New York Jets: Matt Forte Looking To Join Elite Company
New York Jets running back Matt Forte looks to join some elite company if he can catch a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
The New York Jets are traveling to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. The Jets are reeling as they head into the game, as they are riding a three-game losing streak. They have a 1-4 record on the season, as tonight’s game is essentially a must-win for the Jets.
One of the reasons for the Jets’ struggles in recent weeks is the performance of their offense. They have put a lot of trust in Ryan Fitzpatrick to keep them in games, a formula that has proven costly throughout Fitzpatrick’s career. He had a career season for the Jets in 2015, but his stats have regressed in 2016.
If the Jets want to get things on track and save their 2016 season, they need to defeat the Cardinals. That is not an easy task, but one way for it to happen is to rely on their running backs, Matt Forte and Bilal Powell.
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The Jets signed Forte in the offseason saying that he would have a prominent role in the offense. Forte is one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL, as he is as talented a receiver coming out of the backfield as he is carrying the ball. Against the Cardinals, Forte is looking to join some elite company in the history of the NFL.
Forte is as versatile as they come in the history of the NFL. He has five 1,000+ yard rushing seasons and at least 44 receptions in every season of his career. That puts him close to some elite company, which he can join if he gets into the end zone with a receiving touchdown against the Cardinals.
Per Elias Sports Bureau, if Forte scores a touchdown through the air, he will join Marshall Faulk, Marcus Allen, Thurman Thomas and Herschel Walker as the only players in the history of the NFL to go over 8,000 rushing yards, 4,000 receiving yards, and have 20 receiving touchdowns.
After having 27 and 32 combined touches the first two games of the season, the Jets have gone away from Forte. He hasn’t gone for more than 17 touches since, as he has seen his carries drop each of the last three weeks; coincidentally the Jets have lost all three of those games.
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If the Jets want to get things going, getting Forte the ball more would be a good start. Doing so could also put Forte in some NFL lore with some of the greatest running backs in the history of the game.