The Jets defense couldn’t stop anything against the Patriots, giving up 33 points on Monday Night Football. Now Gang Green must quickly regroup to play an inconsistent Jaguars team in Jacksonville.
With a bruising running back in Leonard Fournette and an electric rookie in Gardner Minshew, the Jaguars aren’t a joke on offense this season, but they also aren’t without their faults. They lean heavily on the rushing ability of Fournette and the big-play throws of Minchew to wideouts like D.J. Chark. Stopping those three players will be the key to containing a Jaguars offense that averages 20.6 points per game.
Here are the keys to the Jets defense in Week 8.
Stop Leonard Fournette
Rookie quarterback Gardner Minchew has the magic, but the offense really runs through Fournette. The running back leads the league in rushing attempts with 144 and is second in yards (715) and yards after contact (3.7). The Jaguars are 0-3 in games Fournette rushes for less than 100 yards, so stopping him would force the Jaguars to lean on their rookie quarterback.
Fournette is one of the biggest bruisers in the league, but the Jets have had success stopping the run all year. New York ranks sixth in rushing yards allowed (553) and second in yards per attempt allowed (3.3) and has shut down similar backs like Nick Chubb and Ezekiel Elliott.
Force turnovers
The Jaguars have been a very up and down team in 2019, but its very clear what happens to them when their offense gives away the football. Jacksonville is 0-4 in games with a turnover, while 3-0 in games without one.
Pressuring Minshew should create opportunities for turnovers for the Jets defense given the rookie fumbled the ball eight times in the first seven games of his career. He only lost three of those fumbles, but also threw two interceptions. This is a prime opportunity for the Jets pass rush to break out.
Force third down
One of the reasons the Jets give up so many points is because their defense can’t get off the field. But they’ll have a chance to force some short drives against one of the worst third-down teams in the league in the Jaguars.
Jacksonville ranks 27th in the NFL with a third-down conversion rate of 30.8 percent. The Jets, meanwhile, allow 44 percent of third downs. Not great, but good enough against a team that can’t seem to convert.
Hone in on D.J. Chark
Second-year wideout D.J. Chark is enjoying a breakout season with the Jaguars and the Jets secondary must contain him to limit Jacksonville’s offense. Chark and Minshew have great chemistry, and Jacksonville quarterbacks have a 138.7 passer rating when targeting Chark this season, per Pro Football Talk, which is fifth among wideouts with at least 25 targets. Chark also ranks in the top-10 in yards per game (83), yards per reception (16.7) and yards per target (12.1).
Trumaine Johnson will likely be called upon to defend Chark, though right now Johnson can’t even stop opposing team’s third and fourth receiving options. Chark can be stopped, though, and the Jaguars are 1-3 in games in which he has less than 50 receiving yards or less than four receptions.
