After opening eyes with lockdown play at cornerback in the first two games of his career, Bless Austin was put to the test against an Oakland Raiders passing attack that has been potent in recent weeks.
How did the Rutgers product respond to the challenge of going up against better competition? By passing with flying colors.
That was the theme for Austin, the Jets and his fellow rookies in their dominant 34-3 win over the Raiders on Sunday. New York set the tone early and never let up against an Oakland team that is firmly in the mix for a postseason berth.
Austin and his classmates did their part in Gang Green’s nearly flawless performance. Let’s dive a little deeper into their outings in the latest edition of Jets Wire’s rookie power rankings.
No. 5: TE Trevon Wesco
Last Week: No. 5
Nine different Jets caught passes from Sam Darnold on Sunday, but tight end Trevon Wesco was not among the group.
This isn’t much of a surprise considering Wesco’s niche as a blocking specialist, but it would’ve been nice to see him getting involved a bit in a blowout win.
No. 4: OT Chuma Edoga
Last Week: No. 4
The injury bug bit Edoga again on Sunday, as the USC product sustained a knee injury and will undergo an MRI on Monday, according to Adam Gase.
Edoga was playing relatively well before being forced out of the game, continuing his recent stretch of bad luck. Now, it looks like he’ll be out for some time.
No. 3: DT Quinnen Williams
Last Week: No. 3
Despite Sunday being such a fruitful day for the Jets defense, Quinnen Williams failed to make much of an impact.
The Alabama product recorded only one tackle against the Raiders. To put that number in perspective, wide receiver/return man Vyncint Smith registered the same number of tackles on special teams.
The No. 3 overall pick in this past year’s draft should not be matching the tackle production of a wide receiver. He’s made some headway in terms of pushing back offensive linemen and getting into opposing backfields, but the statistical production needs to come along with that headway.
No. 2: DE Kyle Phillips
Last Week: No. 2
Phillips had another relatively pedestrian game with only three tackles against the Redskins, but he did flash his pass-rushing potential by recording half a sack early in the action.
It might seem like beating a dead horse at this point, but Phillips’ opportunities to make plays truly are limited with Henry Anderson back in the starting lineup. Regardless, the flashes he does show in his brief time on the field are encouraging and reason for hope that he can carve out a bigger role in the rotation moving forward.
No. 1: CB Bless Austin
It was easy to take Bless Austin’s first two games in the NFL with a grain of salt. Considering the level of competition he was going up against, it was not out of the realm of possibility that the rookie was simply overachieving against underwhelming competition.
After the way the Rutgers product played against the Raiders in Week 12, there’s no more debating the kind of player he really is. Austin dominated against Oakland, allowing only three catches for 32 yards. He also levied a booming hit on Hunter Renfrow to force a big incompletion on third down early in the game.
Austin is no longer New York’s best-kept secret. His strong play should also no longer be considered a surprise. He’s the real deal.
