NY Jets’ Will McDonald finally checked a critical box

Entering the New York Jets’ Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons, third-year edge rusher Will McDonald was among the top subjects of our coverage here at Jets X-Factor.

McDonald was coming off a cold two-game stretch, punctuating an underwhelming 2025 campaign for the Iowa State product after his breakout year in 2024. As McDonald approaches an offseason during which the Jets will decide on his fifth-year option (led by a regime that did not draft him), he was trending in the wrong direction. His trajectory made the final six games of 2025 a significant stretch for his future in green.

McDonald’s performance against Atlanta was a strong start to that stretch, reminiscent of his production in the 2024 season. If he can stockpile these types of outings over the rest of the season, McDonald can return to his status as a no-brainer building block for the Jets’ defense.

There was one particularly critical box that McDonald checked against Atlanta.

Will McDonald finally proves what the Jets have been looking for

One of the most glaring issues with McDonald’s first 11 games of the 2025 season was his silence against quality competition. Across five games against left tackles who ranked top-15 in pass-blocking grade (via Pro Football Focus), McDonald had no sacks, two quarterback hits, and 11 total pressures.

This is what made Sunday’s game against Atlanta such a crucial one for McDonald as he sought to improve his stock entering the offseason. He was set to battle Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews, who entered the game ranked second-best among all offensive linemen with an 88.3 pass-blocking grade. With the clock ticking on the 2025 season, this was McDonald’s chance to make a statement before it’s too late.

The former 15th overall pick didn’t waste his shot. At last, McDonald rose to the occasion against a formidable opponent.

McDonald finished Sunday’s victory with five total pressures (no sacks, four hits, one hurry) on 31 pass-rush snaps, giving him a 16.1% pressure rate. It was his second-best outing of the 2025 season in terms of total pressures, pressure rate, and quarterback hits.

When considering how rare it is for Matthews to get beaten, those numbers are extremely impressive. Matthews finished the game with five allowed pressures and a 59.2 pass-blocking grade, both ranking as his worst marks of the 2025 season across 12 starts. He entered the contest allowing just 1.8 pressures per game. In fact, Matthews allowed just six quarterback takedowns (sacks or hits) in his first 11 games; McDonald beat him for four takedowns.

As the Jets mull their valuation of McDonald moving forward, this was a big-time showing by the 26-year-old. Before this week, the Jets’ new regime hadn’t seen McDonald shine against an elite opponent. Now, there’s some evidence that he can go toe-to-toe with the game’s best players—something you must be capable of to be trusted as a core building block of an NFL team.

Will McDonald out-duels Jake Matthews

It was a quiet first half for McDonald, but once he caught fire, the Falcons couldn’t stop him. All four of his hits came in the second half, starting with this one midway through the third quarter.

On a third-and-4 rep, McDonald gets Matthews to open his hips for the speed rush, which opens the gate for McDonald to win inside with the spin move. Kirk Cousins gets the ball out too quickly (approx. 2.2 seconds) for McDonald’s win to make an impact, but McDonald did his job, getting home about as quickly as realistically possible. He finishes by taking the vet QB to the ground.

McDonald beat Matthews for back-to-back hits. On a second-and-9 play (Atlanta’s next called dropback after the previous clip), McDonald goes for another spin.

Matthews doesn’t open as quickly this time; he stays square to the line of scrimmage after getting beat inside last time, and he also knows that he has the running back if McDonald goes outside. Still, McDonald gets Matthews to open up after giving a slight hesitation out of his stance, and he responds with another clean spin to the inside.

It’s not as clean of a win as the previous play, as Matthews recovers decently, but McDonald uses his power to push Matthews into Cousins as he releases the ball. It causes an errant throw for the incompletion. Cousins proceeded to fall down off-screen, which upgraded McDonald’s statistical credit from a hurry to a hit, but either way, it’s another great rep that created a positive result for the Jets.

Capping off a dominant three-play sequence of pass plays, McDonald picked up the stop on the ensuing third-and-9 play after his second straight hit. Quickly diagnosing that Matthews is leaving him unblocked to climb to the second level, McDonald darts outside and swallows up Bijan Robinson for a three-yard loss on the screen, forcing a Falcons field goal attempt.

Matthews reasserted himself over the next few drives, but when the Jets needed it most, McDonald locked back in. After the two-minute warning, McDonald delivered a pair of hits to force Atlanta punts.

On this second-and-9 play, McDonald cooks Matthews with the inside spin move yet again. Similar to his second hit, McDonald baits Matthews into opening up by using a slight hesitation out of his stance. Once Matthews opens, McDonald times the spin perfectly, chopping down with his inside arm and using the momentum to propel himself inside.

Cousins’ first read isn’t open, and that’s all the time that McDonald needs to get home for this quick win. It should be a sack, but Cousins does a fantastic job of getting the ball out. Nonetheless, it’s a hit to force a no-doubt incompletion, bringing up a third-and-9 that Atlanta failed to convert.

Check out Jowon Briggs (No. 91) as well, who cooks his man to join McDonald in the hit.

Atlanta got the ball back one final time after a quick Jets punt. On third-and-10, with 48 seconds left in a tie game, McDonald delivered another valuable rep.

After getting lulled into allowing McDonald’s inside spin three times, Matthews was not going to let it happen again. Matthews takes a more aggressive stance this time, inviting quick contact.

McDonald is one step ahead of the veteran left tackle, fully anticipating the altered approach. Out of his stance, McDonald charges right into the bull rush. He lands both hands into Matthews’ chest before Matthews can get hands-on. McDonald walks Matthews into Cousins, prompting a rushed decision that nearly results in an interception.

Atlanta punted, and the Jets marched down for the game-winning field goal on the ensuing drive.

Statement game from Will McDonald

This was precisely the type of performance McDonald was desperate for, and it came in the nick of time. Running out of games to put his cold streak behind him and return to his 2024 heights, a standout display against one of the best left tackles in the NFL is just what the doctor ordered.

Sunday served as a reminder of how high McDonald’s pass-rush ceiling is. Facing off with a veteran left tackle who has been nearly unbeatable this season, McDonald frequently came up with critical plays in critical moments.

What makes his performance especially noteworthy is that he repeatedly won with the same move. It speaks to his unique athleticism.

Coming into the game, Matthews surely knew that the inside spin move was coming; it’s always been McDonald’s go-to. Once McDonald won with it once or twice, Matthews absolutely knew it was coming again, and McDonald still won. The guy is just too darn fast. Even if you know what’s coming, he can get by you.

Switching it up with the bull rush on his last win was the icing on the cake. Eventually, a great left tackle like Matthews will adjust. That’s exactly what happened, but McDonald was ready. He used the context of the game to develop a smart plan for that particular rep, and he executed it.

It was a sign of improving pass-rush knowledge from the third-year man. As much as pass rushing is about speed and strength, it often comes down to a game of rock-paper-scissors. Can you predict what your opponent is going to do and beat him to the spot?

Perhaps this is the area where McDonald requires the most improvement. His raw ability is obvious. We’ve seen it since his rookie year, and two years later, his peaks are as flashy as ever. Where McDonald has been lacking this season is in the consistency department, and that’s where the mental side of pass rushing comes in.

The inside spin worked routinely for McDonald this time around, but that won’t always be the case. Just like he did in the fourth quarter, McDonald must continue working on his ability to anticipate his opponent’s moves and respond with well-timed counters. If he can continue doing that, McDonald should be able to win much more consistently.

For now, McDonald remains an inconsistent player, both within a single game and from week to week. Every once in a while, he shows up with reps that make him look like the next Von Miller, but in between, there are long stretches where you forget he’s on the field.

Over the next five weeks, McDonald’s challenge is to build off the Atlanta game and prove that he can sustain a six-week stretch of consistent impact, both from week to week and quarter to quarter. If he goes another two or three games with only a couple of impact pressures, this performance will be quickly forgotten. The Jets need consistency from McDonald to rely on him as a long-term starter.

In the meantime, McDonald’s effort against Matthews should be appreciated by the team and its fans. It was a marvelous display, and no matter what happens from here on out, it will carry significant weight in determining his future with the team. Regardless of how he finishes the year, this game will stick in the Jets’ minds as an example of the superstar potential that he possesses. When a player has a ceiling this high, he will earn plenty of extra chances.

Because of who it came against, this may have been the most important game of McDonald’s career. We’ve seen him dominate before, but now we know he can do it against the best of the best.

Now we have to see if he can do it consistently.