After a depressing New York Jets loss in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, Gang Green will look to rebound this week against the slumping Kansas City Chiefs. Here are some players to keep an eye on as we approach Sunday’s tilt:
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Seferian-Jenkins had two plays in the end zone that should have been touchdowns in Week 12. The first play was a clear drop, and it came off a play action pass. ASJ was wide open in the back of the endzone and when Josh McCown threw it to him, he juggled it and dropped it. In all honesty, he should’ve had it.
Later in the game, Seferian-Jenkins nearly found the endzone again. He ran a fade route and made a (thought to be) spectacular catch. He fumbled a little but looked to regain possession of it. The referees ultimately came to a conclusion that it wasn’t a catch (I totally disagree), but Austin has really been through much worse. Now, as we move past that, Seferian-Jenkins will look to rebound and make the most of his targets, which has increased over the weeks. Keep an eye on ASJ for Week 13.
Buster Skrine
Buster Skrine had an uncharacteristic week against Carolina, in a good way. He had a decent game (aside from a few catches by Devin Funchess) which included two nice defensive breakups. One breakup was when Skrine read the play, left McCaffery in the flat, and then broke up the corner route pass. The second pass occurring when he broke up a jump ball pass to Devin Funchess inside of the endzone.
If Skrine can play like that more often, rather than racking up pass interference and defensive holding calls, then the Jets could have a secondary they can lean on a little bit more. Look for Skrine to keep up the momentum against Kansas City.
Marcus Maye
Marcus Maye has been terrific this season. Last week he continued to make his case as the Jets’ best defensive weapon. He was great in coverage and also made a big tackle on third and seventh.
According to PFF, Marcus Maye has only missed one tackle in 413 coverage snaps along with only allowing six catches for 47 yards. He is also only being targeted once every 57 snaps. Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good (Insert Larry David reference).
With the way he is playing, he should be a contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Keep an eye on Maye, not only this week, but every week as he will continue to be a big part of this young defense.
The Jets’ Offensive Line
Week 12 was one of the most inconsistent weeks for the Jets’ offensive line. They opened some holes for some runs, but it was definitely underused. Besides that, there were really no other positives from the offensive line. In pass protection, they broke down a few times, including once which lead to a fumble and eventually great field position and a score by Carolina. The Jets’ offensive line also had their fair share of penalties which cost them.
If the Jets want to move the ball at all in this week’s matchup against Kansas City, it hinges on the offensive line. The unit as a whole will need to improve this week because the Chiefs have a pretty solid pass rush.
– Cooper Weissbard is a staff writer for Full Press Coverage Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @catchingtapick6 Follow @FPC_Jets