A lot has changed for the Jets since Week 1: Sam Darnold will miss at least one game with mono and Quincy Enunwa is out for the year with a neck injury. The Jets offense struggled mightily in Week 1 behind an ultra-conservative offensive gameplan. Now Adam Gase needs to quickly build a gameplan around Trevor Siemian.
The Browns defense recently gave up 43 points at home to the Titans in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be a push-over. Defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward are superstars in the making, Oliver Vernon is a great pass rusher and Sheldon Richardson is still a solid defensive tackle. The Jets may have struggled against the Browns on Monday Night Football even with their full roster, but now the offense will need to find creative ways to put up points and yards.
Here are four keys to the Jets offense in Week 2 against the Browns.
Protect Trevor Siemian
Trevor Siemian hasn’t started a game since 2016 and he could be in for a rude awakening in his first NFL start in almost three years. Siemian went 13-11 as a two-year starter with the Broncos from 2016-17, but over that time was one of the worst statistical quarterbacks with at least 700 passing attempts.
Ideally, Adam Gase will have a simplified gameplan for Siemian, but the key will be to make sure he has a clean pocket to execute that plan. The Jets offensive line didn’t do a great job against the Bills in Week 1, allowing four sacks and nine quarterback hits. The Browns defensive line is equally, if not more, ferocious than the Bills pass rush. Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon are terrors on the outside and Jets fans already know how good Sheldon Richardson can be in the middle of the defensive line. It could be a tough task, but Siemian won’t have a chance to prove himself if he’s constantly bombarded by defenders.
Push the ball downfield
The Jets had the lowest yards per offensive player (3.4) and lowest yards per passing attempt (4.3) in Week 1, mostly because Sam Darnold rarely attempted a deep pass and opted instead to dump the ball off to Jamison Crowder or Le’Veon Bell. That gameplan is one of the reasons the Jets offense struggled to maintain drives and put up points – they were constantly facing 3rd-and-long situations after multiple short-yardage plays. Adam Gase should learn from Week 1 and try and build packages suited to give the Jets a better chance of getting down the field quicker.
Marcus Mariota averaged 10.3 yards per completion in the Titans’ Week 1 blowout win over the Browns despite only finishing with 14 completed passes. He had help from big plays to wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back Derrick Henry, but those situations set up the Titans to put up points and extend their lead. It’s hard to forecast when a big play will happen, but Gase should be able to set up weapons like Bell and Robby Anderson and put the Jets in more enviable positions down the field.
Spread out the touches
The Jets did not do a good job of evenly distributing the ball in Week 1. Le’Veon Bell rushed 17 times compared to Ty Montgomery’s two, Jamison Crowder saw 17 targets to Bell’s nine and Robby Anderson’s seven, and only Crowder and Bell eclipsed 50 yards of total production.
Gase shouldn’t allow Siemian to lean on any one player. He would be better served by spreading the ball out among a team full of solid offensive talents.
Target tight end Ryan Griffin
The Browns secondary is good, but one position they constantly struggle against is the tight end. Titans’ tight end Delanie Walker averaged 11 yards per reception in Week 1 and finished with five catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns. This has been a problem for the Browns since 2018, as they have allowed at least 40 yards or a touchdown to the tight end since Week 14, and at least 50 yards or a touchdown in 10 of 17 games.
Ryan Griffin isn’t a world-beater but he’s experienced enough to exploit a soft defense in the middle of the field. He played in 94 percent of the Jets snaps (67-71) vs. the Bills, which was third among Jets skill position players, and ran the most routes of any tight end in Week 1. He could be a great asset for Siemian with Denzel Ward blanketing Robby Anderson and linebackers likely keying in on Jamison Crowder after his 17 targets in Week 1.
