Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh making a playcall during an NFL game.
The New York Jets are 5-2 and have the same record as the Kansas City Chiefs, just as we all predicted before the season.
With the good times rolling we check in with our two handsome experts Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden Jr and Michael Obermuller. We dive into some tasty leftovers from the weekend and look ahead to what is coming up on the docket.
Breece Hall Ripple Effects, Zach Wilson-Jets Beef
1. How big of a loss is Breece Hall to this Jets offense? Would you try and go outside the organization to find a replacement, or would you promote from within?
MO:
It’s massive. As much as I love Michael Carter (and I’m a big fan of his), this offense just isn’t the same with Ty Johnson spelling the second-year ball carrier. Breece Hall was the lifeblood of this offense and he won’t be easily replaced.
I’ve heard some calls for Cam Akers on social media already, but my gut tells me the Jets promote Zonovan Knight and call it a day with the trio of MC, Ty, and the forgotten UDFA that turned heads this summer.
Having said that, SHOULD they go outside the organization? I’m going to say no because I think the goal is still 2023. I’m not sure the Jets want to spend draft capital on a season where they are ahead of schedule and trading for a running back is a good way to waste your assets.
Boy Green:
You feel absolutely sick for Hall who was on a Rookie of the Year trajectory. However that is the nature of this violent sport so the Jets will have to turn the page.
Bluntly they don’t have enough on the roster to survive especially considering their dedication to the running game. They need some sizzle and that’ll come via the trade market or free agency.
The Jets are 5-2, they can be buyers ahead of the deadline. If they weren’t in this position, I wouldn’t be advocating for them to make such an aggressive move. However they owe it to the team to field the best possible roster and that means going outside of the four walls to find a replacement.
2. Zach Wilson has caught a lot of heat for his play, despite the 5-2 record, 4-0 as a starter this season. Is the criticism deserved?
MO:
Yes and no. The schedule has not been easy on the quarterback position whatsoever, and yet Wilson has done enough to win games.
It was particularly ugly in Denver but the Broncos’ defense has been stifling every offense they’ve faced in recent weeks. The Packers also had one of the top passing defenses in the NFL going into Week 6.
I’m not worried about Wilson at all but at the moment he reminds me of Mark Sanchez during the Rex Ryan regime. Sanchez was a game manager and a winner early in his career, but he never took the next step. Wilson must still prove he can turn into an elevator but he has plenty of time to do so.
Boy Green:
I’m all for some criticism for a player that isn’t playing well, however, the Zach Wilson hate reached another level over the weekend.
Gang Green was playing one of the best defenses in the NFL. Of course, Wilson struggled with that, 20 mile per hour gusts, and a lackluster supporting cast that was destroyed by injuries.
However, the stat that means the most is 5-2 overall and specifically 4-0 as a starting quarterback in 2022. So far during his run, he hasn’t been asked to consistently go out and win games on his arm. Although he was in his first game back in over nine months in the fourth quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers game.
There will be games when he is tested and forced to do something, we just haven’t seen it consistently yet.
New York Jets, New England Patriots Rivalry Week
3. It is New England Patriots week which is always a special time, what is your favorite memory from this storied rivalry?
MO:
Sadly, there aren’t many good memories that come to mind when you think of Jets-Patriots if you’re a younger fan like myself. It’s been a long and ugly stretch ever since the turn of the millennium.
There were some good memories though, and like most younger fans, the “can’t wait” game stands out as the best of the bunch. What I really want is to make new memories, however, and for them to be positive ones. Let’s hope that begins in Week 8.
Boy Green:
I have to go with my greatest memory as a Jets fan and it was the “Can’t-Wait” game. It is the second-greatest win in franchise history only behind the Super Bowl III victory. Gang Green went into Foxboro and eliminated one of the best Patriot playoff teams of all-time.
It will forever live in my memory and that was the last time the Jets beat the Pats in regulation. Consider this: the Pats have won 20 of the last 22 matchups. Those two wins the Jets had both came in overtime. They haven’t beaten New England straight up in regulation since that playoff game.
4. What comes next in the Elijah Moore saga? Does everything go back to normal and he’s in the lineup this week or do you predict something else transpiring?
MO:
I’ve been pretty outspoken that we cannot give up on Elijah Moore, and I received a ton of backlash for it. I understand what he did was unforgivable to most fans but I also see him as a 22-year-old kid that made a grave miscalculation. I’m willing to give him the opportunity to learn from this error.
Head coach Robert Saleh has stressed over and over again that Moore’s trade request was not out of a place of hatred for this organization, but rather a burning ambition that he let shroud his judgment. The youngster also deleted all the tweets that were involved in the original drama, including A.J. Brown’s message to “free Elijah.”
It’ll be challenging to just go back to normal but the fact remains that this Jets offense needs the dynamic wideout now more than ever. If Breece Hall is indeed out for the season, a Moore reconciliation will be integral in reshaping this system. The NYJ wide receivers didn’t show much in Denver as the passing attack struggled once again.
Boy Green:
First off I’m glad the Jets were able to overcome the drama of that distraction to win on the road in Denver. Impressive stuff from this coaching staff keeping everyone on track.
With that being said, this is an organization built on love not hate. They will embrace Moore as he returns to the facility on Monday. That is for a few reasons.
He was a second-round draft choice that showed a ton of promise in his rookie campaign. The Jets would be bananas to cast him aside. Secondly, they are going to need him with all of the injuries.
It sucked seeing a player put the me in team, especially with all the winning. However, it can all be bygones if he rededicates himself to the team and helps them win some ball games.
5. We have the same exact record at 5-2 after Week 7! Time to predict the Week 8 result and final score in the New York Jets vs New England Patriots matchup?
MO:
My partner and I got to 5-2 in different ways but we’re both even nearing the halfway mark in Week 9. A week ago, I would have shouted Jets over Patriots, no question.
This Hall injury really concerns me though. The Pats flaunt another stout defense and this Jets offense looks lost right now. Their one identity was to ride Hall and allow him to open up the rest of the system, but without him, I fear another lousy performance from Mike LaFleur’s unit.
Bill Belichick has dominated Coach Saleh so far but this is a different Jets roster in 2022. Can the defense will another victory for Gang Green, or will the offensive injuries and struggles derail the winning streak? I hate to say it, but my gut is telling me that the Patriots move the ball better on the ground and steal one at MetLife, 24-14.
Boy Green:
Michael brings up some very valid concerns heading into this one.
I’ll say this: before the season I had the Jets splitting with the New England Patriots. This first matchup is at home, then after the bye week, they will travel to Foxboro for the rematch. While the Jets are undefeated road warriors at 4-0, I think their best bet to beat the Pats is in the lovely confines of MetLife Stadium.
The Patriots have dominated this rivalry winning 20 of the last 22, but as Saleh has mentioned before this is a new era. In a season of ending droughts, I believe that happens again as the Jets win 28-27 over the hated Patriots.
That improves their record to 6-2! 6-2?! Is this real life?