet again, enjoying another fantastic performance. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 315 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks, adding a rushing score on a read option.
Darnold threw for a career-best 10.9 yards per attempt, his second game this season over the 10.0 mark (along with his 10.5 against Dallas). He also had a passer rating of 127.8, becoming the youngest quarterback to post 290+ yards and a 120.0+ passer rating in back-to-back games, as well as the only quarterback to do that three times (he also did it against Green Bay last season) before turning 23.
Jamal Adams - Gold (3 points)
Adams was everywhere against Oakland, blowing up runs, stopping short passes for modest gains, preventing big gains from becoming huge gains, and making an impact as a pass rusher. His coverage was also excellent in both man and zone. He registered a half-sack, bringing his season total 6.5, 1.5 shy of Aaron Wilson’s record for a defensive back.
Brian Poole - Gold (3 points)
Poole was not targeted a single time in coverage. He made a fantastic grab off of a Neville Hewitt deflection to record his first career touchdown. On the season, Poole has allowed just 0.61 yards per cover snap, third-best among all cornerbacks behind Richard Sherman and Casey Hayward.
Robby Anderson - Gold (3 points)
Anderson hauled four of five targets for 86 yards, each catch resulting in a conversion. He made a pair of extremely impressive grabs, climbing the ladder to snag a perfectly high-pointed throw by Darnold, and later helping his quarterback out with a strong contested grab off of a flea-flicker that fell a little short.
Anderson grabbed a one-yard touchdown, his second consecutive game scoring in the red zone. He now has four red zone touchdowns over his past 15 games after collecting just one over his first 42.
Blessuan Austin - Silver (2 points)
Austin continues to impress. He kept quiet in coverage against an Oakland team that entered the game ranked seventh in pass offense DVOA. Austin was also active in run support, most notably contributing the final blow on a crucial fourth down stop.
Over the past three weeks, Austin ranks fifth among qualified cornerbacks in fewest yards allowed per cover snap (0.46).
Kelvin Beachum - Silver (2 points)
Since Sam Darnold’s Week 6 return, the Jets are 4-0 with Beachum in the lineup and 0-3 with him in a sweatshirt.
That may not be entirely coincidence, as Beachum is playing extremely well. He was not credited with a single pressure allowed against the Raiders, and has now given up just three over his past four games. Each of those was merely a hurry. Beachum has not given up a sack since Week 5.
Le’Veon Bell - Silver (2 points)
Bell had a great game, particularly as a receiver. He set the tone immediately with a one-handed grab out of the slot on the first offensive play. Two more first down grabs were to come, as Bell made two men miss to turn a short dump-off into a first and also presented Darnold with an escape route to avoid a safety.
Bell finished with five catches for 59 yards and 12 rush attempts for 49 yards and two first downs.
Braxton Berrios - Silver (2 points)
Berrios put the Jets in control early in the second half, taking a short grab 69 yards down to the one-yard line on the third play of the third quarter. He also had a season-long 26-yard punt return in the second quarter that led to a (missed) field goal attempt.
Ryan Griffin - Silver (2 points)
The freshly-extended Griffin grabbed only three passes for 13 yards, but he made some crucial plays. One of his catches was a 12-yard conversion on 2nd & 9, while another was a literal walk-in touchdown from one yard out. Griffin now has five touchdowns in his past seven games, and is tied for fourth among tight ends with four red zone touchdowns. That’s the most red zone scores by a Jets tight end since Dustin Keller had five in 2011.
Griffin’s blocking has hurt the run game this season, but he had a shining blocking moment against the Raiders. On Darnold’s touchdown run, Griffin crossed the formation and plowed a linebacker out of the way to create a lane to the goal line.
Henry Anderson - Silver (2 points)
The Jets held Josh Jacobs to season-lows in rushing yards (34) and yards per carry (3.4). Nearly every Jet defender was involved in the dominant run-stopping performance, but Henry Anderson was the tone-setter. He consistently created the penetration that led to blown up runs. His play on the edge against the run has been great in recent weeks.
Arthur Maulet - Silver (2 points)
Maulet had a pair of missed tackles, but he made up for it with a great showing otherwise. He allowed just 32 yards and one first down over seven targets, and made his presence felt against the run. He and Austin are both doing a great job getting involved in the trenches.
Over the past three weeks, Maulet ranks seventh among qualified cornerbacks in fewest yards allowed per cover snap (0.55).
James Burgess - Bronze (1 point)
Burgess has made his share of mistakes, but he made some important against the Raiders. He cleaned up well against the run and made an impressive pass breakup against Darren Waller.
Neville Hewitt - Bronze (1 point)
Hewitt was tagged with a whopping four missed tackles against the Raiders, but I thought his good outweighed the bad this time around. He created Poole’s pick-six with a pass breakup underneath against Tyrell Williams. In the second quarter, Hewitt was isolated against Waller on a deep seam route into the end zone, and covered it excellently, stopping a potential touchdown.
Marcus Maye - Bronze (1 point)
Maye was the first man to make contact on Alec Ingold’s 4th & 1 stop. Two plays earlier, he made a good tackle in space to hold Hunter Renfrow just shy of the sticks, creating the opportunity for the Jets to get a stop on the following two snaps.
Maye also made a great tackle in kickoff coverage that held Oakland to its own 13-yard line. The next play was a Derek Carr pick-six.
Brandon Shell - Bronze (1 points)
Shell first entered the game at left tackle when Beachum left the field for a few snaps, then slid over to the right side when Chuma Edoga left the game. He handled the circumstances well, allowing just one hurry and throwing key blocks on Darnold’s touchdown run and Bell’s game-high 12-yard run.
Here is a look at the Week 12 scorecard.
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Here is a look at the scorecard on the season to date.
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