3 things NY Jets can learn from Chiefs-Bolts Brazil shootout

The New York Jets’ offense over the past few years couldn’t have looked any different from the units that took the field Friday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

When the Los Angeles Chargers upset their rival and three-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, the team showed a level of quarterback play that the Jets haven’t seen in decades.

It’ll be hard to see Justin Fields ever be able to match what Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes did on Friday. He hasn’t shown the ability to be a competent starting quarterback through his first four years in the league.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything they can take away from that game. In fact, there are three things the team should learn from that matchup.

The Bolts’ 27-21 win was a different game entirely from Thursday’s showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Both quarterbacks combined for over 600 total yards of offense, and their defenses struggled in pass coverage.

Thursday’s contest showed some key lessons the team can learn going into the 2025 regular season.

If you don’t have the QB, make sure you have the roster

There’s an old adage from many personnel executives that was as accurate in the 1970s as it is today: “If you don’t have a top-five quarterback, you better have a top-three roster.”

It’s the mantra that has helped the San Francisco 49ers and Eagles become top teams over the last seven years without a quarterback with the same skill set as a Mahomes or a Herbert.

The Jets know they won’t be able to compete with their starting quarterback as some of the top five teams have, but that is ok. If they build a top-three roster—something that takes time—they could very well end up beating those great quarterbacks when it matters most.

New York learned what they already knew yesterday—they can’t compete with Mahomes or Herbert at the quarterback position.

The Chargers and Chiefs aren’t unbeatable, though. The Jets need to make sure they have the roster to do it.

Trenches can shift the outlook of the season

If there was one constant from Friday, outside of Herbert’s usually sound quarterback play, it was the way Los Angeles controlled the line of scrimmage on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Joe Alt was spectacular in his first game at left tackle at the NFL level. The Chargers pressured Mahomes consistently throughout the game and even had a couple of batted passes.

It’s the kind of game that should remind everyone that while Herbert was excellent, he couldn’t win without his offensive and defensive lines controlling the tempo.

Every team must continue to remember that it’s not always about having the better quarterback—it’s about making sure the trenches are secure. New York has done a good job of pushing for that reality on its own end.

Athletic QBs can turn the tide of the contest

Herbert is a better quarterback than Fields, but he isn’t a better athlete. Still, on a key third and 14, the Pro Bowl quarterback scrambled out of trouble and picked up a first down to ice the game.

That is what the modern quarterback needs to do. It’s what Justin Fields has been known for over his NFL career.

The fact that the Jets have a quarterback who can scramble and is among the more athletic in the game means they should never be truly out of a game. Athletic quarterbacks have the tools to be able to make things happen when nothing appears available at first. It’s what makes all of them dangerous against top defenses.

Fields isn’t Herbert or Mahomes, but he has the athleticism to keep the Jets in games, much like both signal-callers do for their team.