The New York Jets will have a quick turnaround after their 32-6 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. For the first time in NFL history, the league will have a game on Black Friday, with the Jets slated to take on the Miami Dolphins at home on primetime.
It has been a forgettable month of November for the Jets, who have lost three straight games to fall to 4-6 on the season. The Jets are currently projected for the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which isn’t ideal for a team that has their sights on still making the playoffs.
In what is a vital game in terms of a potential miraculous return by Aaron Rodgers late in the season, here are six players from the Jets to watch in Friday’s divisional matchup versus the Dolphins.
QB Tim Boyle
During the lopsided 32-6 loss to the Bills in Week 11, the Jets benched Zach Wilson in favor of Tim Boyle late in the third quarter. After Wilson made 10 starts for the Jets since Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury in the season opener, Boyle has been named the starter for Friday’s matchup.
Boyle will be making his first start since the 2021 season with the Detroit Lions when he made three starts. In those three starts, Boyle completed 61 of his 94 attempts for 526 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. The offense can’t get much worse than what it was with Wilson, so the idea is for Boyle to provide a spark.
WR Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson tallied season-worst marks in receptions (2) and receiving yards (9) on eight targets in Week 11. The talented wideout failed to catch a pass until Boyle entered the game with time winding down in the third quarter against the Bills.
Wilson has been dealing with an elbow injury he suffered in Week 10, but he appears to be on track to suit up on Friday against the Dolphins. We haven’t seen Wilson catch passes from Boyle yet, so we’ll what their rapport looks like. While the Jets should try to move Wilson away from All-Pro Jalen Ramsey, we should expect a heavy dose of the second-year receiver following his quiet outing versus the Bills.
OT Mekhi Becton
Mekhi Becton is questionable to play on Friday after leaving last week’s game against the Bills with an ankle ailment. The former first-round pick is attempting to play this week as the Jets are trying to avoid having to play their third different left tackle this season.
If Becton is unable to play, Carter Warren or Duane Brown would be the likely options to start at left tackle. Brown will need to be activated off injured reserve by Thursday or he’ll be out for the rest of the season. Regardless of who starts at left tackle, they’ll be tasked with slowing down Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
DE Bryce Huff
Bryce Huff had a four-game streak of recording at least one sack before facing the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10. The pass-rushing extraordinaire was blanked in Week 11 versus the Bills, but he still leads the Jets in total pressures (48) and quarterback hurries (33) despite seeing only 188 pass-rushing snaps.
Huff is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, so these final weeks are crucial toward earning a new contract — either with the Jets or another team. The Dolphins make it hard on edge defenders as Tua Tagovailoa gets the ball out quickly, but Huff and the other pass rushers need to make sure the lefty signal-caller doesn’t have a lot of time to throw.
DT Quinnen Williams
After much was made about Quinnen Williams not having a full sack to his name entering Week 10, the All-Pro interior defender has combined for 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in the last two weeks.
Tagovailoa is capable of picking apart defenses when he has a clean pocket to throw from and he can step into his throws. If Williams can generate consistent pressure from the interior and force Tagovailoa to move off of his usual throwing platform, then the Jets can prevent the Dolphins from making their patented chunk plays through the air.
S Jordan Whitehead
The Jets are dealing with a couple of injuries to members of their secondary, with Michael Carter II and Tony Adams considered questionable to play on Friday. Carter leads the Jets in slot snaps (369) on defense, but Jordan Whitehead (148) has the second-most.
This is crucial as PFF has Tyreek Hill leading the Dolphins in slot snaps among their wide receivers at 116. The Dolphins love to use cheat motions and other unique ways to give Hill free releases and a head start before the ball is snapped. While Whitehead won’t have many snaps where he’s covering Hill at the line of scrimmage out of the slot, he’ll be crucial in making sure the speedy receiver doesn’t get behind the secondary consistently.
