New York Jets: Toughest Part of Schedule Begins Week 2

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The road is getting tougher for the New York Jets as the second Sunday of football season approaches. Gang green nation has to be sarcastically chiming “thanks for the murderer’s row first-half draw, NFL!”

Starting this week with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, New York is embarking on a six-week gauntlet thrown down by their schedule. The next month and a half will put them up against some of the NFL’s better teams and undoubtedly six of the upper-echelon quarterbacks and offenses in the league.

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This period presents such peril to the Jets because their biggest defensive weakness is in the secondary. If given the opportunity, each of these offenses can and will carve the Jets up for yards and points all game long. That’s why Rex Ryan has to ask even more out of his nasty front seven.

It’s integral for the Jets pass rush to bail out its beleaguered cornerback group and force them out of covering these explosive receivers for too long. Even with Dee Milliner returning the Jets defensive backfield is currently no match for the offenses they are about to face in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, San Diego, Denver and New England.

New York’s defensive line is arguably the most dominant in the league stopping the run so we know they can be relied on for that. The bigger concern for the both the line and linebacker corps will be getting to the quarterback.

Putting more pressure on the quarterback and creating more sacks is something the Jets D-line and have aimed and looked to improve since last season ended. General Manager John Idzik even went out and got a situational pass-rushing specialist in veteran Jason Babin, who notched a sack in Week 1.

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Ryan will need all the ingenuity he can muster and use all the exotic packages and extra pass rushers he can think of to put the opposing QB flat on his behind or at least chase him from the pocket. It’s the only way to make any of these top-tier playmakers uncomfortable.

There’s also chance these guys use their game plans and skills against the Jets to beat their strategy. After all, three-step drop backs followed by a quick pass means there’s no time to pressure the man under center, right?

Still, Ryan needs to and will do all he can to reach the quarterback. I can’t see Rex playing too much more zone anyway. His best bet is to keep being the aggressive coach he is and attempt to have his defense dictate the opposing offense, not the other way around.

Blitzing extra guys in a variety of ways is better than bringing in extra cornerbacks to stand around in coverage waiting to get torn up. But hey, feel good that Idzik doesn’t have any regrets about the cornerback situation.

The Jets have to play offense also and luckily they’re much improved in the category. This is probably the most talented offensive roster the Ryan’s had in his six seasons at the helm.

During this stretch gang green could use their offense as possibly their best defense. The idea is to keep the talented offenses off the field by orchestrating time consuming drives anchored by the ground attack. Most of the defenses New York will face are susceptible to being exploited in the rushing game.

That’s why the Jets need to pound the rock. Control the clock and Chew up the field. Set up third-and-short where the playbook can open up wide and get first downs. It’ll mean less chances and time for the opposing QB and offense with the ball. The defensive front seven is the backbone of this team and good enough to keep the Jets in games for longer than they should be but the offense needs to play their part.

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg would do well to utilize his three-headed monster with Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell. Week 1 saw Powell get the least amount of work and we can expect for that to continue as long as the other two backs remain healthy. Johnson is the shifty and speed back while Ivory is the bruiser. Powell is a combination of both and provides the Jets with depth very few teams have in the backfield.

There’s reason to believe gang green can run the ball with consistency near the top of the league in 2014.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York needs to not only score points but put together long drives with sustainable success. That includes the other key to upsetting any of these opponents: no turnovers. Geno Smith has two already and is lucky to not have three. Its clear Smith is in control of this Jets offense and has all the physical tools to succeed but he’s got to be more cerebral at times. The Jets’ hopefully long drives must end in points of some kind. There is no room for wasted opportunities at any point but especially when it lets a poor defense off the hook to hand the ball to a weapon-filled offense.

Of course, if they manage to score within a couple of plays and use no clock that’s obviously great. However, we know the type of team the Jets are. They’re an intermediate route-running team without a deep threat. Currently, long bombs down the field aren’t their game. Although it would be nice to see every once in a while.

This first-half schedule is brutal for the Jets but all they need to do is tread water and stay afloat. Their draw lightens as the season progresses and if New York escapes the first half with a few wins, they could be in a spot to make a run for the playoffs.

This stretch will also serve as a bit of a measuring stick. The Jets will play in primetime on multiple occasions and play teams that are expected to be in the postseason hunt come December. All six opponents ranked in the top eight in terms of yards per game in 2013 and can light it up with ease.

Let’s hope Ryan’s defense is as good as he says it is. Dominating in the front and patched up in the back. We’ll have a better idea of who the Jets really are and where they stand in mid-October after they run the gauntlet.