Jalen Hurts was listed as questionable with a sore ankle all week, but the Jets prepared to play the Eagles as if Philadelphia’s starting quarterback would be on the field.
The Eagles went with Gardner Minshew against New York, letting Hurts rest ahead of their bye week. Minshew dominated the Jets through the air, going 20-25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-18 Eagles win. The former Jaguars starter looked right at home at MetLife Stadium, dicing up Jeff Ulbrich’s secondary as if he was Philadelphia’s top passer.
Some of Minshew’s success can likely be attributed to the Jets’ lack of preparation for him. New York practiced for Hurts thinking the choice at quarterback wouldn’t impact Philadelphia’s approach.
“A system is a system,” Saleh said postgame. “They weren’t going to change their system all in one week. It was just what are they going to call more of, which we were very familiar with. We weren’t going to get the QB runs, but you’re still going to get RPOs, you’re going to get more intermediate to short game. Which is what they did.
“Everything that they did was expected. It’s all part of their game plan. The plays were all the same. It was just where is the ball going to go? Jalen might be a little more aggressive. We knew Minshew would me more intermediate and check down.”
Saleh’s comments represent how most coaching staffs approach preparing for a potential quarterback change during the week — a sentiment echoed by Bryce Hall. No team can overhaul its scheme in a week’s time to cater to a quarterback’s needs and the Eagles didn’t do anything out of left field after turning to Minshew.
Bryce Hall says the #Jets did not prepare for Minshew. They prepared only for Jalen Hurts.
He says that’s probably because they are very similar quarterbacks.
“They do the same things”
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) December 5, 2021
However, the Jets didn’t look ready to deal with more of an intermediate passing attack. Minshew lived underneath for all four quarters and New York had no answer for him at any point in the game.
“Obviously the QB run game wasn’t there, but more RPOs, more intermediate to short game,” Saleh said. “Their O-Line is one of the best in football. They did a great job protecting him. He was able to sit back there and find time, find check-downs as our zones expanded.”
Just five of Minshew’s passes hit the MetLife Stadium turf on Sunday afternoon. He shouldn’t have been able to have as much success as he did in his first start since last season, but the Jets never showed any indication that they were ready to play him.
Even though the Jets not preparing for a backup isn’t foreign practice, they are not good enough to not account for all possibilities during the week. It looked like New York’s defense made strides against the Texans, only to take two steps back in Week 13.
This wasn’t the best look for Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich.
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