The Jets get their second chance to build a winning streak this week when they head to Washington to take on the Redskins. On the heels of their second win of the year over the Giants, the Jets will now take on one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Washington averages a league-low 12 points per game and ranks 30th in yards.
It looks like an easy matchup on paper, but the Jets are seriously thin at important positions on defense, including linebacker and cornerback. Just this past week, the Jets gave up 281 total yards and four passing touchdowns to the Giants, so they of all teams cannot overlook the lowly Redskins.
Here are four keys for the Jets defense in Week 11.
Stop Terry McLaurin
The Redskins don’t have many weapons, but rookie wideout Terry McLaurin is their best offensive player. McLaurin leads the team in targets (52), receptions (32), yards (497) and touchdowns (five) and the Redskins average 20 points when he has at least 60 receiving yards. When he doesn’t eclipse that number, Washington averages less than six points a game.
McLaurin has actually been a top-10 receiver, according to Football Outsiders. He’s eighth in Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement and ninth in DVOA among 68 qualified receivers. He’ll be a tough matchup for the Jets without a true No. 1 corner. If Darryl Roberts misses another game, it’ll be on Brian Poole, Nate Hairston and rookie Bless Austin to step up.
Stop the run
Interim head coach Bill Callahan will want to establish the run early, and the Jets can’t let that happen. Washington’s ground game has steadily improved since Callahan took over for Jay Gruden in mid-October; the team is averaging 115.3 yards, 24.5 attempts and 6.3 yards per rush since Week 6. All three of those numbers would rank in the top half of the league if extrapolated over the course of the season.
Run defense has actually been the Jets’ strong suit on defense this season. The Jets allow the second-fewest rushing yards per game (81.9) and are tied for the fewest yards per rush (3.0). Just a week ago, they held Saquon Barkley to one rushing yard on 13 attempts.
With Derrius Guice returning from injury and Adrian Peterson running well despite his age, the Jets must take away the running game and force rookie Dwayne Haskins to make plays.
Force Haskins into making mistakes
The Jets will face a rookie quarterback for the second consecutive week in Dwayne Haskins, and this time they should be able to feast. The Redskins don’t have much of an offense, and if Haskins can’t rely on his running game he’ll be forced to make plays on his own, which inevitably will lead to mistakes.
On the season, Haskins has yet to throw a touchdown and has four interceptions in the three games he saw action. He also has only completed 61.4 percent of his passing attempts and averages only 6.5 passing yards per attempt. He didn’t turn the ball over in his first start against the Bills in Week 9, but he only threw for 144 yards and was sacked four times.
Keep pressuring the quarterback
One of the reasons the Jets were able to beat the Giants was because they made Daniel Jones uncomfortable. They hit Jones 10 times, tallied six sacks and caused three fumbles – recovering one for a touchdown. If they can do the same to Haskins this week, it’ll set up the rest of the team to succeed and keep the Redskins offense off the field.
Teams sack the Redskins on 9.1 percent of their dropbacks – fifth-highest in the league – and the Jets should be able to get pressure from all over the field. Against the Giants, the Jets succeed in blitzing with Jamal Adams and the linebackers while the defensive line bulldozed its way through the offensive line. That trend needs to continue in Week 11 for the defense to be successful.
