After 11 weeks, you pretty much know the strengths and weaknesses of every team. For the Jets and Redskins, there’s a lot more bad than good and now the two will face off with a combined three wins.
The Jets come off a morale-boosting win over the Giants while the Redskins will be fresh of their bye week, but neither team is playing for much more than pride and a draft pick position. New York likely has the edge given their run defense is among the best in the league and the Redskins have relied heavily on their running backs after Bill Callahan took over after Week 6.
Here are four things to know for Week 11.
Jets should be able to win in the trenches
New York’s defensive line continues to progress this season after they traded away Leonard Williams and they’ll have another mouthwatering matchup against Washington. The Redskins rank 28th in Football Outsiders’ pass blocking DVOA and they have a power success rate of only 20 percent – worst in the league (meaning they’re’ typically stopped on third down or fourth-and-short).
Though they’ve only been blitzed 67 times, the Redskins have allowed 38 hurries (10th-most in the league) and 24 hits. The Jets defensive line should be able to bully the Redskins up front and the linebackers in middle and on the edge should have no trouble getting into the backfield. The Jets also boast the second-best run defense in the league, which should be able to stifle the Redskins’ run-heavy approach.
Darnold not good with a clean pocket
Darnold is so used to playing under duress he doesn’t seem to know how to throw in a stable situation. The Jets quarterback has the second-worst Pro Football Focus passing grade with a clean pocket (67.0) and three “turnover-worthy plays.” Darnold didn’t play poorly against the Giants, though, despite eight quarterback hits and two sacks.
Darnold could see a decent amount of pressure against the Redskins, which could play more into his style of play than a clean pocket. Though the Redskins have the fifth-lowest quarterback knockdown percentage (only 6.0 percent per pass attempt), they rank ninth in pressure percentage with 25.5 percent.
Jets the only team without a 100-yard rushing game
Le’Veon Bell didn’t magically turn the Jets into a run-heavy team. The Jets rank 31st in rushing yards per game (67.3) and yards per attempt (3.2). They can’t seem to find enough space to break the big runs. Some of that is the offensive line’s problem, some the coaching and the rest is on the plays, but whoever is to blame needs to correct the issues at some point for the Jets offense to be successful.
Things could change against the Redskins, who allow 136 rushing yards per game. Washington allows 62 percent of conversions on third or fourth down with two yards or less to go and stuffs runners behind the line of scrimmage only 16 percent of the time (26th in the league), per Football Outsiders. Bell is still one of the most dynamic runners in the league and should be able to find room in Washington.
Redskins’ Quinton Dunbar a top CB
The Jets should be wary about throwing toward Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar. Though Washington’s secondary is among the softest in the league, Dunbar has played like a top-tier cornerback. He’s the second-ranked cornerback overall, according to Pro Football Focus (88.0), first in coverage (90.0), and fourth in passer rating allowed (52.6).
It should be easy to find passing yards against the Redskins, but only if they target Josh Norman. Dunbar and safety Landon Collins are studs, so Sam Darnold will need to be strategic with where he throws the ball.
