Mekhi Becton, Connor McGovern lead stellar rushing attack for New York Jets (Film)

The New York Jets' 206-yard rushing performance against Las Vegas was a team effort spearheaded by Mekhi Becton and Connor McGovern. The New York Jets ran for a whopping 206 yards against the Raiders, their best performance on the ground since posting 323 rushing yards against the Broncos in Week 5 of 2018. Two players in particular were instrumental behind the phenomenal production - Mekhi Becton and Connor McGovern. Becton earned an 81.8 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, third-best among left tackles in Week 13 (prior to Tuesday night's game) and his second-best of the season. McGovern earned a season-best run blocking grade of 82.8 that stands as the second-best among centers this week. When running to Becton's left side (any carry directed to the left of the center), the Jets picked up 112 yards on 17 carries (6.6 average). McGovern helped to lead a strong interior rushing attack, as the Jets picked up 147 yards on 20 carries between the tackles (7.4 average). Let's dig into the film behind the excellent run blocking showcased by these two crucial long-term pieces on the Jets offensive line. Film Becton cleared the edge with ease all afternoon. While Clelin Ferrell had Becton's number in the passing game, Ferrell simply could not hold the edge against Becton in the running game. With the Jets running a split zone featuring jet motion, Becton kicks out and quickly engages the 5-technique defensive end (Ferrell), explosively firing his hands into Ferrell's chest and moving him outside. Becton reestablishes his hands, getting his inside hand onto Ferrell's inside shoulder to maintain the block and keep Ferrell at bay. Josh Adams gets an enormous B-gap to run through and picks up 25 yards. Nice work by Pat Elflein on the 3-tech, using the defender's momentum against him by allowing him to charge through the A-gap and then pinning him to the back side. Adams makes a man miss in space and picks up even more than what is blocked for him. On this next play, McGovern shows some impressive power as he creates plenty of downfield movement and maintains his block for an extended period of time. McGovern delivers the snap and takes on the slanted 1-tech (Maurice Hurst). On the inside zone play, McGovern takes wide lateral steps and carries Hurst outside before engaging. Once engaged, McGovern maintains contact and drives Hurst down the field both laterally and vertically, opening up an enormous cutback lane that Ty Johnson uses to pick up seven yards on second-and-10. Smart and athletic block in space by McGovern here. On the draw play, McGovern works up to the linebacker (Cory Littleton) at the second level. Rather than being overly aggressive looking for contact, McGovern stays patient and allows Littleton to define the running lane, a savvy decision. Once Littleton commits inside, McGovern attacks, digging his hands into Littleton's hips and riding his momentum. This makes Ty Johnson's life easier, presenting him with a clear-and-obvious lane. Instead of having to make a decision, Johnson is given an easy read that he can make instinctually without having to waste time thinking. Johnson runs behind McGovern on the way to 12 yards on second-and-2. I included the All-22 angle for this next play to highlight the work by Denzel Mims in addition to Becton. On an inside zone handoff to the left side, Becton violently clubs the DE (Arden Key), sending him upfield and to his knees, clearing the B-gap. Down the field, Mims maintains his block to prevent his man from making a play. Johnson uses the space for an easy 16-yard gain on first down. Nice job by Johnson staying patient and pressing the line before making his cut. Reading the play side LB, Johnson sees that the LB has an angle to meet him outside, so Johnson hesitates just enough to hold the LB inside, making his cut once the LB is lured into traffic. Darting through the hole without any hesitation may have allowed the linebacker to make an early stop. In addition, Elflein contributes another solid block. Elflein had a couple of big mistakes in the running game, but a larger handful of impressive plays. He was a liability in pass protection, however. This play does not amount to anything, but that takes nothing away from McGovern's effort. McGovern takes the back side 1-tech and plows him down the field, pummeling him into the ground about two yards beyond the line of scrimmage. McGovern catches another defender on his way down, stomping two Raiders into the MetLife Stadium turf. Becton with another nice play on the edge against Ferrell. This time, Ferrell lines up as the 6-tech, head-up over the tight end, Chris Herndon. The Jets run an inside zone in Becton's direction, but Ferrell skips inside and looks to attack the B-gap. Ferrell times it well enough to potentially shoot through and blow up Johnson for a loss, but Becton saves the play. While sliding outside, Becton catches Ferrell, getting his hands on Ferrell's upper body. Becton then fully rotates his hips towards the inside and extends his arms to pin Ferrell inside. Johnson gets outside for five yards on first down. There is no footage of it, but Ferrell was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty following this play for something that occurred after the whistle, seemingly during an altercation with Becton. So, a nice hidden value play by Becton there. Yet again, Becton clears the edge against Ferrell. Becton's ability to move edge defenders on the front side of running plays this season has been outstanding. Off the snap, Becton loads up, explodes his hands upward, works his inside hand into the armpit of Ferrell, and extends, establishing control and maneuvering him upfield. Adams darts through the B-gap for 15 yards. Becton takes the role of a wrecking ball on this play, creating a ton of movement to help Johnson score on a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Leaving the DE unblocked for the tight end (Ryan Griffin), Becton blocks down on the 2-tech. Becton blasts the 2-tech inside. In the process, the 2-tech barrels into the LB who is shooting through the A-gap, knocking the LB upfield just before he can make a play on Johnson. The young RB dives up the middle for six points. Both Becton and McGovern contribute to this 9-yard pickup by Johnson. McGovern hooks the 2i-tech and pins him to the backside. Becton - for seemingly the umpteenth time - sends Ferrell up the field to clear the B-gap. As the only two players on the unit who are essentially guaranteed to be with the Jets next year, Becton and McGovern are the two most important currently-intact pieces of Joe Douglas' offensive line reclamation project. Becton has showcased his superstar potential on a weekly basis from the get-go. As for McGovern, the 2020 season has been an extremely bumpy ride in which he has ultimately not quite been the top-10 center he was in Denver last season, but he is slowly working his way back towards that level, which is great news for the future of the Jets offense.