The Kansas City Chiefs will go back on the road in Week 4 as they travel to New York to take on the Jets on “Sunday Night Football.”
Despite finishing with a losing record, the Jets improved greatly in 2022. They jumped out to an excellent 7-4 start before crumbling down the stretch and losing the rest of their games. Most of the blame can be attributed to the offense, which finished 28th in scoring. New York failed to score a single touchdown and was held under seven points in each of their final three games.
The biggest issue for the Jets’ offense was quarterback play. Zach Wilson was clearly not ready to be a starting NFL QB despite being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. This prompted New York to make one of the biggest moves of the offseason, trading for Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
The Jets then acquired a couple of new weapons that Rodgers is familiar with in receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. They then added some speed, signing former Chief Mecole Hardman. The cupboard wasn’t bare before those additions, as NY already had the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and speedster running back Breece Hall.
The Jets will hope that those acquisitions will be enough for the offense to catch up with the defense, which was one of the best units in the league last season and carried the team. The NY defense ranked fourth in both scoring and yards allowed, and also boasted the Defensive Rookie of the Year in cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The Jets added to an already dangerous defense by signing veteran defensive tackle Al Woods and drafting defensive end Will McDonald IV in the first round. They also added veteran safety Adrian Amos to sure up the middle of their secondary. Suddenly, it looks like the Jets could have one of the most complete rosters in the AFC as they look to end their league-leading 12-year playoff drought.
Now let’s take a look at some of the Jets’ key players and their outlooks heading into the 2023 NFL season:
QB Aaron Rodgers
Now entering his 19th NFL season, Rodgers’ sole mission is to capture another Super Bowl ring before he calls it a career. Despite being a First-team All-Pro and an MVP four times, plus a 10-time Pro Bowler, some still think of Rodgers as an underachiever for only having won a single Super Bowl.
The big question for Rodgers nowadays is if age is catching up to him. Last season he threw for the least number of yards in a full season played of his career. He also threw for the second-most interceptions of his career with 12. With that said, however, Rodgers did win back-to-back MVPs before last season and still has a tremendous arm.
One of Rodgers’ biggest challenges in 2022 was the lack of playmakers surrounding him. He now has more to work with in NY, as well as a much better defense. A motivated and re-energized Rodgers could mean trouble for the rest of the AFC, or perhaps father time is indeed catching up with him, setting Jets fans up for more disappointment.
RB Breece Hall
Hall was off to a great start in his rookie year before tearing his ACL and meniscus in Week 7. He was on pace for well over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and was named FedEx Ground Player and Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week in Week 5.
Hall is an elite athlete, possessing 4.3 speed and power back attributes. Hall’s recovery is reportedly going very well and there is a strong possibility that he will be ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season. When healthy he is a three down back and is a threat in both the running and passing game.
WR Garrett Wilson
What Wilson accomplished last season as a rookie with what he had to work with at quarterback is nothing short of phenomenal, catching 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson has great hands and is a very good route runner, but it’s his yards-after-catch ability that makes him special.
With rookie growing pains out of the way and now being paired with Aaron Rodgers, Wilson could push for elite status among NFL receivers. Even if he just stays the course, Wilson is a legitimate No. 1 receiver who can compete with the best defensive backs in the league.
DT Quinnen Williams
Williams elevated his game to another level in 2022, tying a career-high in total tackles with 55 and by far setting a career-high in sacks with 12. He also had two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal on special teams. Those numbers earned him his first career Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro selection.
Williams’ 90.1 Pro Football Focus grade was good for fourth-best among interior defenders in 2022. At just 25 years old, Williams appears to be hitting his prime and is poised to be one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL for the next several years.
CB Sauce Gardner
Pro Football Focus called Gardner’s rookie season one of the best in NFL history. His 90.2 coverage grade was first among all cornerbacks in the league. He recorded 75 total tackles and two interceptions, facing elite wide receiver talent such as Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs four times.
Gardner is already being compared to hall of famers such as Darrelle Revis and Deion Sanders. Gardner expertly uses his length and physicality and can be trusted to be left on an island throughout the entirety of a game. He could be a perennial contender for Defensive Player of the Year over the next decade.
