New York by the Numbers: 5 standout stats from the Jets’ second win of the season

Jets Wire takes a look at some standout stats from the Jets’ 23-16 Week 16 win vs. the Cleveland Browns.

To quote fictitious Cleveland Indians manager Lou Brown in the movie Major League, “If we win today, it’s called ‘two in a row.'”

The Jets were able to make it two in a row with their upset win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Behind a dominant defense and an offense that played well enough to win, the Jets held on to a 23-16 victory.

New York was able to play spoiler to another potential playoff team, making the Browns road to playing into late January that much harder. With Adam Gase’s firing inevitable at this point, the Jets are still playing hard for their head coach. While the Jets are officially out of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes, team morale is at an all-time this season following Sunday’s result.

Let’s take a look at some numbers that stood out in the team’s second win of the season.

Sergio Castillo, Frank Gore among Jets’ Studs & Duds in Week 14 loss to Seahawks

Jets Wire takes a look at the Jets studs and duds from the team’s 40-3 loss against the Seahawks on Sunday.

After the Jets came so close to securing their first win of the season last week, they were delivered a dose of reality in an embarrassing 40-3 defeat at the hands of the Seahawks this weekend.

The Jets struck first, but never struck again. The anemic offense was never jumpstarted and the team’s porous defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed. All in all, it was an atypical, uninspiring performance for Adam Gase’s team, which inched increasingly closer to 0-16 with a 37-point defeat.

Let’s take a look at New York’s best and (mostly) worst from the team’s latest loss.

Jets vs. Ravens: Gang Green’s injuries, Lamar Jackson’s ascension among pregame storylines

Jets Wire breaks down Gang Green’s Week 15 matchup with the Ravens by taking a look at four pregame storylines to keep an eye on.

The Jets have won four their last five games, but they haven’t played anyone as good as the 11-2 Ravens. That will change Thursday night in Baltimore.

With a win, the Ravens would clinch the AFC North and hold firm position of the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff race. The Jets are banged up and will most likely be shorthanded. However, their run defense may present a problem for Lamar Jackson and company, although Jackson is nursing an injury himself.

What should Jets fans be aware of before Gang Green takes the field this weekend? Let’s take a look at some pregame storylines to keep an eye on.

Lamar Jackson vs. Jets Run Defense

Lamar Jackon has set the NFL ablaze with his creative play in 2019.

A star in the making, Jackson is only 23 yards short of setting the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Michael Vick set the record at 1,039 yards back in 2006. Baltimore is averaging 200.9 yards per game on the ground.

The Jets, however, boast the league’s No. 2 rushing defense led by Steve McLendon, Foley Fatukasi, Kyle Phillips, Nathan Shepherd and Quinnen Williams. The Jets allow 75.6 yards rushing per outing. New York dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in total rushing defense after giving up 122 yards to Miami last Sunday, but the Jets are allowing a league-low 3.03 yards per carry.

With the Jets defense and Jackson banged up, it will be interesting to see who has the edge on the ground.

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

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

The Jets will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they take on Cincinnati on Sunday.

New York is playing its best football of the season right now, putting up exactly 34 points in each of the last three games. Meanwhile, the defense is continuing what it has done all season long — being the No. 1 team against the run.

For this game, the Jets are going to need a balanced attack offensively. Cincinnati is bad against both the run and the pass, but especially the run. The Bengals are dead last in run defense, allowing 166.3 yards per game. That suits Le’Veon Bell, who has yet to have a breakout game, as well as the other running backs. Sam Darnold also needs to take advantage of the Bengals’ weak secondary.

Defensively, the Jets have to continue to stop the run and put Andy Dalton in long yardage situations. This is Dalton’s first game back since being benched a few weeks ago, so getting him to throw in tough situations will make him uncomfortable.

As for the Bengals, they are 0-11 on the season and it would be typical if their first win came against the Jets. They are clearly looking ahead to 2020, so the Jets have to make sure they don’t stoop down to the competition.

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

Who: New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals
When: 1:00, p.m. ET, Sunday, December 1, 2019
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
TV/Radio: CBS, ESPN 98.7 F.M. For a Spanish broadcast check out 1050 AM ESPN
Livestream: fuboTV (try it free)
Line: Jets -3

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

Here’s everything you need to know for Sunday’s game between the Jets and Raiders.

The Jets are looking to keep their winning streak alive when the Oakland Raiders come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The weather conditions are not expected to be great in East Rutherford, as the forecast is calling for a cold and rainy day. That means both teams are going to have to adjust their gameplans accordingly.

If the forecast stays true to rain, then we’re going to see a lot of Le’Veon Bell running the football. He was slightly better last week against the Redskins, but not where he’d like to be at this point in the season. Assuming New York turns to a run-heavy attack, Week 12 will serve as another opportunity for the star tailback to get break out.

Defensively, the Jets have to stop Josh Jacobs on the ground and force Derek Carr to throw the football. Jacobs has been one of the league’s best rookies this year running behind a solid Raiders offensive line that has carried them to a 6-4 record. Luckily for New York, it has the No. 1 run defense in the league, which will make things tough for the young running back.

As for the Raiders, they’ve been quite the surprise this year. Oakland is right there in the playoff race can’t afford a letdown loss to the Jets. However, the Raiders have had their road struggles this year with only one road win on the season.

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

Who: New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders
When: 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 24, 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: Raiders -3

Patience with Nathan Shepherd may pay off for Jets

After returning from a six-game suspension, Jets’ second-year defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd had a sack and three tackles for loss.

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A week ago, Nathan Shepherd returned to the Jets following a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

On Sunday, he turned in what was easily his best game as a pro. The second-year defensive lineman had a sack and three tackles for loss in the Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants. Shepherd would have recorded another sack, too, had CB Nate Hariston — who was eventually benched — not erased the play with a holding penalty.

The sack was the first of Shepherd’s career. Playing in 16 games as a rookie last season, he recorded 15 tackles in five starts. Overall, he did little to show why former general manager Mike Maccagnan invested a third-round pick on a Division II product.

Shepherd flashed the potential that impressed NFL scouts on Sunday, though. He finished the game with a Pro Football Focus grade of 82.0, coming off a decent 68.7 grade in the Jets’ 26-18 loss to Miami in Week 9.

Since returning from his suspension, Shepherd has provided a much-needed boost for a Jets team that had been previously reeling.

“It’s good to have him back,” Adam Gase said following Sunday’s game. “His energy level, he’s so happy to be playing football again. That stuff’s contagious.”

It would have been easy for the Jets to dismiss Shepherd after he was suspended for two separate violations of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He didn’t perform well as a rookie and New York’s new regime had no attachment to the Maccagnan holdover.

Instead, Gase and Joe Douglas stuck with the 26-year-old. The sample size has been small, but so far the decision has paid off.

“I feel like I used eight of my nine lives,” Shepherd told NFL Network following his suspension. “I kind of have to treat it like I have a peanut allergy — if I get one more, it’s going to be over for me. That’s just my reality and I accept that.”

A third violation of the NFL’s PED policy would equal a minimum of a two-year ban for Shepherd.

Shepherd’s two failed tests came on June 27 and July 25 while he was recovering from shoulder and groin injuries. The shoulder injury could eventually require surgery. He underwent an MRI on his groin that revealed he needed sports hernia surgery. In response to a change in posture, Shepherd had multiple herniated discs in his back.

Rehabilitating and coming back from suspension, the Leonard Williams trade allowed Shepherd the opportunity to prove that he was still worthy of a roster spot. With his NFL future in limbo, he rose to the occasion on Sunday.

He’s become an asset for the league’s No. 1 rushing defense and the Jets third-round pick from a year ago is finally coming around. It took some patience, but the investment in Shepherd may turn out to be worth it if he continues to play like he did Sunday.