Tag: Jets vs Lions

Jets’ playoff hopes take major blow after 20-17 loss to Lions in Week 15

Jets are now 7-7

The New York Jets have gone 11 seasons without a postseason appearance. That number may soon reach 12 after a brutal 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 15 dropped the Jets to 7-7 and puts them behind the eight ball in the playoff race.

The Jets have now lost three straight and five of their last seven since their 5-2 start. When it looked like the playoffs were going to be more than just a dream may end up being just that, a dream. The Jets now need a ton of help to end their postseason drought and it boils down to two big plays allowed, one on defense and one on special teams.

In the first quarter, it was the 47-yard punt return by Lions returner Kalif Raymond.

In the fourth quarter, with less than two minutes left, on fourth down, was maybe the true back-breaker: a 51-yard touchdown to Brock Wright of all people.

Then there was the interception thrown by Zach Wilson — 18/35 for 317 yards and two touchdowns — that was also a back-breaker and one Wilson himself said cost the Jets three points. Those three points sure would have come in handy. At least Wilson is handling himself than he did after the Patriots game four weeks ago.

Not to mention the clock management (or mismanagement, if you will) on the final drive that could have at least gotten the Jets closer for Greg Zuerlein’s game-tying field goal attempt. His 58-yard attempt sailed wide left and that was all she wrote for the Jets.

Three killer plays and mishandling the clock late overshadowed a solid day otherwise by the Jets’ defense, including Sauce Gardner, who got the elite cornerback treatment of not being targeted once as the nearest defender.

But as the Jets are well aware of by now, there are no more moral victories. The Jets need real victories and they need them in a hurry. Let’s face it, the Jets have to win out at this point just to get to 10-7 and hope to get some help elsewhere.

That road starts Thursday as the Jets have a quick turnaround and will be facing a hot Jaguars team that now has back-to-back wins over the Titans and Cowboys following their overtime win over Dallas in Week 15. If the Jets can’t turn things around quickly, their road may be coming to an end very soon.

The loss of Quinnen Williams was felt all day as the Jets struggled to generate pass rush on Lions quarterback Jared Goff. In fact, they didn’t record a single sack. They did get credit for five quarterback hits — two for Carl Lawson, two for John Franklin-Myers and one for Bryce Huff.

On the flip side, Wilson was sacked four times, including a near-killer one on the final drive that Wilson somehow salvaged with a crazy fourth-down pass to Elijah Moore.

But a combination of bad throws, no pass rush, no running game — just 50 rushing yards — and back-breaking big plays allowed on defense and special teams means the Jets’ playoff hopes are now on life support.

The Jets really need the Chargers and Patriots to lose in the late window, otherwise, things will get even worse. This is what happens when you are unable to take care of business on your own, you become too dependent on others and the Jets aren’t a team that can rely on that.

It was a nice run, but it may soon be time to start talking mock drafts yet again instead of a Wild Card matchup. There’s still time left with three games left and anything can happen. But the reality may end up being Kalif Raymond and Brock Wright may have just ruined the Jets’ season.

Jets tied with Lions at half 10-10

Thoughts on the first half?

Zach Wilson is starting to gain confidence again. He’s connected on some big throws in the first half and has kept the Jets in this one as the Jets are tied with the Lions at halftime 10-10.

Wilson is 8/14 for 185 yards and a touchdown to C.J. Uzomah. His quarterback rating is 125.6. He’s also doing a nice job of spreading the ball around as five difference receivers have at least one catch thus far.

Leading the way is…Jeff Smith?? That’s right, a couple of big chunk-yardage plays at the end of the first half to Smith have given him 73 yards on three catches as Smith is taking full advantage of his playing time in place of the injured Denzel Mims, who is out with a concussion.

One spot where the Jets can really use some improvement in the second half is on the ground. New York is getting no push up front and it has resulted in just 21 rushing yards compared to 71 for the Lions.

They also need some pass rush. It has been near-nonexistent without Quinnen Williams. Fortunately for the Jets, they haven’t been allowing big plays yet to the Lions. Jared Goff is 12/20 for 119 yards.

The Jets have stepped up on defense in the red zone, including a huge fourth-down stop early in the game…only to give up a 47-yard punt return to Kalif Raymond shortly thereafter.

Overall, you have to feel pretty good about Wilson’s performance thus far and how Mike LaFleur is letting Wilson sling it a little more, getting him outside the pocket and even getting some zone read in the mix.

The Jets get the ball first in the second half.

Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets, live stream, TV channel, time, how to watch NFL

The Detroit Lions will meet the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon in Week 15 of NFL action from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Detroit Lions will meet the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon in Week 15 of NFL action from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Lions are coming off a 34-23 win over the Vikings last week and have been playing some of the best football in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Jets have lost four of their last six games after falling to the Bills 20-12 last week and will now go back to Zach Wilson under center in a game where they are in need of a win if they want to stay in the playoff picture.

This will be a great Sunday of NFL football, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the game today.

Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets

  • When: Sunday, December 18
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

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NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Sunday at 10:10 a.m. ET.  

Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets (-2)

Over/Under: 43.5

See more at Sportsbookwire.com

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Jets announce inactives for Week 15 vs. Lions: James Robinson, Jeremy Ruckert join five injured Jets

Jets announce Week 15 inactives

The New York Jets have announced their inactives for their Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions.

Five of the players were already known between Friday and Sunday morning.

QB Mike White (ribs)
WR Corey Davis (concussion)
CB Brandin Echols (quad)
DT Quinnen Williams (calf)
S Lamarcus Joyner (hip)

The other two inactives (since the Jets called up two players from the practice squad) aren’t surprises.

TE Jeremy Ruckert
RB James Robinson

Both sit at No. 4 on the depth chart at their respective positions and have, for the most part, been weekly scratches lately.

Two players will be active for the first time in a few weeks. WR Jeff Smith (first time since Week 11) and CB Bryce Hall (first time since Week 1).

The Lions inactives are as follows:

OG Kayode Awosika
LB Derrick Barnes
DL Michael Brockers
DL Austin Bryant
QB Josh Dobbs
OG Ross Pierschbacher
RB Craig Reynolds

Report: Quinnen Williams is out vs. Lions

Quinnen Williams out as well

Shortly after it was reported that safety Lamarcus Joyner (hip) will not play Sunday against the Detroit Lions, it has now been reported by Josina Anderson of CBS that Quinnen Williams will not play.

A brutal blow for the Jets who really could have used Williams against the Lions to stop the rushing attack and get after quarterback Jared Goff. The Jets still have plenty of depth along the line, including calling up Tanzel Smart from the practice squad. But not having the heart and soul of their defense up front will be a huge loss for a team fighting for their playoff lives.

Sheldon Rankins, Nathan Shepherd, Solomon Thomas and Smart will be the four defensive tackles Sunday.

That makes five Jets out with injuries.

QB Mike White (ribs)
WR Corey Davis (concussion)
CB Brandin Echols (quad)
S Lamarcus Joyner (hip)
DT Quinnen Williams (calf)

Report: Lamarcus Joyner out vs. Lions

Lamarcus Joyner out

Per Connor Hughes of SNY, safety Lamarcus Joyner (hip) is out for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

Joyner was a late add to the injury report Saturday and was designated as questionable. He was working out with members of the conditioning staff Sunday morning and was seemingly a game-time decision. The decision has been made. He will not play.

Ashtyn Davis could step in as the starter in Joyner’s place with Will Parks and Tony Adams as the reserves.

Joyner joins Corey Davis (concussion), Brandin Echols (quad) and Mike Whtie (ribs) as players that have been ruled out for Sunday’s game.

Final score prediction for Jets vs. Lions in Week 15

Drop your final score predictions

The Jets enter the final quarter of their season with two home games in the span of five days. They host the Detroit Lions in Week 15 in a matchup of teams no one expected to be in the playoff hunt at this stage, especially the Lions, who were 1-6 at one point.

Zach Wilson makes his return to the starting lineup after doctors would not medically clear Mike White for contact due to fractured ribs. Wilson starts for the first time since Week 11.

Wilson at least has a chance to finally take over the team lead in passing touchdowns, which Joe Flacco has held since Week 3.

How much Wilson has improved remains to be seen. Sure, he has gotten reps in practice with the scout team, but now he’s back with the big boys. His connections with his teammates, both on and off the field, will be worth watching, especially after his postgame comments after the Patriots’ loss in Week 11. We’ll see if Wilson can get better at taking care of the football and making better football decisions.

The Jets need to find a way to score points and finish drives because the Lions have the ability to explode on offense, led by wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. There’s your key matchup of the day: Sauce Gardner vs. St. Brown.

Gardner has been incredible as a rookie in slowing down an opponent’s top receiving threat. That has to continue Sunday if the Jets are to defeat the Lions. St. Brown has topped 100 yards in three of his last five games with three touchdowns in that stretch. He hasn’t dipped lower than 50 yards since suffering a head injury against the Cowboys on October 23.

With Quinnen Williams “50/50” to play, the depth of the Jets’ defensive line could have their chance to shine, especially against a Lions team that ranks just outside the top ten with 127.5 rushing yards per game. With D’Andre Swift healthy, the Lions have been able to work both backs, with Swift as the pass-catching running back and Jamaal Williams — who leads the league with 14 touchdowns — as the early-down and goal-line back.

Speaking of the goal line, the Jets have to finish drives and step up their red-zone defense. The Lions have been very good in the red-zone. Check this out from Lions Wire editor Jeff Risdon:

The Lions have been cruising in the red zone on both sides of the ball recently. The offense has been very effective at converting red zone possessions into touchdowns. The defense has gone from the worst in the league over the first seven games to 16th in the last six in the same category.

That will need to carry over into today’s game. The Lions defense cannot give up touchdowns to Zach Wilson when he guides the Jets into the red zone. On the flip side, Jared Goff has to stay sharp and hit those red zone shots to Brock Wright, Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift. Touchdowns over field goals.

New York’s own red zone defense is pretty good for the season, but they’ve been lousy lately; the last five opposing incursions into the Jets red zone have resulted in touchdowns. Opponents not named the Bears or Patriots have scored TDs on 14 of their last 16 red zone trips. No team is better at converting red zone possessions into touchdowns than these Lions.

The Jets cannot afford a repeat of what happened against the Vikings two weeks ago.

So what will happen?

Until we see that Wilson has truly improved his mechanics and fundamentals, it’s a bit tough to lean his way, especially when the offense as a whole has struggled to find the end zone. Can Mike LaFleur cook up a recipe in time to get the Jets into the playoffs?

Maybe the Jets surprise, but we’ll go with the Lions in a close one.

Prediction: Lions 20, Jets 16

Jets vs. Lions game and viewing information for Week 15

Jets vs. Lions game and viewing information for Week 15

The New York Jets (7-6) are now in near must-win mode as they sit on the outside looking in with four games left in the season. Their playoffs more or less start Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Here’s your viewing and game information for Week 15.

Detroit Lions at New York Jets, Sunday, December 18 (1:00 eastern)

TV info: CBS (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn)

In-market live stream: fuboTV (try it for free).

Radio: WEPN-FM, ESPN New York 98.7 (Bob Wischusen and Marty Lyons)

Location: MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ

Forecast: 38 degrees, Mostly cloudy

Referee: Craig Wrolstad

Opponent Wire site: Lions Wire

How the experts are viewing Jets vs. Lions in Week 15

How the experts are viewing Jets vs. Lions in Week 15

The New York Jets take on the Detroit Lions in Week 15 in a matchup of two former highly-drafted quarterbacks in Zach Wilson and Jared Goff.

How do the experts over at NFL Pick Watch view this tight matchup? Let’s take a look.

The Jets are seeing too much love from the experts here. Only 36% of the picks are going in favor of the Jets straight up. The matchup is one of the closer margins among the matchup, despite the ratio being close to 2-to-1. Only Ravens-Browns (54%-46%) and Patriots-Raiders (59%-41%) have closer margins.

In terms of picks against the spread, even as the favorite, only 39% of the experts are taking the Jets to cover the 1-point spread, compared to 61% taking the Lions with the one point.

Perhaps it’s the Zach Wilson effect, or at the very least, the uncertainly all week at the quarterback position. We’ll see Sunday if the Jets can surprise these pickers and score a huge victory in their quest for their first postseason trip since 2010.

Having a chance to reset since his benching, Zach Wilson ready for his ‘cool opportunity’ Sunday

Zach Wilson ready for his ‘cool opportunity’ Sunday

Zach Wilson is ready to go. After getting a chance to reset himself and work on his fundamentals since his benching after Week 11, the former No. 2 overall pick now is back in the saddle for the New York Jets. Certainly, not the way he expected to be back, but he is excited nonetheless.

Wilson didn’t even know until Friday that he was going to return to the starting lineup after doctors would not medically clear Mike White to play against the Detroit Lions in Week 15 due to fractured ribs. As a result, it’s a “cool opportunity” as Wilson put it Friday.

Wilson has spent the last three weeks working on himself and getting his fundamentals back to where they should be. After losing his starting job to Mike White after the Patriots game in Week 11, Wilson was dropped to the No. 3 position on the depth chart. Wilson was elevated to the No. 2 role this week and head coach Robert Saleh did so with the thought that there was a possibility Wilson was going to play because of the uncertainty of White.

“When he was elevated to the number two quarterback, it was with the understanding that there’s a strong possibility that he was going to play and to prepare accordingly,” Saleh said. “He’s gotten vast majority of the first team reps, he’ll get all the reps today, he’ll get all the reps tomorrow, and so, we feel very comfortable about Zach’s preparation as the first-string quarterback and that he’s gotten his normal work load as a starting quarterback would normally get with the limitations that were placed on Mike, but love Mike, love how hard he’s worked to try to get back for his team, but at the end of the day, it’s just one of those deals where we’ve got to protect the player from the player.”

Wilson was always preparing himself as if he was the guy, even during the time he was inactive as the No. 3 quarterback.

“For me, going into this week it was let me prepare like I’m the guy and that’s what I did the last couple of weeks when I was inactive,” Wilson said. “So, taking the day as if I was the guy. We had no idea what it was going to be, and it’s not up to me, right? I don’t make that call if I’m playing or not, so it was just controlling what I can.”

He’ll now have the chance to control what he can in the game Sunday and he knows he has to be better at making decisions on the field, especially with the Jets fighting for a playoff spot.

“I’ve got to make the best decision for the guys in this locker room, and sometimes maybe it’s taking a sack, throwing it away, make the best decision for this team. So, that’s got to be the mindset going into that game, and I’m excited to try and show what I’ve been working on these past three weeks or whatever it is.”

Can his issues be fixed in such a short time? Who knows? Saleh at least is speaking out confidence in that potential, saying “I don’t think it’s impossible. He’s done a really nice job. I thought he’s had two of his best throwing days in practice.”

As for Wilson, he’s just focusing on enjoying football again, after he told reporters earlier in the week that he had to “find the fun in football again.”

“I’ve really just focused on enjoying football again, going back to the basics, the fundamentals of just being an efficient quarterback, and having those scout team reps I think were beneficial for me, and just being able to just decisively try and get the ball out of my hands, and be accurate, and get the ball to play makers.”

Now Wilson can go out and have fun, especially since, in his words, “the worst has already happened.” Wilson added: “I’m going to go out there and just have fun, and whatever happens, happens and I’m going to go out there and lay it out there and I’m going to do whatever is best for this team and that’s not my control if they want to make that change down the road or whatever. I’m going to go out there and play the best that I can and put this team in the position that I feel like is best for the team.”

Wilson also said, “I would play this game for free, and I think I said that the other day, it’s just you know you don’t go into this game thinking I’m doing this at eight years old trying to make a living like this.”

While Wilson can now seemingly have fun again, the hopes of the playoffs for the Jets seem to rest squarely on his shoulders, as he may end up starting in Week 16 as well, with the Jets on a short week against the Jaguars. From there, it’s anybody’s guess. For now, it’s just one game, one play at a time for Wilson.