Quinnen Williams Key To Defeating The Detroit Lions

Before I get into this article I just want to make the most obvious point possible, Quinnen Williams is key every week, he’s arguably the best player on the Jet's entire roster. I say arguably as I’m sure some people will disagree, but for me, he’s 100% the best player.

But as I’ve been researching the Lions and their tendencies, it became clearer and clearer that the Jet's chances of success drastically improve with the addition of Quinnen Williams to the equation.

Williams is dealing with a calf injury this week and his chances of playing are rated at just 50-50. So far he’s missed two days of practice, if he misses another the chances are he’ll miss the game against the Lions.

When Jeff Ulbrich met with the media yesterday he said that the Lion's offensive line would be the best unit the Jets defense has seen all year. Only the Tampa Bay Bucccaneers (18) and the Dallas Cowboys (16) have allowed fewer than the 19 sacks the Lions have allowed.

That offensive line is led by an outstanding tackle combination of Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell who have combined to allow 46 pressures and 5 sacks over 13 games, that’s an average of just 3.5 pressure and 0.4 sacks per game.

It’s not just in the passing game where the Lions succeed. On average Detroit’s running backs gain 1.7 yards before contact, which is good for 7th best in the league. When you have a unit as dominant as the Lions, missing your best defensive tackle isn’t ideal.

The Lions are good, but it could be argued that with Quinnen WIlliams on deck, they’re about to face their toughest test of the season. They may be good on the perimeter, but they can allow pressure through the A and B gaps inside. In terms of pass-blocking efficiency, guard Jonah Jackson is 38th in the league (based on a minimum of 200 pass blocking snaps) and center Frank Ragnow is rated 18th with 11 pressures allowed.

The simple fact is that even if Detroit had the best interior lineman, I’d still back Quinnen against anyone based on his performances this year vaulting him into the elite level of NFL defensive tackles. When the interior is the weakest spot on the offensive line, the importance of Quinnen playing goes up another level.

Most QB’s see a decline in production when pressured, and Goff is no different. His decline is a little steeper than most though. He completes just 43.8% of passes when pressured which puts him 36/42 qualified QBs, and 4 of this 7 interceptions have come when facing pressure. Interior pressure is difficult for QBs to deal with and the Jets have the leading sack man at defensive tackle, which shows just how important Quinnen is to our chances of success this weekend in a must win game for our playoff aspirations.