Week 2 was not a pretty sight, especially in the second half, if you are a Jets fan. The Jets were shutout in the second half as the Cowboys pulled away in the fourth quarter with three interceptions to seal a 30-10 victory. The Jets are now 1-1 and a date with Bill Belichick looms large in Week 3.
Here’s our look at some studs and duds from the Week 2 outing for the Jets.
Stud - LB C.J. Mosley
Mosley was the leader of the defense, tying for the team lead with nine tackles — Jordan Whitehead also had nine — and added a quarterback hit, a tackle for a loss and a pass defended.
Stud - LB Quincy Williams
Once again, Williams seemed like he was all over the field making plays, just like in Week 1 against the Bills. He had seven tackles against Dallas — all solo and tied with Jordan Whitehead in that category — and continues to prove he was worth the investment the Jets made in him this offseason.
Stud - WR Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson may have only had two catches against the Cowboys, but we saw how quickly he can turn a game around with his 68-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. That’s two games in a row with a touchdown and he already is halfway to his 2022 total. He’ll get a chance to score his first touchdown against the Patriots next week.
Half-stud/Half-dud - QB Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson had three interceptions in the fourth quarter, so yes, he melted a bit in the fourth quarter. But they weren’t all exactly a result of his play. The offensive line is certainly to blame and just the sheer excellence of the Cowboys’ defense played a role in those turnovers. For the first three quarters, Wilson wasn’t terrible. He had some nice runs and did what he could in the passing game as the Jets did nothing in the run game. He now gets a chance to exercise some demons of sorts. His performance against the Patriots last season led to his benching for Mike White.
Dud - OT Duane Brown
The Jets didn’t exactly do him any favors by isolating him one-on-one against Micah Parsons, but Duane Brown really struggled. He was beaten constantly as the Jets felt it was ok to put an average 38-year-old — we aren’t exactly talking about Trent Williams here — against one of the stud pass-rushers in the NFL. Zach Wilson couldn’t really get going and Brown was a key reason why.
Dud - C Connor McGovern
Brown wasn’t the only offensive lineman that struggled Sunday. Or the only one Micah Parsons made life miserable for. Connor McGovern also was a victim of Parsons’ fury and caused problems for Zach Wilson, including one of his three interceptions. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before the Jets get rookie Joe Tippmann into the lineup.
Duds - Jets running backs
It’s not exactly fun to have to call guys like Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook duds, but when Zach Wilson has more rushing yards than the rest of the team combined, that’s usually not a good sign. Hall (9), Michael Carter (8) and Cook (7) combined for 24 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Wilson had 36. Four Cowboys had more rushing yards than the three Jets’ running backs. The offensive line certainly was a factor, but you’re not winning many football games with those rushing numbers.
