Getty New York Jets running back Michael Carter breaking tackles and taking souls vs the Cincinnati Bengals.
There has been a lot of roster turnover with the New York Jets over the last decade.
Players have been drafted, guys have been traded, and of course, stars have been released. With that level of volatility, there’s no wonder the team has struggled to win and put up any meaningful statistics.
Yet every once in a while a David beats a goliath and that is what makes the NFL so damn cool.
The Jets upset the 11-point favorite Cincinnati Bengals, 34-31, and they may have found a star in the making.
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The Future at the Position
The headline was certainly Mike White making his first career start at quarterback and he put up video game numbers in a historic win. In a quarterback-driven league, I get it, but it would be irresponsible to let some of the other stars who emerged from this game to slip through the cracks.
Michael Carter is an absolute stud that refuses to go down on first contact.
He toted the rock 15 times for 77 yards and secured a touchdown. On those attempts, he averaged over 5.1 yards per clip.
That in itself would have been impressive enough, but wait there’s more, the former North Carolina star also led the team in both receptions (nine) and yards (95). A running back averaged over 10.6 yards per catch, that is absolutely ridiculous.
Big believer that Michael Carter is the future at RB for the Jets. Was my RB4 last draft.
Not only could he be the future at running back, but he is also the gosh darn present at running back. A talented tailback that can do it all as both a runner and a receiver, Carter is a complete back in every sense of the term.
RB1 for Days and Depth to Boot
It has been a long time since the Jets have had a dynamic player like this that can change the game. He is a budding star at only 22 years of age and is getting better on a week-to-week basis.
On top of his impressive day at the office, the green and white also learned that they have a capable Robin to MC’s Batman in Ty Johnson.
He wasn’t nearly as impressive on the ground, four carries for 15 yards, but he showed some real chutzpah in the passing game.
The former Maryland product caught five receptions for 71 yards and snuck in a terrific touchdown that brought the Jets within striking distance of the Bengals with four and a half minutes to go.
Jets not done.
Ty Johnson scores to make it a 5-point game. #TakeFlight
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It was refreshing to see Mike LaFleur cook up easy checkdowns just in case nothing else was open and White executed and took what was there.
The running backs deserve a huge amount of credit for not only catching these dump-offs, but also for creating plays once they got the ball in their hands. The backfield combined accounted for 166 yards after the catch, per Jets guru Joe Caporoso.
It wasn’t perfect, Carter had a few drops, the most notable one resulted in an interception for White in the first half. That isn’t the first time that his questionable hands have gotten him in trouble this season, but he just has to continue to get better.
If he can figure out that part of his game, the Jets could have themselves a truly special player that could be the bell cow for this team for the next decade.
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