It’s no secret that the New York Jets are facing a tall task in Week 6, but certainly not an impossible one. The Jets (2-3) are hosting the Philadelphia Eagles (5-0) in their final game before their bye in Week 7. They are going to do so without their top two cornerbacks. Both Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed have concussions. They should, hopefully, be back for Week 8 against the New York Giants.
So it will be Bryce Hall and Craig James getting the start for the Jets at corner. Not an ideal situation going against two of the better receivers in the NFL, including one of the best in the league, in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.
That said, the Eagles aren’t fully healthy in the secondary either. Darius Slay has a knee injury and will not play, so expect Josh Jobe to take his place opposite James Bradberry. The Eagles also had a rotation at nickel, but Bradley Roby, who just joined the Eagles a little over a week ago, could become the answer there after playing well in a limited role last week against the Rams.
The key battle here will be up front. The Eagles’ offensive line and the Jets’ defensive line are among the better respective units in the NFL. That will certainly be seen when the Eagles have 3rd and short or 4th and short and go to their bread-and-butter play, the Tush Push or as fans are now starting to call it, the “Brotherly Shove”. Either way, expect to see that play today and expect the Jets to challenge the Eagles in the trenches.
The trenches also see a key injury for the Eagles as well. Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who had already made a huge impact this season, is out with an ankle injury. The Eagles still have veteran Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams among their interior group.
But as expected, this game for the Jets is really going to come down to the play of quarterback Zach Wilson. He has been serviceable over the last two weeks in their close loss to the Chiefs and the win over the Broncos. That’s the bare minimum for him Sunday, but the Jets will need more than that if they’re going to pull the upset.
Overall, the injuries are piling up (again) for the Jets and it may be too much to overcome against the Eagles. They’ll be 2-4 going into their bye but the good news is the schedule eases up after the bye, starting with the Giants.
Prediction: Eagles 31, Jets 16