The Jets are going to have their hands full when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in Week 5.
Philadelphia’s defense hasn’t exactly been up to snuff so far this season, but the same cannot be said for Doug Pederson’s offense. The Eagles have a top 10 offense through their first four games and didn’t show any signs of slowing down after a big-time win over the Packers a week ago in which they put 34 points against the No. 7 defense in football.
With the way the Jets have played on defense so far this season, completely shutting down Philadelphia’s offensive attack is unlikely. However, there are ways New York can contain Carson Wentz and company on Sunday.
Get to Wentz
When Carson Wentz has time to sit in the pocket and dissect defenses, the Eagles win. When Wentz is under constant duress, the Eagles lose. It is a simple equation that has proven true for Philadelphia so far this season.
In wins against the Redskins in Week 1 and the Packers in Week 4, Wentz was sacked only once. In losses against the Falcons and Lions, Wentz was brought to the turf three times in each game. With Atlanta and Detroit constantly bringing the heat on Wentz, his completion percentage dropped significantly and the Eagles’ offense became stagnant.
The proof is in the pudding when it comes to how Philadelphia’s offense performs when Wentz is consistently in the line of fire. The Jets have barely generated any kind of pass rush so far this season, but that needs to change if they want to pick up their first win of the season against the Eagles.
Eliminate Jordan Howard or Miles Sanders
Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders thrashed Green Bay’s defense for 176 rushing yards, two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. That can’t happen again in Week 5 if the Jets want to have any chance at knocking off the Eagles.
New York will not be able to take away both Howard and Sanders. Both players can hurt opposing defenses in too many ways for that to happen. However, if the Jets can limit either Howard or Sanders, they’ll be in good shape.
Sanders is explosive, while Howard is a bruiser who can wear down a defense throughout a game. New York’s best bet would be to limit Howard as much as possible, but as long as it can take away one member of the duo, Gregg Williams’ unit will have a fighter’s chance of getting some stops.
Limit big plays
With the weapons the Eagles have, they’re bound to break out for a big play or two throughout the course of a game. Unfortunately for the Jets, they’ve been susceptible to more than just a couple of chunk plays on a weekly basis.
Philadelphia’s offense isn’t predicated on shots down the field, but it has the ability to make something out of nothing with the likes of Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agohlor and Zach Ertz.
John Brown scored a 38-yard touchdown in Week 1. Odell Beckham Jr. took a slant 89 yards to the house in Week 2. Josh Gordon caught multiple passes for over 20 yards and Ryan Izzo had a 41-yard gain in Week 3. The trend of big plays allowed by Gregg Williams’ defense needs to end against the Eagles. If it doesn’t, the Jets will be hard-pressed to stay in the game.
Get creative
What better way to stifle a top 10 offense than getting creative on defense?
Gregg Williams is the master of disguising schemes and exotic play calls. New York’s defense might not be able to handle anything crazy given its current state, but it would behoove Williams to break out his bag of tricks in order to get his unit back on track and give them a chance to win the game.
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