Wet Jets fans are getting impatient at MetLife Stadium
Behind a Trevor Lawrence punch-in from a yard out and a pair of Riley Patterson field goals, the Jacksonville Jaguars have jumped out to a 13-3 halftime lead over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Greg Zuerlein has accounted for the lone metropolitan points via a 37-yard field goal.
Jets (3)
- PASSING: Zach Wilson (7-of-12, 78 yards)
- RUSHING: Michael Carter (1 carry, 3 yards)
- RECEIVING: Tyler Conklin (3 rec., 33 yards)
Jaguars (13)
- PASSING: Trevor Lawrence (11-of-16, 147 yards)
- RUSHING: Travis Etienne (17 carries, 64 yards)
- RECEIVING: Evan Engram (5 rec., 83 yards)
Merry Chris-mas…?
Jets fans have long clamored to see Chris Streveler activated after his summer for the ages and the team finally acquiesced on Thursday. Now that it has been enacted, the decision seems a tad questionable when it comes to the Jets’ plans for Zach Wilson … especially considering that the idea of using Streveler in short-yardage situations has mostly been forgotten save for one play that was abandoned due to a penalty.
Robert Saleh has said all the right things in terms of trying to build confidence for his once (and potentially future?) franchise quarterback. Activating the fanbase’s supposed sweetheart with the team’s playoff hopes on life support … hopes that Saleh has said that Wilson can keep alive to anyone who’ll listen … makes it no surprise that fans are getting impatient on a cool, rainy winter’s night. Will the Jets give Streveler an opportunity in the second? Or will he continue to loom behind Wilson in a teasing fashion?
And They’ll Feast, Feast, Feast! (On Time)
It’s a good thing this game wasn’t scheduled for Thanksgiving: the Jaguars don’t seem particularly interested in sharing the ball, Lawrence’s Quinnen Williams-forced fumble notwithstanding.
Jacksonville has held the ball for nearly 20 minutes of game time, perhaps relishing the extra time they have to work with after being forced into constant uptempo drives in their comeback victory over Dallas last week. While it’s easy to blame the Wilson-led offense (one where the offensive line is doing him zero favors) for this, the defense has been mostly dormant since the lucrative opening drive, the struggles perfectly personified by Jacksonville’s 96-yard march to six that featured eight first downs. Sure, a good portion of the crowd is perhaps waiting it out in the rain to witness Lawrence’s budding greatness.
Check (Down) Please!
Increasing precipitation won’t help the woebegone Jets’ offense case. But, like “The Shawshank Redemption” before it, salvation could lay within. Jacksonville has adapted well to the wet condition but commissioning a series of checkdowns to catches like Travis Etienne and Evan Engram. The Jets have similar tools to work with, as Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter have proven more than capable of contributing through the air, especially through short, easy passes that can boost Wilson’s wavering confidence. It might be their only hope to get the season alive as the weather … and playoff picture … worsens.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
