The New York Jets’ pass rush has been a roller coaster this season.

Just look at the last three weeks, for example. In Week 4, they didn’t bring Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent down once, before sacking Deshaun Watson eight times in Week 5, the most sacks in a single game by any team this season. Then, in Week 6, he recorded zero sacks against Drake Maye.

If you couldn’t guess, the Jets lost Weeks 4 and 6 while coming away with a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.

As the Jets prepare for Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins, though, their pass rush faces a very favorable matchup.

Jets’ pass rush has a prime opportunity to go off

The reason behind that is Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis. Willis is a very mobile QB with some interesting tools, but the Jets must look to exploit his tendency to hold onto the football.

According to Next Gen Stats, Willis has held the ball for at least 4.0 seconds on 21.5% of his dropbacks this season, which is the highest rate in the NFL.

On those dropbacks, he has completed eight of 28 passes (28.6%) for 195 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. That’s pretty wild. Esentially, he is holding onto the ball for at least four seconds on more than one in every five dropbacks, and the production has been lackluster on such plays.

Another interesting tidbit that sticks out is that he is one of just two QBs in the league who haven’t thrown the ball away on an extended dropback, which is when a QB holds on to the ball for 4.0+ seconds.

He has developed a tendency to hang in the pocket and try to make something happen. That can lead to big plays, as shown by his two TDs on extended dropbacks, but it also gives the opposing pass rush plenty of time to get home.

Overall, Willis’ 19.4% pressure-to-sack rate this season ranks sixth among 27 qualified QBs (minimum 150 dropbacks), while his average time to throw, 3.29 seconds, is the second-highest.

Under pressure this season, he has struggled, too. While he has been pressured on a whopping 45% of his dropbacks, Willis has completed 44.7% of his passing attempts for 182 yards (3.9 yards per attempt), one touchdown, and three interceptions, while taking 14 sacks.

So, Willis invites the pressure by holding onto the ball too long, and once it arrives, he struggles mightily. That is a dream come true for the Jets’ pass-rush.

Also, to rattle the quarterback, the Jets don’t necessarily have to blitz. Given his elusiveness and willingness to scramble, blitzing at such a high rate could actually be a mistake.

Gang Green is best served balancing their defense and letting the pass-rushers do their thing. There really is no excuse for the Jets’ pass rush to struggle on Sunday given the matchup.

The Dolphins may be winless, but the easiest way to give a winless team their first victory is to give the quarterback time to make plays. To improve to 3-4, the Jets’ pass rush needs to capitalize on their lopsided matchup.