Both the Jets and Browns head into Week 2 with chips on their shoulders. The Jets blew a 16-point lead at home and looked lost in the second half, while the Browns face-planted in what was supposed to be the team’s coming out party to the league.
Now with the bright lights of Monday Night Football at their backs, both teams will have a second opportunity to make a first impression to the NFL. The Jets will be without Sam Darnold for the foreseeable future and C.J. Mosley for at least this game, while the Browns will field their entire arsenal of starters bent on creative match-up nightmares for New York. The Browns aren’t infallible, though, and the Jets will need to find the cracks in the team, exploit weaknesses and block any and all potential issues.
Here are four things to know for Week 2.
Baker is good at bouncing back
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield did not have a good Week 1. After a solid 2.5 quarters of football, Mayfield finished with 285 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. As the score got away from him, Mayfield began forcing passes, resulting in the second-most interceptable passes of all quarterbacks in Week 1, according to No Checkdowns.
But, Mayfield has a knack for bouncing back. After turning the ball over three times in a Week 13 loss in 2018, Mayfield returned the next week with a vengeance. Mayfield put up 238 passing yards and a touchdown with no turnovers and an 82 percent completion percentage in a win over the Panthers.
Let the Browns make the mistakes
The Browns were the most heavily-penalized team in the NFL in Week 1 against the Titans, with 18 flags for 182 yards. Cleveland’s offensive line committed five penalties alone, while five of the defense’s six total penalties occurred on scoring drives for Tennesse. With so many injuries, the Jets will need to take all the help they can get and make the most of any and all penalties when given the opportunity.
With that being said, the Jets cannot afford to make any mental mistakes in this game. The defense committed five penalties in Week 1 – three of which were crucial errors that negated defensive takeaways. The Jets will need to play disciplined football across the board and let the Browns be the team to shoot themselves in the foot.
Myles Garrett will be a problem for Jets’ line
The Browns sacked Marcus Mariota four times in Week 1, two of which came from defensive end Myles Garrett. The Jets, meanwhile, have a questionable Kelvin Beachum at left guard with rookie Chuma Edoga slotted as the starter if Beachum can’t play. The Jets faired better on the left side of the line than on the right in Week 1 (Brian Winters allowed two sacks while Beachum allowed none), but Garrett is an entirely different beast than the Bills’ Jerry Hughes and Shaq Lawson.
But if the Jets try and double-team Garrett on the edge, they could open up the rest of the Browns potent pass rush up to attack Trevor Siemian. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi had a sack in Week 1, Sheldon Richardson still packs a punch and Oliver Vernon is still incredibly talented across from Garrett on the right.
Jets must stop Browns on third down
On paper, the Browns have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL: a young gunslinging quarterback, two Pro Bowl wide receivers, an athletic tight end and speedy running backs. But one of the ways the Titans were able to mitigate those playmakers was to force the Browns into third-down situations and then hold them. The Browns only went 1-10 on third downs in Week 1 – worst in the league. The Jets defense meanwhile allowed five on 10 tries by the Bills.
The Jets defense played fantastically in the first three quarters against the Bills but broke down late when they began giving up first downs and extending drives. If the Jets can keep the Browns offense off the field by stymying them on third-down, they can keep the score low and give Siemian more opportunities.
