Five key advanced stats that the New York Jets need to reverse in 2020

What key weaknesses must the New York Jets eliminate to make a playoff push in 2020? Pressure rate allowed Most weaknesses on a football field can be overcome if the team has enough talent elsewhere. The offensive line is not one of those surmountable weaknesses. In 2019, the Jets allowed their quarterbacks to take pressure on 42.9% of their dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus' tracking. That was by far the worst rate in football. The additions of Connor McGovern and Greg Van Roten should certainly create a few more cushy pockets for Sam Darnold. McGovern was graded by PFF as the fifth-best pass-blocking center in 2019 (82.5 grade). Van Roten ranked as the 17th-best pass-blocking guard out of 67 qualifiers (74.3 grade). The X-factors are the tackle spots. What will Mekhi Becton do as a rookie? Based on recent history, there is a strong chance he will be either phenomenal or brutal in his debut season, with little chance of landing somewhere in-between. Pass-blocking performance of rookie tackles that were drafted top-15 (2006-19) How about right tackle? If George Fant wins the job, can he improve upon his ghastly track record as a starting tackle? Can Chuma Edoga take a second-year leap? There is still a bevy of question marks here, but Joe Douglas has certainly bolstered the unit's ceiling with Becton and McGovern while also building competition and depth that did not exist a year ago. Tight end/wide receiver blocking The tight ends and wide receivers did not do anything to pick up slack for the offensive line in 2019. Each unit blocked at a horrendous level. In my tight end rankings, I had the Jets' unit ranked as the league's worst in the blocking side of the game. The Jets ranked 32nd in yards before contact on rushes directed outside of the tight ends (0.26). Cumulatively, the Jets tight end group ranked 30th in PFF's pass-blocking grade (55.5), 29th in pressure rate allowed (9.8%), and 23rd in PFF's run-blocking grade (54.3). The wide receivers were no better, ranking 31st among the league's 32 units with a run-blocking grade of 48.1. Two heroes can save these units - Trevon Wesco and Denzel Mims. Wesco's blocking gradually improved throughout his rookie season. He especially thrived in the fullback role that the Jets placed him in later on. If Wesco can maintain the 88th percentile run-blocking grade of 70.8 that he posted from Weeks 8-17, he should be able to mitigate the rest of the unit's struggles. Mims has the potential to become one of the better blockers at his position. Feisty blocks like this one show up on his Baylor tape regularly. The man flat-out loves blocking, which is a necessary trait to thrive in this area and one that far too few receivers have. To boot, he has the body type, technique, and strength to be truly dominant at it. Third down conversion rate Moving the chains on third down was a chore for the Jets last year. They ranked 31st in the league with a 30.7% third-down conversion rate. From Weeks 6-17 (post-Darnold return), the Jets converted on 35.3% of third downs, which ranked 26th over that span. Better, but still poor. It often goes unheralded that a crucial piece of a team's success on third down is its success on first and second down. The result of each down greatly affects the offense's odds of success on the next. On the season, the Jets faced an average of 7.9 yards to go on third down, tied for the longest distance in the league. Thus, it is no surprise that they converted those plays at the second-worst rate. Similarly, the Jets tied for the sixth-longest average distance to go on third down from Weeks 6-17 (7.5 yards) and converted on the seventh-worst rate. If you want to win on third down, you have to win on first and second down. From Weeks 6-17, the Jets tied for sixth-worst in yards per play on first down (5.0) and yards per play on second down (4.9). They tied for third-worst with 5.0 yards per play between first and second down. That right there is a recipe for disaster on third down. In reality, the best way to win on third down is to avoid it altogether by moving the sticks on either first or second down. Adam Gase's Jets could not do this well, either. From Weeks 6-17, the Jets picked up first downs at the sixth-lowest rate on first down (17.9%) and the eighth-lowest rate on second down (28.9%). Their conversion rate of 22.7% between first and second down ranked fifth-worst. The Jets actually did a phenomenal job of converting on third down when they were put in a favorable situation. Their third-down conversion rate of 57.8% with five or fewer yards to go ranked fifth-best from Weeks 6-17. Escaping the third-and-long situations they were so often placed into was an issue for the Jets offense. Their conversion rate of 14.3% on 3rd & 10+ from Weeks 6-17 ranked third-worst. The bottom line is this: the Jets need to be immensely better at avoiding negative or marginal plays on first and second down. That starts with the 1st & 10 run game. From Weeks 6-17, the Jets averaged 3.2 yards per carry on first down, second-worst ahead of only Miami's historically bad offensive line and running backs. And where does improving the 1st & 10 run game start? The offensive line. Every issue that the Jets offense had in 2019 can be traced back to that unit. Edge pressure This has been a glaring weakness for the Jets since the dawn of time. In 2019, Jets edge rushers ranked 28th in the league with a pressure rate of 9.7%. Unfortunately for Gregg Williams, Joe Douglas was unable to pull off a major investment at the EDGE spot as he focused his attention on other needs, so the acquisition of a true potential difference-maker will likely have to wait until 2021. Unlike the defensive line, the Jets do not have returning starters on the edge who possess a realistic chance of trending upward. Tarell Basham and Jordan Jenkins are both 26 years old and have a combined 102 games of experience. Anything is possible, but it does not seem likely that either player has untapped potential left in the tank. Kyle Phillips could have a second-year leap in store, but he showed very little in the passing game as a rookie despite his excellence against the run. Once again - anything can happen - but a leap to pass-rushing prowess for Phillips seems unlikely. So, the Jets' only hope of substantially improving in this area lies within a pair of rookies - third-rounder Jabari Zuniga and undrafted free agent Bryce Huff. Zuniga's 2019 season at Florida was limited to only five fully-played games due to a high ankle sprain, but he was hitting new heights when healthy. Over 124 rush opportunities, Zuniga collected 19 pressures, generating a 15.3% pressure rate. That mark would have ranked at the 94th percentile among qualified FBS edge defenders. Huff ranked fourth among all edge defenders in the nation with 64 pressures in 2019. His efficiency backed up the volume, as Huff's 17.8% pressure rate was seventh-best at the position nation-wide (99th percentile). A few draft outlets considered Huff worthy of a Day 3 selection, but the mysterious lack of a Combine invite and Memphis' canceled Pro Day could have been the primary reasons for Huff's tumble. It is highly unlikely that a third-round or undrafted rookie comes in and bolsters the edge rush from Day 1, but this is where the Jets stand at this position right now. They just do not have legitimate pass-rush upside on the edge outside of the two rookies - and the pair's "upside" is based solely on the fact we have not seen them play a single down yet. Major emphasis needs to be placed on patching this hole in 2021. Defensive line pressure The Jets have a defensive line that is stacked with depth, but most of the unit's success came in the run game this past season. In my defensive line rankings, I had the Jets' unit as the league's 14th-best overall, ranking third-best against the run but all the way down at 25th in the passing game. To make the leap from merely a great run-stopping line to a fearsome all-around line, the unit will need to improve upon its 27th-ranked pressure rate of 6.7%. Fortunately, the Jets have the right pieces in place to push that number upwards through internal development. Nathan Shepherd and Quinnen Williams hold the keys to taking this unit into the upper-echelon against the pass. Shepherd showcased elite pass-rushing upside after returning from suspension in 2019, finishing the year with a 10.4% pressure rate that ranked at the 83rd percentile among interior defensive linemen. Williams showed steady progress and intermittent flashes of superstar potential throughout the season, finishing the year on a high note. Based on my personal tracking of every rush snap that Williams logged in 2019, I recorded his pressure rate over his final four games (15.6%) to be more than triple the rate he posted over his first nine games (5.1%). If Shepherd and Williams can carry their pass-rushing progress into 2020 and maintain it over 16 games, the Jets could field one of the league's most terrifying defensive lines in 2020.