New York Jets Must Utilize Matt Forte More in the Offense
By Nick Ziegler
The New York Jets have been struggling so far in 2016, and one of the reasons has been because of Matt Forte being less involved in the offense.
To start the 2016 season, the New York Jets were able to have two pretty good games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. In both of those games, they had a good balance of running and passing plays, and the offense didn’t look too bad.
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However, starting in Kansas City, the Jets started to use running back Matt Forte less in the offense. In the first two games of the season, Forte totaled a combined 59 touches, for just under 30 touches per game. While that workload was a bit much, Forte hasn’t totaled 20 touches in a game since the Jets’ win against Buffalo.
To no surprise, the Jets’ offense has struggled since Forte’s production has decreased, as Fitzpatrick made a ton of mistakes in those games. With a big game coming up against the Cardinals to keep their season alive, the Jets are going to be focused on getting Forte going on the ground.
“We’ve got to open more holes for him,’’ Bowles said when asked about Forte to Colin Stephenson of ESPN.com. “I haven’t noticed anything different — he’s still doing everything he needs to. He’s just got to get some holes.’’
The decreased amount of carries for Forte is the result of two things. Due to the Jets playing some good run defenses, they have had little success opening holes for their running backs. Against the Seattle Seahawks, Forte was held to just 27 rushing yards on 14 attempts. In addition to struggling to win battles in the trenches, the Jets have also been throwing the ball because they are trailing in games.
"“Some of it depends on the flow of the game, you know — if you get behind, you start passing more,’’ Forte said Friday to Stephenson. “Others, you know, we just struggled in the running game, just plain and simple. To correct that, I think there just has to be more execution on both parts, both on the offensive line and on me; being good in both who we’re blocking, and me reading the holes and how the box is set up and then breaking tackles.’’"
“We’re in these games all the way through the first half and through the third quarter, and then we go through, kind of, a lull, and there’s no energy out there,’’ he said to Stephenson. “And then you go three-and-out, or you go three-and-out twice, and then you end up being behind by 10, 13, 14 points. And then, you’re in the fourth quarter.’’
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The gameplan for the Jets should be very simple on Monday Night Football. Early on in the game, they must establish the running game to help ease the pressure on Fitzpatrick and the passing offense. If the Jets are able to run the ball effectively, they will also help their struggled defense stay off the field.
The Jets need Forte to succeed on the ground against the Cardinals, or they will be looking at a 1-5 record after Monday night.