Over the last six seasons, the New York Jets have been associated with having some of pro football’s worst offenses. The Todd Bowles Era saw the Jets be known more for their defense outshining the offense. The execrable Adam Gase Error – er, Era – featured some of the worst offenses Jets fans had seen in a generation. The Robert Saleh Era got off to a bumpy start last season as the Jets finished with a 4-12 record. The offense finished 26th in the league in yards per game (306.4) and 28th in points per game (18.2). Hope abounded for a much better showing in 2022 and Week 1 against Baltimore brought more of the same awfulness the Jets’ offense has been known for. But in Week 2 against Cleveland, the New York Jets displayed some of the explosive offense potential they’ve been building the last two seasons.
Dual Threat at Running Back
The first evidence of explosive offense potential the New York Jets displayed is at running back. General manager Joe Douglas selected running back Michael Carter in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Carter ran for 639 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games in 2021 before his season was cut short by injury. This season, Carter has only 83 rushing yards in two games, but also has 12 receptions for 67 yards. One of those receptions was a 12-yard catch and run on the first play of the Jets’ game-winning drive which included a move to gain two extra yards.
This move by Michael Carter was probably one of my favorite moves from yesterdays game. That was one helluva move. #Jets pic.twitter.com/FNHmEdmhdw
— Ali Ashraf (@loyalnyjetfans) September 19, 2022
His counterpart – Breece Hall – was selected in the second round of this year’s draft. Hall had a rough start in Week 1, surrendering a fumble on a potentially game-changing drive. Last week, Hall displayed the damage he can do as a rusher and a pass-catcher, rushing for 50 yards and catching a touchdown pass to tie the game at the half. Hall almost broke another run for a touchdown (see tweet below), and he eventually will break one. Once the Jets’ run game heats up, both backs are going to get a lot of carries.
Huge run by Breece Hall #Jets pic.twitter.com/uRwFKD3PY8
— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) September 18, 2022
Better Line Play Means Better Quarterback Play
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The second evidence of explosive offense potential the New York Jets displayed was at quarterback. Quarterback Joe Flacco had a rough outing in Week 1. Despite throwing for 309 yards against Baltimore, it was on 59 attempts. That is an absurd number of attempts to reach just over 300 yards. Flacco was also under duress for a large part of the game as the Jets’ offensive line on skates all game long. Week 2 looked more like the same in the first half, especially after Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett sacked Flacco twice. But in the second half, the offensive line – particularly rookie right tackle Max Mitchell – played better. This enabled Flacco to have more time to find his receivers. Flacco’s stat line was like Week 1 (with less passing attempts), but the difference was he threw four touchdowns.
Max Mitchell vs. Myles Garrett on the game winning TD ? pic.twitter.com/JPNeYngLuu
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 19, 2022
Receivers – In Particular, Garrett Wilson – Feast
The third evidence of explosive offense potential the New York Jets displayed was at wide receiver. Because the offensive line played better, Joe Flacco had more time. He didn’t have to go to his check down receiver repeatedly. Wide receivers Elijah Moore and Corey Davis each had decent days. Moore had three receptions on five targets for 41 yards. Davis was targeted four times for two receptions, but one of those was a 66-yard touchdown with 1:32 remaining. The most outstanding performance, though, came from rookie Garrett Wilson. The former Ohio State Buckeye was targeted 14 times and finished with eight receptions for 102 yards and two scores, including the game-winning touchdown with :22 remaining. Wilson had a drop in the fourth quarter, which lead to Nick Chubb scoring to put the Browns up by 13. But Wilson made up for that mistake with the game-winner.
Trending Upward
As Douglas has been building a team worthy of a postseason berth, the explosive offense potential has been the talk of New York Jets fans. The Cincinnati Bengals come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday with an 0-2 record. The Jets’ defense has their job to do and if they watch enough tape, they can feast on the Bengals’ atrocious offensive line. The offense can continue trending upward with another impressive performance. If their momentum from last week continues to build, the offense will continue to be talked about.
(By the way, Zach Wilson is slated to return in Week 4 and left tackle Duane Brown in Week 5. This offense should only get better with those two back.)
