The New York Jets improbably handed the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season on Sunday, winning the game 20-14. While the Eagles went to 5-1 on the season, the Jets improved to 3-3 to avoid falling too far behind the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East race.
After going down 7-0 to begin the game, the defense stifled Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense, outscoring them 20-7 following the first drive of the contest. Even though the offense made plays when they needed to, Sunday’s victory was all about the stellar performance by the defense.
With the Jets upsetting the Eagles at home in Week 6, here are our six immediate takeaways from the contest.
The defense forced turnovers despite being shorthanded
The Eagles aren’t a team that makes many mistakes with Hurts operating the offense, but the Jets forced four turnovers on them on Sunday. It all began with a tipped pass intended for Dallas Goedert to fall into the arms of Quinnen Williams for his first career interception.
Tony Adams and Bryce Hall also recorded interceptions on Hurts, while C.J. Mosley forced a fumble on D’Andre Swift that Quincy Williams would recover. Tallying four takeaways against the Eagles is no easy feat, and to do it with an extremely shorthanded secondary makes it even more impressive.
Zach Wilson played mistake-free football
Zach Wilson certainly didn’t light up the scoreboard or play a flawless game for the Jets on Sunday. At the same time, the third-year quarterback didn’t turn the ball over in a game where every possession mattered against the Eagles.
Wilson completed 19 of his 33 passes for 186 yards, while he was also sacked five times behind a makeshift offensive line. The Jets are going to need Wilson to be better in other games moving forward, but he played as well as they needed him to with the defense playing lights out.
Garrett Wilson was consistently involved in the offense
We saw a mixture of vertical shots and intermediate throws to Garrett Wilson in the win over the Eagles, which is a positive sign for the offense. Wilson hauled in an impressive 33-yard catch down the sideline early in the second half to give the offense some life, and he would remain a focal point in the offense.
There have been too many weeks where Wilson will disappear in the passing game, so it was great to see him remain involved against the Eagles, who were without Darius Slay. The second-year wideout finished with eight catches for 90 yards on 12 targets in the victory against the Eagles before the Jets enter their bye Week in Week 7.
Breece Hall was effective as a receiver with Eagles slowing down the ground game
It was known that the Jets would likely struggle to run the ball against the stout defensive front of the Eagles, even with rookie Jalen Carter inactive. Teams can stack the box with Wilson under center for the Jets, which prevents Breece Hall from seeing light boxes consistently.
Hall carried the ball 12 times for 39 yards and a touchdown versus the Eagles after exploding for 177 rushing yards in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. While he couldn’t get much going on the ground, Hall continued to show off his pass-catching ability with five receptions for 54 yards. So even when the ground game isn’t churning out decent yardage, the Jets should continue to utilize Hall in the passing game.
Thomas Morstead deserves some credit for pinning Eagles deep multiple times
Punters don’t always receive credit for their contributions, but Thomas Morstead deserves some props for how he performed against the Eagles. Whenever the offense would stall out, Morstead made sure the Eagles never got to deal with a short field.
The experienced punter punted the ball four times and three of his punts were inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line. While the Eagles drove 91 yards to score a touchdown following a Morstead punt to begin the game, the field position came in handy with the defense playing at an elite level in the final three quarters.
Bryce Huff continued to prove he's the Jets' best edge rusher
The Jets have used a first-round selection on an edge rusher in back-to-back years, but their best edge rusher remains to be Bryce Huff. The pass-rushing specialist logged three combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss in the home win over the Eagles.
Huff generated consistent pressure on Hurts throughout Sunday’s matchup, especially when standout right tackle Lane Johnson exited the game for the Eagles. The former undrafted edge rusher led the Jets in pressures entering Week 6 and that number will only increase once the numbers are released from the come-from-behind victory against the Eagles.
