How worse could the Jets get?
Well, a second loss to the Dolphins would certainly push the Jets below rock-bottom in an already-disappointing season. Though the playoffs are essentially unattainable in 2019, pride still exists and that’s what the Jets will be playing for in Miami in Week 14.
Injuries struck the Jets hard again this week, with starters Le’Veon Bell, Brian Poole and Jamal Adams all unlikely to play. That leaves only five players on the team who have played every game this season, as pointed out by The Athletic’s Connor Hughes. It’s not an excuse for poor play, but certainly a huge factor in the Jets’ pitiful 4-8 record.
Here are four things to know for Week 14.
Powell likely won’t be a workhorse
Bilal Powell will step into a much bigger role after the Jets ruled Le’Veon Bell out with an illness. But while he has seen his rushing attempts triple since Week 10, don’t expect Powell to suddenly acquire all of Bell’s touches. Powell has never been a workhorse back in his nine-year career in New York, and his career-high for a single-season was only 11.8 rushes per game and 13.3 touches per game.
Adam Gase’s coaching style also doesn’t necessitate a bell-cow running back, and that should continue this week. Though Bell served as such at the beginning of the season, Gase slowly cut into Bell’s timeshare with a dose of Powell and will likely do the same with a combination of Powell and third-string back Ty Montgomery. Powell will see a significant uptick in snaps, but that won’t equate to career rushing attempts for the 31-year-old runner.
Sorely depleted secondary
Brian Poole will miss his first game as a Jet while he recovers from a concussion while fellow cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) and safeties Matthias Farley (ribs) and Jamal Adams (ankle) are doubtful for the game. That leaves the Jets with five healthy cornerbacks and three healthy safeties. That’s less than ideal against a pass-happy Dolphins team on an offensive hot streak.
The Jets defense will need to rely on their front-seven to get pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick and not allow him to attack the injury-plagued secondary. Marcus Maye will become the de facto leader with Adams likely out, and Bless Austin and Darryl Roberts will likely hold down the outside. It will be paramount for Gregg Williams to coach around his beleaguered defense.
Top run defense vs. worst run offense
The Jets shouldn’t have any trouble stopping the Dolphins on the ground considering Miami is the worst running team in the NFL. The Dolphins have only rushed for more than 100 yards once all season, average a league-low 62.8 yards per game and are down to their fourth-string running back.
Patrick Laird is a 6-foot, 200-pound, 24-year-old who went undrafted out of Cal in 2019. He didn’t see any offensive snaps until Week 10 and only saw more than 20 snaps since Week 12. Though he scored his first career touchdown in the Dolphins’ Week 13 win, he only tallied 48 combined yards on 10 rushes and four receptions.
New York, meanwhile, allows a league-low 75.3 rushing yards per game and only 2.9 yards per attempt – also fewest in the league. They’ve held some of the best runners in check this season – from Saquon Barkley to Josh Jacobs to Joe Mixon. Laird and the Dolphins pose little to no threat, which should give the team ample opportunity to pressure the passing offense.
A loss drops Jets to bottom of AFC East
Losing to the Dolphins a second time a week after falling to the last winless team would be demoralizing to the Jets for a bevy of reasons, but one big one would be the Jets’ standing in the division. The Patriots and Bills are clearly the two best teams in the AFC East, but a Jets loss to the Dolphins would put each team at 4-9 and drop the Jets to fourth given the Dolphins’ two wins over New York.
There are scores of reasons for the Jets to be disappointed in this season – the offensive struggles, injuries and coaching miscues to name only a few. Falling to fourth in the AFC East, though, might be the worst of those disappointments considering the Dolphins traded away most of their best players in an obvious tanking scheme for the best draft pick. The Jets, meanwhile, spent wildly in free agency the past two seasons and made moves to become contenders.
There is nothing left for the Jets to play for with the playoffs out of sight, but not being the worst team in their division would be a small – but significant – a consolation prize for a lost season.
