The New York Jets’ failures as a franchise are well documented and social media has had its share of fun at the Jets’ expense. It’s low-hanging fruit. But after the first five weeks of the 2022 season, said fun might be ending. Back in September, I made a list of bold predictions for this season. While we have a way to go until January 8, 2023, the Jets are slowly turning things around. Like a video game, there were several achievements to unlock for the Jets throughout the season. I have three so far.
Achievement Unlocked for the Jets: Win in September
The first achievement unlocked for the New York Jets was winning in September. Prior to this season, their last win in September was Week 1 of the 2018 season. That game was former and once future quarterback Sam Darnold’s NFL debut. Enter Week 2 of this season: things looked bleak with under two minutes remaining against Cleveland. Running back Nick Chubb just scored to put the Browns up by 13. Quarterback Joe Flacco hit wide receiver Corey Davis for a long touchdown to bring the Jets within six. Then, punter Braden Mann was inserted into the game to deliver the onside kick…
Pure onside kick perfection ?
— New York Jets UK (@NYJetsinUK) September 18, 2022
Braden Mann HAVE A DAY! pic.twitter.com/OG7zwLEA82
… recovered by the Jets! Flacco guided the Jets down the field with no timeouts. The drive was capped by his 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Garrett Wilson. Kicker Greg Zuerlein’s extra point gave the Jets a one-point lead. The game was sealed by safety Ashtyn Davis’ interception with seconds remaining. Just like that, the Jets’ losing streak in September was broken with a shocking 31-30 win in Cleveland.
Achievement Unlocked for the Jets: Win at Least One Game vs. the AFC North
The second achievement unlocked by the New York Jets was going .500 against the AFC North. The first nine games of the Jets’ 2022 season looked brutal. The first four games were against AFC North opponents followed by three AFC East games, a perennial playoff team in Green Bay, and Denver. The season debut against Baltimore was rough, but the Jets had some positives to build on, particularly on defense. Jets fans saw a comeback for the ages in Week 2 in Cleveland. Week 3 against Cincinnati was a complete dud. Week 4 in Pittsburgh saw quarterback Zach Wilson’s return. Things looked bleak after a third quarter where the Steelers outscored the Jets 14-0 to take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Wilson led the Jets on two scoring drives in the final stanza. First was the 11-play drive which was capped by a Wilson passing touchdown to Davis. After Michael Carter II’s interception gave the Jets the ball back with just over two minutes remaining, the Jets went on a 10-play drive. The final play of the drive? A 2-yard rushing touchdown by rookie running back Breece Hall. Safety Lamarcus Joyner’s second interception of the day sealed the win in the Steel City. The Jets finish 2-2 against AFC North opponents.
Achievement Unlocked for the Jets: Win a Divisional Game
The third achievement unlocked by the New York Jets was winning a game in their division. Prior to Sunday’s win against Miami, the Jets hadn’t won a game in their own division since Week 17 of 2019. They went 0-for the last two seasons against Buffalo, Miami, and New England and none of those games were particularly close. In fact, most of them were forgettable. Sunday’s game against the Dolphins was anything BUT forgettable. For the first time in his career, Wilson had a relatively mistake-free game. The Jets’ offense didn’t commit any turnovers. Hall had nearly 200 all-purpose yards. Best of all, the defense played their guts out in the second half and allowed only three points.
The biggest improvement for the Jets this season compared to last season has been the ability to capitalize on other teams’ mistakes. In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders missed a 54-yard field goal with 13:19 remaining. Last season’s Jets would have had a three-and-out. This season’s Jets team has developed a killer instinct. First, the Jets go on a seven-play drive and finish with a touchdown. Then, the defense forces a turnover, which is converted into another touchdown. Lastly, the defense forces a four-and-out and the offense finishes the game with a touchdown. Earlier in the game, cornerback Sauce Gardner’s first career interception was converted into a touchdown. The new killer instinct was a contributing factor to a blowout win.
The Next Achievements to Unlock for the Jets
There are a few achievements still to unlock for the New York Jets in 2022. The first is a clean sheet from the offensive line in terms of sacks. The last time the Jets’ offensive line did not allow a sack to an opponent was Week 14 of the 2018 season. It’s sad that I’ve mentioned that stat on a weekly basis over the last three seasons. The offensive line has had the brunt of the injuries with three tackles – Mekhi Becton, George Fant, and Max Mitchell – currently on IR. (Fant and Mitchell will return while Becton is out for the season.)
The second is to score a defensive touchdown. The Jets are even in the giveaway/takeaway category, but they have seven interceptions in five games. They had seven interceptions in 17 games in 2021. Quinnen Williams almost had a scoop-and-score – while totally disrespecting almost teammate Tyreek Hill – for the first touchdown on defense this season.
I see some teams left on the schedule where they’ll have a great chance of unlocking this achievement.
The third accomplishment is to beat an NFC team. That opportunity comes next week when they travel to Green Bay for their first inter-conference game of the season.
