Saturday night’s 31-12 beatdown wasn’t what the New York Jets had in mind when they took on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
Gang Green was outclassed in all avenues – a sign that the team has a long way to go before they are ready for the start of the regular season.
For head coach Aaron Glenn, Saturday’s loss was a good indicator of where the organization needs to be in a few weeks.
It was also a good mark to see where some of the team’s most important players stand.
Stock Up: Dean Clark
Clark was all over the field on Saturday. Not only did he lead the team in tackles, but the UDFA also recorded a sack, two pass deflections, and an interception. Clark is fighting for his football future this month, and he helped his case in a big way against the Giants.
Stock Down: Justin Fields
You can dress the pig up all you want, in the end, the animal is still a pig.
Fields showed progress in the team’s preseason opening win against Green Bay last week. He clearly took a step back during the team’s contest against Big Blue, though.
Going 1-for-5 with several inaccurate throws isn’t what you want to see from a starting quarterback in the preseason. It’s that simple. Saturday wasn’t a good day for the Jets’ starting quarterback.
Stock Up: Brandon Stephens
Stephens was one of the few starters on defense who actually looked good on Saturday. He had an excellent pass breakup on the team’s second drive and didn’t seem to over-pursue in the run game.
Without Sauce Gardner on the field, the Giants picked the Jets’ secondary apart. Stephens was not a part of it, though.
Stock Down: Malachi Corley
The former third-round pick only received a handful of offensive snaps, struggled on special teams, and wasn’t targeted. It is looking bleak for Corley to make the roster at this point. It’s gotten ugly.
Stock Up: UDFA receivers
Brandon Smith tallied five catches for 48 yards, while Quentin Skinner brought down four passes for 48 yards, including a diving touchdown grab in New York’s loss. Glenn made it clear that both UDFAs were standouts.
Does this mean either player has a chance to make the final roster? That remains to be seen.
Stock Down: Andre Cisco
Cisco has played well throughout training camp, but got burned badly on an 80-yard completion downfield by Russell Wilson. Beaux Collins got behind Cisco for the big play, which can never happen from a starting free safety.
Stock Up: Run Blocking
Putting up 12 points is never acceptable for any modern offense. The Jets’ offensive line did do a good job opening holes in the running game, though. Braelon Allen and Breece Hall combined for 60 yards on the ground in the first quarter, with the former averaging close to five yards per carry.
The Jets offense will be heavily predicated on running the ball this year, so it’s a good thing that the group looks like they can actually sustain that.
Stock Up: Kene Nwangwu
If there was a clear winner with one particular position battle on Saturday, it was the Jet’ return specialist in Nwangwu. The former All-Pro kick returner had a 38-yard return to open the game, and saved a punt from getting downed in the end zone.
Those are the kinds of plays that secure a roster spot. It’s why Nwangwu’s standing appears safe.
Stock Down: Xavier Gipson
Gipson has struggled to stay healthy in camp this year, and his standing as a special teams starter is in serious jeopardy with Nwangwu and other players like Jamaal Pritchett standing out.
Suffering another shoulder injury on Saturday doesn’t help his case.
