Tag: 2019 New York Jets

Jets vs. Steelers: Game info, where to watch, notes

Here’s everything you need to know for the Jets’ matchup with the Steelers.

The New York Jets will host their last home game of the season when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

New York is getting back a bevy of key players from injuries in Jamal Adams, Quinnen Williams, Brian Poole and Arthur Maulet. It’s also a revenge game for Le’Veon Bell as he’s going up against his former team for the first time after spending the first five years of his career in Pittsburgh.

For the Jets, it’s all about gaining some confidence heading into next season. Sam Darnold needs to finish his sophomore season strong after a year that hasn’t gone as expected. Ending on a high note at MetLife would be a step in the right direction for Darnold heading into 2020.

Defensively, the Jets have to throw a variety of different looks at rookie quarterback Devlin Hodges. Gregg Williams has to disguise some coverages and send pressure to Hodges to force him to make mistakes.

As for the Steelers, they need this win in order to secure a spot in the playoffs. They are 8-6 on the season and are currently the six seed in the AFC Wild Card race. They control their own destiny and a win over the Jets would go a long way in helping them make the playoffs.

Here’s everything you need to know for Sunday’s game:

  • Who: New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
  • When: 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 22, 2019
  • Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
  • TV/Radio: CBS, ESPN 98.7 F.M. For a Spanish broadcast check out 1050 AM ESPN
  • Livestream: fuboTV (try it free)
  • Line: Steelers -3.5

Adam Gase praises Steelers success with backup quarterbacks

Adam Gase spoke highly of how the Steelers have had success with a backup quarterback and praised Devlin Hodges.

Jets head coach Adam Gase has taken notice of the Steelers’ success with a backup quarterback this season.

The Steelers lost starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season to an elbow injury in the second game of the regular season. Pittsburgh has since turned to backup quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges and still find themselves in contention for a wild card spot. Gase is well aware of how tough it is to win games with backup quarterbacks and he praised the Steelers for their success.

“That’s a great job,” Gase said. “It’s not an easy thing to do. They found a way to be able to handle that bump in the road and find a way to win. Every game they’ve been in pretty much has been one-score games whether they win or lose. They’re keeping it close…. For the most part they’ve been so consistent.”

It looked as if the Steelers’ season was over when they lost Roethlisberger for the season. But Rudolph stepped in really well and brought the Steelers back to relevancy. However, he started to struggle in Week 11 against the Browns where he threw four interceptions in a loss. Pittsburgh gave him one last start the following week against the Bengals, but was pulled for Hodges.

As for Hodges, he has three wins under his belt as a starting quarterback. Hodges is not the type of quarterback who lights up the stat sheet, but he’s kept opposing defenses on their toes.

“He’s done a good job of what they’ve asked him to do,” Gase said of Hodges. “They’re asking him to manage the game. They’re taking shots down the field. They might not hit them all, but they’re keeping the defense honest and they’re running the football. He’s done a good job of not turning it over. I know last game was a little different. That’s why they have him in there. He’s doing what they ask him to do.”

Considering the way he played against the Bills, Hodges might be on a short leash in Week 16. If he does have trouble against the Jets on Sunday, don’t be surprised to see Pittsburgh turn to a backup quarterback once again.

Jets injury report: Jets list nine players as questionable vs. Steelers

The Jets have nine players listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

The Jets will get back some important pieces for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jamal Adams. (ankle), Henry Anderson (shoulder), Kelvin Beachum (ankles), Arthur Maulet (calf), Steve McLendon (knee/hip), Brian Poole (concussion/ankle), Robby Anderson (illness), Bilal Powell (ankle) and Quinnen Williams (neck) are all listed as questionable, but all should play on Sunday.

Adams, Poole, Maulet and Williams are all set to make their return after sitting out the past couple of games. As for players that are unlikely to play, Demaryius Thomas (knee/hamstring) and Tom Compton (calf) both missed practice on Friday and are listed as doubtful.

The Steelers will have all of their players that appeared on the injury report this week available.

Adam Gase offers Jamal Adams more praise after Pro Bowl nod

Adam Gase said Jamal Adams is always playing at an elite level.

After Jamal Adams was named to his second Pro Bowl, his head coach praised him for his consistency all season long.

Adams has had another fantastic season in which he leads the team in total tackles, tackles for loss, QB hits, pass defenses and forced fumbles. He’s also second on the team in sacks and solo tackles. For Adam Gase, he’s never coached a player that always finds a way to make his presence known in every single game.

“Week in, week out, you never see a dip,” Gase told reporters. “It’s just always an elite level.”

While Adams’ natural talent is a big factor in his success on the field, it’s his passion that fuels him. No matter what the team’s record is, Adams is always giving it his all on the field. No one can top his energy on the field at any given time.

However, this season has taken a toll on Adams emotionally. It started with his name being brought up in trade rumors around the trade deadline. Adams was not happy with general manager Joe Douglas but, after a couple weeks of refusing to talk to him, Adams cleared the air with the GM.

Then, Adams suffered the first injury of his career. He sprained his ankle against the Bengals but chose to play through it. An MRI revealed a sprain and Adams has missed the last two games. It’s been tough for Adams because he is not the type of player who likes to be off the field. The Jets hope he can return to action on Sunday against the Steelers.

Through it all, Adams has put together another spectacular season. He’ll try to finish it off strong before heading down to Orlando at the end of January for the Pro Bowl.

Jets place Chuma Edoga, Jeff Smith on injured reserve

The Jets have placed Chuma Edoga and Jeff Smith on injured reserve.

Already with the most players on injured reserve this season, the Jets added two more to the list Tuesday.

The team announced that both offensive tackle Chuma Edoga (knee) and wide receiver Jeff Smith (ankle) have been placed on injured reserve. The Jets also signed wide receiver Keon Hatcher to the practice squad and released center Ryan Crozier.

Edoga was the Jets’ third-round pick this season and had his struggles. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Edoga allowed seven sacks, which was second-most on the team, and had the lowest pass-block win rate among Jets offensive linemen. He made eight starts in his rookie season out of USC.

As for Smith, he was on the practice squad all season before being promoted to the active roster for the Ravens game. In that game, he had one catch for 12 yards. The Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College.

Hatcher was signed to the Lions practice squad in 2017 after being an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas. He played in three games with the Raiders last season and had one catch for eight yards. This season Hatcher spent time on the Packers practice squad before being released at the end of October.

Jamal Adams named to Pro Bowl for second straight year

Jamal Adams has been named to his second straight Pro Bowl.

Two years ago, Jamal Adams tweeted that he would never miss a Pro Bowl. Since then, he’s two for two.

Adams was named to his second straight Pro Bowl Tuesday. He led all strong safeties in the AFC in votes. His latest selection follows a Pro Bowl performance in which he won the game’s Defensive MVP Award.

The 24-year-old star safety was having an amazing season before spraining his ankle against the Bengals. In 12 games, Adams has 52 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, six pass defenses, one interception, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two touchdowns.

While this season has been great for Adams on the field, there have been some issues off the field. His name was brought up in trade rumors at the trade deadline and that didn’t sit well with him. The Jets didn’t end up trading him, but Adams was still upset and refused to talk to Joe Douglas afterward. Since then, Adams has cleared the air with ownership, Douglas and Adam Gase.

Adams should be able to play in the Pro Bowl should he choose to. He may not return for the last two regular season games due to the ankle injury, but the Pro Bowl is over a month away, so he should be healed by the time the exhibition in Orlando comes around.

Adam Gase spins a positive out of Jets’ wide web of players

Adam Gase thinks using so many players this season is actually a positive for the future.

Given all the injuries that the Jets have had this season, they’ve had to use a ton of players. Adam Gase would have rather that not been the case, but he’s managed to see the silver lining of the situation.

The Jets have used a franchise-record 71 players this season, which is the second-most in the league behind the Dolphins, who have used 74 players. Obviously, a team doesn’t want to use this many players in a season, but Gase feels like it gives the Jets a head start for next season.

“I think the fact that we’ve played a lot of guys is really great, especially for our personnel department,” Gase told reporters. “They have a really good idea of who are guys that are going to have a possibility of having a future, if there are certain guys that have eliminated themselves, what guys to re-sign.”

While the high volume of players helps the personnel department determine the roster for next season, it also signifies a lost season. If the Jets were in contention for a playoff spot, they wouldn’t want so many players playing. They’d want their top guys in there.

With this statement, Gase seems to be already looking ahead to next season. The Jets are going to have to make a lot of player personnel decisions over the next few months. They have a handful of players who need to be re-signed and players who are out of guaranteed money that they can cut.

It’ll be up to general manager Joe Douglas and his staff to make those decisions once the season is over.

6 young Jets with a chance to impress over New York’s final 2 games

The Jets Wire takes a crack at listing the six young Jets players with a chance to make a name for themselves with two games remaining.

With the Jets having just two games remaining this season, the team has a real chance to take a seat and step into self-evaluation mode.

New York has nothing to play for, while its next two opponents, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, have playoff sights with two weeks remaining in the 2019 season. Now is a chance for the Jets’ young players to step up, especially with the injury bug allowing for these opportunities.

The Jets have used 70 players this season, which is the most in the NFL. When Jeff Smith, a UDFA WR out of Boston Collge was placed on injured reserve, he became the 17th Jet to hit IR this season. That high number has enabled some of the Jets’ younger players, including multiple names from the 2019 draft class, to see increased playing time.

With that said, here are six young Jets with a chance to impress over New York’s final two games.

TE Trevon Wesco

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

The Jets’ fourth-round pick out of West Virginia has seen limited playing time, mostly as a full-back, but Wesco has a chance to see increased opportunities.

New York placed Ryan Griffin on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury, while Daniel Brown missed multiple assignments in the Jets’ 42-21 loss to Baltimore.

Wesco has one career catch for 15 yards and one rushing attempt for two yards. Both of his touches came in the Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants. With Sam Darnold in need of another security blanket, look for Wesco to make an impact in both the passing and blocking game.

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Jets WR Jeff Smith done for the season

After just one appearance for the green and white, in a 42-21 loss to the Ravens, Smith’s season has come to and as well.

Jeff Smith was promoted to the Jets’ active roster last Monday, as the team was forced to send cornerback Kyron Brown to injured reserve. After just one appearance for the green and white, in a 42-21 loss to the Ravens, Smith’s season has come to and as well.

The undrafted rookie wide receiver suffered a high-ankle sprain in Thursday’s loss. The injury will sideline Smith for the rest of this season, ending his short tenure with Gang Green.

Smith finished his day with one catch for 12 yards on two targets.

New York has already had to send 16 players to its injured reserve list, so this addition may be routine by now. Still, the Jets are desperate for playmakers and stability on their 53-man roster.

Now, it will be someone else’s opportunity to step in and attempt to fill the void. At wide receiver, at least, the hope is that veteran Demaryius Thomas will be healthy in time for New York’s Week 16 matchup with Pittsburgh.

The Jets are currently 5-9 and seated third in the AFC East. With all the injuries this team has suffered, they’ll have to get creative in order to finish the season strong these final two weeks.

Adam Gase, Sam Darnold deny rift between them after viral video

Adam Gase and Sam Darnold both denied that any disagreement happened between them on Thursday night against the Ravens.

Adam Gase and Sam Darnold have assured everyone that their argument on Thursday night against the Ravens had nothing to do with them.

After the Jets turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter, the Fox broadcast turned over to the Jets sideline and caught Gase and Darnold in a heated discussion. However, on Monday, Gase said that the conversation wasn’t related to the two of them, but rather it was about someone else on the offense not doing their job.

“Somebody didn’t execute their job and I was bitching about that,” Gase told reporters. “And [Darnold] was doing the same thing.”

It was clear and obvious that Darnold, as whatever he said caught the attention of backup quarterback David Fales. Fales looked to be in shock of what was said and his face showed it. When speaking to reporters on Monday, Darnold said that Fales is prone to making those types of faces.

“David always kind of has that weird look on his face anyways,” Darnold said.

Whether this conversation was truly about someone on the offense not executing his job or Darnold getting mad at Gase over the fourth down play call, it’s not a good look. Darnold has always had Gase’s back since the day he was hired, but this season has not gone as planned for either of them.

The Jets offense is second to last in yards per game with 274.1. They’re 29th in points per game, 31st in first downs per game and their third down conversion percentage is also 31st. As for Darnold, he is tied for fifth in interceptions, 36th in completion percentage and 21st in yards per game.

It’s been a bad year all around and both Gase and Darnold showed their frustrations. In the back of your mind, though, you have to wonder if their relationship is souring. Given that Gase has been promised another year by Christopher Johnson, that would not bode well for 2020.