The New York Jets finished out the preseason on a strong note.
Facing off against the New York Giants, the Jets mustered a 10-6 victory to finish the preseason a perfect 3-0. With no starters playing, it was an impressive showing by the team’s depth options.
Special teams start off with a bang
The Jets immediately made their presence known on the opening kickoff and swung the momentum in their favor.
Cornerback Tre Swilling ran down the returner and forced a fumble, while fellow quarterback Qwan’tez Stiggers recovered it to give the offense excellent starting field position.
Startin' off HOT! Swilling forced it & Stiggers recovers!
📺: #NYGvsNYJ on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/BfuGfhZ3xQ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 24, 2024
Swilling has made plays in camp and has been solid in the preseason so far. Stiggers continued his great summer, contributing on defense and special teams.
Izzy gets busy
New York got on the board early with a field goal but soon found paydirt. Continuing what was already an excellent performance in the first quarter, running back Israel Abanikanda ripped off a 45-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 10-0 lead.
.@IAbanikanda TO THE HOUSE 💨
📺: #NYGvsNYJ on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/SD86ZSW5n9
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 25, 2024
The former Pittsburgh product ripped off multiple big runs over the course of his game. He looked much more decisive as a runner, flashed some receiving ability, and had a great pass-blocking rep before his long touchdown run.
Abanikanda faces an uphill battle to make the roster, as Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis are ahead of him. But with his improving performance combined with an explosive preseason finish, the running back has made a great case to make the roster.
Linebackers and defensive line shine through
On defense, the team’s defensive line and linebackers dominated the night.
Zaire Barnes and Chazz Surratt repeatedly flew around the field and made big plays for the team. Surratt made a great tackle to force a turnover on downs, which prompted a nice celebration on the sideline for the team.
we like it, we like it! https://t.co/T3dcFytmJY pic.twitter.com/Vtf7L7SGPy
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 25, 2024
Barnes had a great tackle on the same drive Surratt forced the turnover on downs while also contributing a half sack as a pass rusher.
On the defensive line, it was the McKinley, Taylor, and McGregor show.
Takk McKinley repeatedly got after the passer, having 2.5 sacks on the night and consistently providing great pressure. He had a big sack against former first-rounder Evan Neal, displaying the pass-rush prowess that has made him stand out all off-season for the team.
TAKK MCKINLEY SAAAAAAAACK 💪
📺: #NYGvsNYJ on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0I0QecmUZx
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 25, 2024
Braiden McGregor and Leonard Taylor had great all-around nights on defense. In one sequence, McGregor contributed to sacks on three straight plays, completely dominating the Giants’ offensive line alongside Taylor. He also had a big sack for the Jets’ defense late in the fourth quarter.
In addition to his sacks, Taylor flew into the backfield and played great in the run game.
SACKS ON SACKS ON SACKS.
📺: #NYGvsNYJ on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/FhzAUgYbjk
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 25, 2024
🚨 Leonard Taylor III can't be stopped 🚨
📺: #NYGvsNYJ on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0cSOi2VFwO
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 25, 2024
Other notes
- Zaire Barnes is awesome on special teams. He also hits like a truck whenever he is on the field. I think this will help him immensely in terms of making the roster.
- Eric Watts didn’t have the biggest game, but he had a nice batted pass to prevent a likely TD and a few decent pass rush reps.
- Adrian Martinez throws a very nice ball and has some great running ability. Perfect practice squad quarterback for the team.
- Brandon Smith is a fun developmental player. He is a monster on contested catch opportunities.
- Zach Kuntz…yikes. He whiffed on a great Martinez throw and is not developing as the Jets likely hoped.
- Tre Swilling flashed on defense. Brandon Codrington looked shifty on a kickoff return and had some good defensive reps.
- Kohl Levao had some nice pass-pro reps.
While not the most dominant performance, the Jets are likely happy with how most of the game played out. New York now heads toward cutdown day on Tuesday and will finally start to prepare for their Week 1 matchup against the 49ers.
