Gardner has not had his best season in 2024 but this is still a fun matchup to watch. Harrison, the first non-quarterback selected at the 2024 NFL draft, has come as advertised in the NFL. He’s already the Cards’ No. 1 receiver with 28 catches, 455 yards and five touchdowns.
OL Morgan Moses vs. Baron Browning
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Like the Jets, the Cardinals were active at the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Pass rusher Baron Browning landed in Arizona and in his past 17 games over the last two seasons, Browning has nine sacks. The oft-banged up in 2024 Morgan Moses will face Browning. Pro Football Focus has Moses ranked as the 47th best tackle in the NFL this season.
WR Malachi Corley vs. CB Garrett Williams
(Imagn)
Speaking of the trade deadline, with the Jets sending Mike Williams out, now rookie Malachi Corley. Could have an opportunity to step up. With Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams still at the top of the receiver depth chart in New York, that likely means Williams will get a look at covering Corley.
Jets locker room react to Jeff Ulbrich’s first win: ‘Proud of him’
It ook a few tries, but Jeff Ulbrich is on the board with his first win.
The New York Jets (3-6) snapped their five-game losing skid against the Houston Texans (6-3) in Week 9. The Jets took a 21-13 win.
After it taking a few tries, New York’s locker room was proud of their interim head coach. Players from both sides of the ball made their feelings known.
“Proud of him,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said.
A roundup of reactions to Ulbrich’s first win can be found below:
For clarity, New York’s defense forced five punts, yet the offense, which tallied more first downs and total yards than the Pats, still somehow loss the time of possession. The Jets offense scored an average of 6.5 points per quarter, keeping the game well in reach despite several opportunities to extend the lead.
Don’t mistake Gardner’s humble decision to self-reflect as a gesture of oblivion. Jets fans, especially quarterback Aaron Rodgers backers, have been excessively oblivious to the clear offensive struggles that continue to hold the team back. Gardner ultimately shouldn’t feel sorry at all.
Sauce Gardner and the Jets’ defense is suffering Jet lag and here’s why
Injuries, fatigue, trauma, and locker room unrest all have worked to depreciate the New York Jets defense led by All-Pro Sauce Gardner.
After building rapport under Jeff Ulbrich as the former defensive coordinator in 2022, Gardner and company were forced to compromise Ulbrich’s leadership due to his transition over to interim head coach just weeks ago.
Countless Jets players suffered injuries on defense this season including defensive end Jermaine Johnson, defensive back D.J Reed, safety Chuck Clark, and linebacker C.J Mosley who missed three of the Jets’ seven games this season.
Gardner hasn’t missed any games this season however, and him and all-pro linebacker Quincy Williams have done everything in their power to maintain Ulbrich’s standard. Thanks to Gardner and others, the Jets still rank No. 2 in the NFL in opponent pass yards allowed per game and rank No. 16 in opponent rush yards per game.
It doesn’t end there. What about the excessive offensive turnovers yielded by quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Those Jets’ turnovers have a trickle-down effect, playing against both the attrition and morale of the team defense. Since Gardner’s youth doesn’t merit him the vocal platform to scorn a teammate of Rodgers’ magnitude, he and others have been forced to suffer in silence internally.
Whether Gardner, Ulbrich , or Jets fans admit it or not, Rodgers’ inflated ego has fully consumed the Jets’ locker room. With a offensive third-down conversion rate of 31% over the last three games, Gardner and the defense haven’t really gotten much from their hall of fame quarterback, one they believed would take them to the next level.
Offensive struggles have only perpetuated a undertone of pessimism and if the Jets’ defense doesn’t get a tangible (not vocal) contribution from Rodgers in week 8, their jet lag may continue.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen should be careful not to target Reed or all-pro Sauce Gardner in one-on-one situations tonight at Met Life Stadium. While rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman does possess extraordinary attributes, he hasn’t lined up versus a secondary this dynamic in 2024.
The outcome of this week six AFC East rival matchup will come down to which team can force a crucial turnover and/or win field position. Reed and others have their eyes on Allen and that football, and an interim head coach ready to turn things around.
Sauce Gardner jokes about Jeff Ulbrich’s first days as Jets head coach
Jeff Ulbrich means business.
That doesn’t mean some of his players weren’t going to have fun with him as his first days being the head coach of the New York Jets unfolded.
The defensive coordinator was named the interim after the team sacked Robert Saleh last week. Star defensive back Sauce Gardner revealed that players were keeping the mood light during Ulbrich’s first days in charge, poking fun at him following the promotion.
“We was joking with him a little bit,” Gardner said. “‘Oh, you become the head coach, you actin’ different.'”
Gardner’s full thought can be found in the clip below:
Causes for concern as the Bills face the Jets in Week 6
The Buffalo Bills will head to Metlife Stadium to take on the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
The divisional clash will feature Bills (3-2) and Jets (2-3) teams that both lost last week.
The winner of Monday’s game will be the leader in the division. If the Bills win, they will gain a stranglehold on the division even after an up-and-down start to the season.
For the Bills to improve to 4-2 and take a two-game lead in the AFC East, they will need to be wary of these three things from the Jets on Monday:
Pass coverage
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Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed are arguably the best cornerback duo in the NFL. They are a big reason the team is ranked second in the the NFL in both total defense and pass defense. According to PFF, Reed is graded as the best cornerback in the league through five weeks. His 90.8 coverage grade is second in the entire NFL to the 49ers’ Fred Warner.
Despite losing last week, the Jets held a red-hot Minnesota Vikings offense to just 179 passing yards. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold posted a 50.3 passer rating while completing just 14 passes on 31 attempts (45%). Last week, Josh Allen posted even worse numbers than those. He and offensive coordinator Joe Brady need a bounceback game in the worst way. It’s a tough matchup for the Bills after their wide receivers struggled against the Houston Texans.
Pass rush
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It’s not just the coverage downfield that makes the Jets’ defense a nightmare. The big guys up front can reach the quarterback with the best of them. The Jets are fourth in the NFL in sacks with 18. Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV is tied for second in the league in sacks with 6.
After Allen was pressured on 41.7% of his dropbacks against the Texans, the Bills offense now faces a team who can get after the QB in the same way.
For all the times Allen was under pressure in Week 5, he didn’t complete a single pass when pressured. Protection for Allen needs to be on point Monday or McDonald and company will have a major impact. And, receivers need to get open as well.
Unpredictability?
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The Jets promoted defensive coordinator to interim head coach after firing head coach Robert Saleh. They also changed offensive playcallers. Todd Downing takes over for Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s singal caller. After five weeks, ownership had seen enough of the same old problems.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers ranks 26th in the NFL in passer rating and has a 7-4 touchdown ratio. But still, the shakeup within the organization was unexpected.
As far as what the Bills can expect from Jets, there probably won’t be too much difference in what they were last week. There may be a couple added wrinkles in playcalls. Regardless, it will be a good test for head coach Sean McDermott and coordinators Joe Brady and Bobby Babich.
The Jets have an excellent secondary. The Bills do not have many weapons around quarterback Josh Allen and their top target, wide receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle), might not play.
Whether it’s Gardner or DJ Reed, they should feast on Coleman. Buffalo’s second-round rookie receiver has had a few moments in his career but not many. No big breakout games.
RB Breece Hall vs. LB Terrel Bernard
(Getty)
Like the Bills offense, the Jets struggled on that side of the ball last week as well. However, New York’s issues have been going on for most of the NFL season. The reason why is easy to see.
It will be a full-defensive effort to stop a rushing attack. But Bernard leads that unit. When New York can’t run the ball, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been forced into mistakes because their game plan becomes predictable. That will play into the Bills’ hand as their secondary is very good, too.
Salutations to Saleh but Jets’ interim HC Jeff Ulbrich is an upgrade
Goodbye Robert Saleh, and hello to the man that should be credited with maintaining team chemistry in the New York Jets locker room.
Coach Jeff Ulbrich’s message to Jets fans: “I’m very excited about connecting with this locker room and elevating everybody.” pic.twitter.com/gVAjr88zwS
Interim HC Jeff Ulbrich has instilled a military mindset into a Jets’ defense that ranks No. 3 in opponent touchdowns allowed per game. The pre-game gatherings of defensive back Sauce Gardner and company stems from the ferocious leadership of Ulbrich who has helped ignite the potential of many, including D.J Reed and defensive end Will McDonald.
Unlike Saleh, Ulbrich won’t allow for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to ruin momentum with mundane play-calling. Sure, Hackett may have survived this round of bingo, but with Ulbrich in charge Jets’ fans will see an increased amount of scrutiny applied to Hackett. Therein lies the underlying disdain of Saleh amongst Jets’ fans, his unwillingness to correct the offensive approach.
Ulbrich led as defensive coordinator with real humility, being sure to refrain from meddling with the offensive personnel and forbidding from stepping on Hackett’s toes. During Sunday’s loss, NFL Network reporters conveyed that there had been a quiet aura on the Jets’ sideline and this may suggest that a growing division may have been emerging.
Ultimately, Ulbrich is an upgrade and if he can help change the offensive strategy, the Jets still have a chance in 2024.
Jets’ Quincy Williams has stern response to loss against the Vikings
No excuses came from the New York Jets defense following their loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.
The London clash ended 23-17 final in disappointing circumstances… for the offense. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ third and final interception sealed the defeat.
Linebacker Quincy Williams was quick to hold his team to a high standard after the final whistle.
“I’m going to be honest, people get tired of hearing the same [expletive],” Williams told SNY. “People got to take accountability.”
With such a stern response, it feels like Williams wasn’t exactly pointing fingers, but it would be understandable as to why he felt the way he did.
After allowing some early points, the New York’s defense slammed the door shut on a high-flying Vikings offense. Even so, the Jets’ offense could not close the gap.
In a bit of a separate way, cornerback Sauce Gardner was not in the mood to make any excuses either. He specifically spoke to penalties being called against the Jets.
“We did pretty good. Obviously, got quite a few calls, quite a few pass interferences, never called on us. It’s our job to play, the refs make calls. Ain’t nobody perfect,” Gardner said in the locker room. “I think we did a pretty good job.”
In the outing, Williams recovered a fumble to go along with the six tackles. Gardner had two tackles, a pass defended and a nearly an interception in the end zone. He was also flagged for a few penalties as he pointed out.
For more from Williams, see the attached SNY clip below:
Very noteworthy quote from Quincy Williams to @JeaneCoakley after loss to #Vikings ..
