Compared to Week 1, NFL teams have a lot more certainty when game-planning. They have a full game of film to evaluate, which is especially useful for teams with new coaching staffs. However, plenty of unknowns remain.
With the New York Jets’ Week 2 matchup almost here after the team got off to a 1-0 start in Tennessee, the team still has a secret weapon they could unleash on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
The Jets’ game-changer for Week 2
The Jets have momentum entering Sunday’s matchup, and the game is essentially a must-win for the Packers.
One key element behind the Jets’ Week 1 success was their dominant trench play, both on offense and defense. Those battles can win games, and the Jets saw that firsthand on Sunday.
The card up their sleeve this week comes on the defensive line in the form of a player who played just 15 snaps (30%) to open the season against his former team: T’Vondre Sweat.
Sweat is getting ready for his second game as a Jet, and he has an opportunity to make a big-time statement during the team’s home opener against the Packers.
The projected weather forecast for Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands suggests both teams will need to run the ball more often because of the expected dreary conditions. Without Josh Jacobs, the Packers’ rushing attack struggled in Week 1, generating just 67 total rushing yards (3.1 yards per carry).
Well, what is Sweat’s biggest strength at 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds? You guessed it: stopping the run. Among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen (minimum 100 snaps) in the 2025 season, Sweat ranked fourth in Pro Football Focus’ run-defense grade (79.2).
In Week 1, the Packers struggled as a whole in the trenches, but running the ball was an issue in particular. They ranked 23rd in PFF’s team run-blocking grade (58.7), while the Jets’ team-wide 69.9 run-defending grade finished fifth. That is a very notable mismatch.
Now, you may ask: why did Sweat play just 15 snaps in Week 1? Well, a couple of explanations come to mind. He missed a large chunk of the summer due to a hamstring injury, so it may have taken him a little time to acclimate, which is expected for someone of his stature.
More notably, though, the Jets were in cruise control for much of the game, and Tennessee was forced to throw the football more than they would have liked. Yet, it doesn’t mean that Sweat was rendered useless.
Sweat is underrated as a pass rusher. For someone of his size, rushing the passer isn’t expected to be a strength, but in 2025, he was above average in that area among all defensive tackles.
Out of 97 qualified defensive tackles (minimum 200 pass-rush snaps), he ranked 16th in PFF’s pass-rush grade (74.1), 36th in pressure rate (9%), and 40th in pass-rush win rate (9.4%). Across the sheet, those are all above-average numbers.
Sweat showed off his pass-rushing ability in the season opener with this quick pressure on Cam Ward to force a throwaway.
Given the expected conditions on Sunday, Sweat will likely handle a bigger snap count than in Week 1. He’ll face a lot of running attempts, putting his elite run-stuffing skills on display. But when the Packers drop back to pass, Sweat has also proven he’s far from a liability in those situations.
Early downs will be crucial in Sunday’s game. If Sweat can clog the middle and consistently bury Green Bay’s offense into second and third-and-longs, it opens the door for Aaron Glenn to get aggressive.
The Jets blitzed on 44.9% of their defensive snaps in Week 1, the third-highest rate in the NFL. Now, they are playing a Packers team that struggled mightily to handle Brian Flores’ 82.1% blitz rate in their season-opening loss.
That is the potential domino effect with Sweat. If he controls the middle on early downs, which is his job as a space eater, Green Bay becomes even more one-dimensional, and Glenn can attack Jordan Love in the area where he struggled last week: against the blitz.
Keep an eye on the big guy wearing No. 99—not that he’s difficult to spot.
