The New York Jets will hope to add a win to their record in 2024 in Week 10 on the road when they face the Arizona Cardinals.
As usual, it will never be a walk in the park in the NFL. If the Jets (3-6) expect to beat the Cardinals (5-4), there will be a few key things New York will have to focus on against Arizona.
Here are three keys to the Jets pulling out a victory against the Cardinals:
Stop The Run
While The Jets were victorious in Week 9 over Houston, their run defense continues to struggle as the Texans rushed for close to 200 yards on the ground. Arizona has an underrated running back in James Conner, who already has four games with over 100 yards rushing, and is averaging over 4.5 yards a carry.
The Jets defense has given up an average of 132.6 yards on the ground this season and it could be a long afternoon if they don’t find a way to shut down Conner and the Cardinals running game.
Contain Kyler Murray
Murray has been average at best this season, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make an impact when given the opportunity.
The Jets defense has a tendency to over pursue on the pass rush, which could free up plenty of field for the Arizona QB to hurt them with his legs. New York’s linebackers will need to be more disciplined, especially along the sidelines, and force Murray into more passing situation, where he’s been very inconsistent.
Play Four Quarters of Football
It felt like more of the same with the Jets during the first half of last week’s win over Houston.
They struggled on offense, relied too much on their defense to keep the game from getting out of hand and when they finally got some points on the board, another self-inflicted wound negated the touchdown after receiver Malachi Corley dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.
The Jets offense woke up in the second half, scoring three times to beat the Texans and keep their season alive. New York has zero margin for error the rest of the way and they cannot afford to have another slow start on offense. Arizona’s defense has struggled this season, allowing an average of 361.4 yards of total offense, including an average of 228.6 yards through the air. This is a winnable game for the New York if they play complete football on both sides of the ball for both halves instead of just one.
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