Zach Wilson disappointed again as the starting quarterback for the New York Jets – and was put back on the bench. In bad weather, Trevor Lawrence and his Jacksonville Jaguars adapted better to the conditions and played the game solidly.
Jets vs. Jaguars: At a Glance
- The Jets started hopefully with a field goal after solid defensive play from Quinnen Williams, who was doubtful of injury until just before the game.
- But because the Jets’ offense didn’t work at all otherwise and the defense couldn’t stop the Jaguars’ short plays, Jacksonville consistently scored one field goal after another.
- A long Jaguars drive even ended with a Trevor Lawrence touchdown jump.
- Zach Wilson was penalized again – Chris Streveler took over and led the Jets with precision downfield, but he didn’t score either.
- The Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs early with the loss to the Jets.
New York Jets vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Analysis
The game started immediately with impressive defensive performances. Quinnen Williams got hold of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and snatched the ball from him in the third play. Because fellow Jets player Carl Lawson got the ball first, possession changed. But the New York Jets haven’t budged either. They moved the ball just five yards in two plays before Zach Wilson was blitzed and sacked by safety Andre Cisco. Because they put the ball near the Jaguars end zone, the Jets took the basket.
Then the Jaguars moved the ball a little better. Travis Etienne’s run and Trevor Lawrence’s short passes created space. But because the quarterback clearly knocked down receiver Christian Kirk on third down, they also had to settle for a field goal.
Because the Jets still haven’t clicked much, they had to kick after just one first down. The Jaguars collected the ball on their own 4-yard line and started a long drive into the second quarter. Again, runs and short passes were the way to always get the ball going. In addition to a through pass to tight end Dan Arnold, the Jaguars reached the Jets 1-yard line, from which quarterback Larence himself popped the ball along his offensive line to the end zone – touchdown, 3:10.
Zach Wilson then attempted short passes to his point guard. It actually worked well, but after two first downs he was too keen on a second down and 21 yards to go and threw a through pass that should have end in an interception. Receiver Corey Davis defended pretty well, but they couldn’t get another first down.
A screen play on Engram gave the Jaguars a whopping 36 yards, but it was all they could do and the Jaguars scored a field goal. The Jets pitched fast. The Jaguars once again managed to overtake a single play from Travis Etienne (22 yards), but this time Riley Patterson’s field goal attempt missed the frame. With 25 seconds left, the Jets looked to get back on the scoreboard, but three weak plays were followed by a Zach Wilson Hail Mary interception as time ticked away. Massive boos from Jets fans followed at halftime.
Zach Wilson Gives Back – It Doesn’t Get Better
But things didn’t improve for the Jets in the second half either. A short pass and run was followed by another weak throw from Zach Wilson on third down and a yard to go, which was closer to interception than completion. The Jaguars then again moved the ball effectively using short plays and a big play from Engram (23 yards). It was then back in the basket range and they scored three points.
Then followed 3 & outs for both teams and the cut in New York: following the last drive, the chants “We want Flacco” resounded in the stadium. And Zach Wilson was actually on the bench, but not Joe Flacco but Chris Streveler took over as the Jets quarterback. In addition to numerous runs from the quarterback, it was mainly the receivers who saved the poorly thrown balls. CJ Uzomah would have been free for a touchdown, then caught a moderate ball from 30 yards. The Jets entered the red zone, but the Jaguars defense then found the way. A solid hold from Garrett-Wilson initially saved on the first fourth down. But the Jets couldn’t convert the second, so they again left the field without points.
The Jets defense then adapted better to the Jaguars’ short plays and sent them off the field. However, a powerful punt allowed the Jets and Streveler to start at the 1-yard line. A difficult task in which Streveler could only avoid a safety by a hair’s breadth. A penalty gave the Jets some breathing space. The Jets went all-in and played a two-yard fourth down from their own 28-yard line. They were also initially rewarded as G. Wilson caught a nine-yard pass. But Jaguars linebacker Foyesafe Oluokun fumbled with his foot, which the Jaguars captured.
Jacksonville failed to strike again, moving the ball just five yards in three plays. But the good starting position brought the fifth field goal attempt of the evening, which went to 3:19. The Jets tried again, but again, after gaining ground, they failed on their fourth down. The Jaguars took the ball and knelt until time expired.
New York Jets (7-8) – Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8)
Result: 3:19 (3:3, 0:10, 0:3, 0:3) BOXSCORE
Jets vs Jaguars – the most important stats
- Zero – The New York Jets have not scored any points on offense. The field goal of the first drive is the result of a fumble won by the defense. The attack gained only four meters of space.
- 144 of the New York Jets’ 227 offensive yards were scored by Chris Streveler. 90 passing yards, 54 yards on his own running game. No Jets player has gained more individual space than Streveler’s 54 rushing yards.
- After a weak first drive with a strip sack, the Jaguars offensive line stabilized and only allowed pressure on 15.6% of passes – no team managed a lower value against the Jets.
- Chris Streveler completed ten of his 15 passes. With 66.7% success, he had the best rate of three quarters of the night.
- The Jaguars adapted to the weather conditions and threw the ball relatively little: they ran the ball 36 times, Lawrence only caught the ball 31 times.
The star of the game: Evan Engram
The Jacksonville Jaguars offense was not productive. Above all, there was little passing play. But Engram gained plenty of space with a few yards after catching the pass. He caught seven of his eight targets and rushed for 113 yards. That’s more than half of the Jaguars’ 218 passing yards.
The flop of the game: Zach Wilson
After Zach Wilson lost his starting quarterback spot mostly due to immaturity, he got his team back due to injury. But he couldn’t use that chance again and lost the spot to Chris Streveler. A quarterback who last enjoyed success in the CFL in 2019. With 9/18 passes for 92 yards and one interception (Hail Mary), Wilson disappointed down the line. A quarterback rating of 41.9 points to poor performance. Again and again he tried to play hero ball and throw deep passes that didn’t work. He couldn’t find his receivers short.
Analysis: Jets vs. Jaguars – the tactics chart
- The Jacksonville Jaguars consistently used short passes, also due to poor weather conditions. In the second and third quarters, Trevor Lawrence averaged just 1.91 yards on target.
- But it worked because receivers rushed for yards after the catch, led by Evan Engram. With 16/21 short passes for 198 yards, Lawrence had a career-high 9.4 yards per attempt.
- Plus they added a lot of racing game. Travis Etienne was allowed to run 22 times, gaining 83 yards. Lawrence’s rushes were particularly effective: seven points for 51 yards and a touchdown.
- The New York Jets couldn’t find a way to break the Jaguars’ defense, which actually wasn’t very dominant. A few short passes worked because the Jaguars gave them space, but Zach Wilson rarely took the easy route. With the switch to Chris Streveler, the tactic shifted to quarterback runs and short passing, which worked much better.
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