TNF: 3 must-watch player-vs-player matchups for Jets fans

The 2-7 New York Jets will not make the 2025 NFL playoffs, barring a miracle of unprecedented proportions.

That type of predicament can cause a fanbase to lose interest in a team’s remaining games. However, this particular team still offers plenty of reasons for the fanbase to stay invested.

The primary appeal for Jets fans is that most of the players on the current roster can be a part of the team’s long-term rebuild plan.

Nearly the entire rookie class is either starting or playing a key role. The Jets’ first two selections, right tackle Armand Membou and tight end Mason Taylor, are two of the best players on the team, and neither has turned 22 years old.

Additionally, since August, general manager Darren Mougey has traded for four different 25-and-under players: Jowon Briggs, Jarvis Brownlee, John Metchie, and Adonai Mitchell. Each is expected to play a significant role on Thursday night.

Thirty-and-up players are hard to come by on this roster. At this point, the faces of the previous regime’s draft classes have been elevated into roles as the veteran leaders of the increasingly youthful squad, whether it’s Jermaine Johnson, Breece Hall, Will McDonald, or Joe Tippmann.

Fans often find themselves torn between rooting for wins or losses when their team lacks a franchise quarterback and is out of the playoff race. For Jets fans, though, rooting for wins is a whole lot easier when they know the young players facilitating those victories will be a part of the franchise’s future playoff pursuits.

On that note, Jets fans have a myriad of intriguing players to watch in tonight’s prime-time match at Gillette Stadium. Not only will these players dictate tonight’s outcome, but their development is integral to the future of the team.

Here are three player-versus-player matchups to track on Thursday Night Football.

Jets LT Olu Fashanu (No. 74) vs. Patriots RDE K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 44)

Olu Fashanu is one of the most important pieces of the Jets’ future. He is on track to assume the duty of protecting the blindside of the Jets’ hopeful franchise quarterback.

The former first-round pick got off to a rough start in his second season. Through five games, he was allowing pressure on 8.8% of his pass-blocking snaps, ranking 28th out of 33 qualified left tackles.

Since then, Fashanu has begun to display the potential that made him the 11th overall pick of the 2024 draft. Over his last four games, Fashanu has allowed pressure on just 3.8% of his pass-blocking snaps, ranking fourth-best among 32 qualified left tackles.

In his most recent outing, Fashanu held his own against Myles Garrett, a highly promising stepping stone in his recent resurgence. Fashanu’s next opponent is K’Lavon Chaisson, the Patriots’ starter on the right edge. Chaisson has played 92% of his snaps on the right side this season, with 37.7 right-side snaps per game.

A former first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2020, Chaisson is having a breakout season in Year 6. Entering 2025 with just 10 sacks in five years, Chaisson already has a career-high 6.5 sacks in his first season with the Patriots. He is also tied for 12th among edge rushers with 38 total pressures.

The 6-foot-3, 254-pounder is known for his speed rush around the edge. It should make for an electric battle against the athletic Fashanu, who has excellent quickness out of his stance in pass protection.

Jets DT Jowon Briggs (No. 91) vs. Patriots LG Jared Wilson (No. 58)

Jowon Briggs has been one of the most impressive pickups made by first-year general manager Darren Mougey. Acquired from Cleveland in August for a paltry pick swap (sixth round for seventh round), Briggs has been a steal for the price it took to acquire him.

Added primarily for his run defense, Briggs has been a solid playmaker in that phase, ranking fourth on among the team’s defensive linemen with 15 run-game tackles. Only Quinnen Williams, Harrison Phillips, and Jermaine Johnson have made more. Briggs has been sure-handed as a tackler, missing zero tackles against the run.

Where Briggs has vastly exceeded expectations is in the pass game. After posting just four total pressures in his rookie year with the Browns (on 63 pass-rush snaps), Briggs is already up to 15 pressures on 116 pass-rush snaps with the Jets. His 12.9% pressure rate ranks fifth-best among the 103 defensive tackles with at least 100 pass-rush snaps.

With Quinnen Williams off to Dallas, the Jets have begun their search for two new long-term starters on the interior of their defensive line. Briggs, who is only in his second season, is making a case for one of those spots. If he can continue his two-way excellence, the Jets can fill a long-term hole at defensive tackle before they even get to the 2026 offseason.

On Thursday night, Briggs has a chance to continue establishing himself as the new face of the Jets’ interior defensive line. The Patriots’ interior offensive linemen have combined to allow a pressure rate of 4.7%, which ranks 17th among IOL units. Briggs can bolster his case that his elite pass-rush efficiency is legitimate by sustaining it against the Patriots’ middle-of-the-pack group of blockers.

Briggs rotates between both sides of the line, so he’ll see a bit of every Patriots interior lineman, but keep an eye out for his matchups against left guard Jared Wilson (No. 58). The third-round rookie is tied for the most sacks allowed (four) and third-most pressures allowed (22) among left guards this season.

The 24-year-old’s pass rushing has been a revelation. New York would be thrilled if Briggs keeps that up, but even if he settles in as a quality rotational run-stuffer, it would be a coup.

Jets LDE Will McDonald (No. 9) vs. Patriots LT Will Campbell (No. 66)

Will McDonald, the Jets’ prized pass-rush specialist, finally put together a dominant performance in last week’s win over Cleveland, racking up four sacks as part of his seven total pressures.

Both marks were season-highs; over the previous eight games, McDonald had just three sacks and 16 total pressures in an underwhelming first half of the season.

The next test for McDonald is to chain together quality performances. Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect four sacks from him every week, but nothing is stopping him from racking up pressures on a weekly basis.

That was the real concern with McDonald’s first eight games. His measly total of three sacks could be chalked up to opponents’ quick releases, but McDonald was averaging just two pressures per game, barely more than half of his 3.6 in 2024.

A big game tonight would be a statement for McDonald, not just because he would make it back-to-back quality performances, but also because he would show that he can rise to the occasion against high-level competition.

In Week 10, McDonald beat up on Browns left tackle Cam Robinson, who has the second-lowest pass-blocking grade among qualified left tackles at Pro Football Focus. This week, McDonald will face Patriots rookie Will Campbell, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft.

Campbell stumbled out of the gates a bit, but he’s quickly found his footing. Over his last seven games, Campbell has earned a 75.4 overall grade at PFF, ranking 11th-best among left tackles.

As a third-year vet, this is the type of matchup McDonald needs to win if he wants to establish himself as a reliable force off the edge. Campbell is already a solid player, but he’s a 21-year-old rookie who will be playing in just his second prime-time game and his first short-week game.

If McDonald can thrive against Campbell tonight, he’d check a multitude of promising boxes: chaining together dominant outings, beating quality competition, and maximizing the experience he’s accumulated across three seasons.