Going into the season opener, many pundits believed the Jets were contenders in the AFC East and could possibly battle for a Super Bowl title.
But that talk has slowed down a bit after their 32-19 loss against the 49ers on Monday Night Football. Now Gang Green will look to avoid an 0-2 start this Sunday on the road at Tennessee.
Before Sunday’s critical game vs. the Titans, let’s answer a few questions in this week’s Jets mailbag.
How concerned are you with the run defense? — @deanmcgowan
I thought the Jets’ run defense was a problem last year when they finished 25th in rushing yards allowed. It is an even bigger issue without Quinton Jefferson and John Franklin-Myers (trade), who both departed during the offseason.
Even without superstar Christian McCaffrey (calf) in the opener, the 49ers rushed for 180 yards — led by backup Jordan Mason — against a Jets defense that, on paper, is one of the best in the league. I expect teams to use the 49ers blueprint to attack the Jets’ defense on the ground throughout the season.
That doesn’t mean every team can do what San Francisco did in the trenches. The 49ers are one of the top three teams in football and have an elite offensive line.
Defensive tackle Leki Fotu (hamstring) being on injured reserve is a more significant loss than many might have expected. He will at least miss the next three games before he can return in Week 5 against the Vikings.
Do you see them addressing the DT next to Q (Quinnen Williams) with another player like (free agent) Al Woods? — @joestanich
I don’t think the Jets will make a drastic move on their defensive line this soon. Let’s see how successful the Titans are on the ground against the Jets before deciding if they need a shakeup.
I also don’t see the team re-signing Al Woods for a few reasons. He is coming off a season-ending Achilles tear that he suffered last October against the Giants and is also 37 years old. Who knows what kind of shape he is in after that injury. If healthy, though, Woods is a big body who is tough to move in the trenches, something the Jets desperately need.
Gang Green’s rushing defense was never the same after Woods went down last season. But they might have to find help elsewhere or wait for Fotu to return.
Do you expect the coaching staff to cut Rodgers loose a little more and mix in more passes on first and second down? — @Gwag713
The play-calling was a bit vanilla for my taste to start the game. It seemed like offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett wanted to get Aaron Rodgers comfortable after he hadn’t played in a year due to his Achilles tear.
Run, run, pass to begin the 49ers game was not on my Bingo card. I thought they would have looked to get Rodgers in a rhythm early with a screen pass to Breece Hall or a quick out to Garrett Wilson.
Now that he has a game under his belt, I expect Rodgers and the Jets passing game to open the offense up quite a bit compared to last week.
How long till we get Mike Williams without a snap count? And is (Malachi) Corley’s usage gonna go up at all or we shouldn’t expect much out of him? — @ArielH_53
Considering Williams is coming off an ACL tear he suffered last season with the Chargers, I expected him to have about 20 plays or so against the 49ers.
Maybe once the Jets got behind the eight-ball and were down multiple scores, they decided not to use Williams much in the offense.
Williams only took part in nine of 51 plays against the 49ers. With how players and coaches praised Williams in practices ahead of the regular season, that number should climb this week.
Corley is still learning the Jets’ offense. But I’m surprised they didn’t get him out in space to take advantage of his physicality and his ability to create yards after catch.
I wouldn’t count on Corley to produce much early, but he could become a contributor as the season progresses.
