The New York Jets are in one of the primetime slots again in Week 4, hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. Defeating the reigning Super Bowl champions will be easier said than done, especially if Zach Wilson continues to struggle at the quarterback position.
The Chiefs enter Sunday’s matchup having beaten the Chicago Bears 41-10 in Week 3 to improve to 2-1. Meanwhile, the Jets fell to 1-2 on the season after losing 15-10 to the New England Patriots last week as they’ve been outscored 45-20 since Week 1.
Buy Jets TicketsWith the Jets desperately trying to get back into the win column, here are six players to watch on Sunday night versus the Chiefs.
QB Zach Wilson
Time is ticking for Wilson to figure things out under center with the Jets in legitimate danger of having a 1-3 record after winning in Week 1. Wilson is dead last among 34 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per play (-0.279) entering Week 4 and the offense has been unable to sustain drives.
After not bringing anyone else in since Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1, the Jets signed veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian to their practice squad earlier this week. While Taylor Swift will reportedly be in attendance again to watch Travis Kelce, she’ll sadly have to watch Wilson and New York’s offense, too.
RB Breece Hall
Besides getting zilch from the passing game with Wilson operating the offense, New York’s rushing attack has also been spiraling downward. Breece Hall had 10 attempts for 127 yards in Week 1, proving that he has some of his explosiveness back already despite suffering a torn ACL in 2022.
But in the last two weeks, the dynamic second-year back has combined for only 27 rushing yards on 16 attempts. If the Jets want to pull off the upset on Sunday night, they’ll need the defense to play lights out and for Hall to have success on the ground to keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline.
RG Joe Tippmann
Joe Tippmann made his first career start for the Jets in Week 3 versus the Patriots, and he performed extremely well given the circumstances. The rookie interior offensive lineman allowed zero pressures on 42 pass-block snaps in the loss to the Patriots, according to PFF.
With Duane Brown on injured reserve, the Jets are moving forward with an offensive line unit that consists of (from left to right) Mekhi Becton, Laken Tomlinson, Connor McGovern, Tippmann, and Alijah Vera-Tucker. Tippmann and the entire offensive line will be tasked with trying to contain Chris Jones on Sunday night, so it’s been quite the introduction for the rookie.
DE John Franklin-Myers
Stopping Mahomes seems like an impossibility for any team the Chiefs go up against. The two-time MVP can beat teams when he’s pressured or when he has plenty of time to survey the field, making him an unsolvable puzzle at the quarterback position.
For the Jets, it’s all about just trying to make things difficult for Mahomes and that begins with John Franklin-Myers. Franklin-Myers leads the Jets in total pressures (13) this season, according to PFF. The former fourth-round pick has been productive in the first three weeks and the Jets will need him to show up again when the Chiefs come to town.
DE Jermaine Johnson
While Franklin-Myers has been generating consistent pressure for the Jets, the same can’t be said for Jermaine Johnson. The second-year pass rusher has just five pressures on the season, which is six fewer than Bryce Huff and two fewer than Quinton Jefferson.
The Jets have taken an edge rusher in the first round of back-to-back drafts, and one is struggling to pressure the quarterback while the other (Will McDonald IV) isn’t seeing the field. If Johnson continues to produce quiet outings, the Jets may have no choice but to have Huff or someone else start soon.
S Jordan Whitehead
When taking on the Chiefs, one thing is for certain: Mahomes is always going to be looking for Kelce when he drops back. After seeing limited snaps in Week 2 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars upon returning from a knee ailment, Kelce returned to more of a usual workload in Week 3 against the Bears.
Kelce has scored a touchdown in back-to-back games and Jordan Whitehead will likely be tasked with trying to defend the All-Pro tight end. Aside from his three-interception game in Week 1, Whitehead has 21 combined tackles and four pass breakups this season.
