Luckily for the New York Jets (3-12), their first season under head coach Aaron Glenn ends in two weeks.
Whether this is Glenn’s only season with the team remains to be seen, but the final two games still need to be played and the Jets will face the New England Patriots (12-3) in Week 17 at MetLife Stadium.
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Brady Cook will continue to be the starter, while Tyrod Taylor will serve as the backup. The Jets placed Justin Fields on IR, ending his season and likely his time with the team. Mason Taylor, Will McDonald and Kiko Mauigoa also will not play in Sunday’s game as the Jets embrace tanking and look to improve their position in April’s NFL draft.
The Patriots clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. They will clinch the AFC East title with a victory over the Jets on Sunday.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Jets vs. Patriots:
split carry
It’s unclear what Bryce Hall’s future is with the Jets, but what’s certain is that he’s not playing like a running back worthy of a lucrative contract this offseason. The Jets will likely slap the franchise tag on him and either sign him to a new contract or trade him before the draft. Hall hasn’t rushed for more than 100 yards since Oct. 26 and has only rushed for more than 75 yards once in the past seven games.
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Hall is likely retired at this point, but he’s only 56 yards away from his first 1,000-yard season. He’s a frustrating player and it will be nice to see what Isaiah Davis can do on most carries. Try to get Hall some yards so he can break 1,000, then let him finish the season. If Brees isn’t part of the future, it’s time for Davis to see the rest of the way.
open script
There’s nothing more frustrating than a coaching staff telling you they believe in a young player, but preventing that player from truly taking charge of the offense, taking risks and learning on the job. That’s exactly what happened with Brady Cook against the Saints last week. Tanner Engstrand refused to take any chances with his rookie quarterback, who kept all of his passes short and played a very conservative offense. The results were predictable, as the Jets offense was poor and Cook’s development didn’t show much.
If the coaching staff sticks to this strategy, it proves they have little faith in Cook. It also represents a domino effect, as if the players see the coach has no desire to be aggressive and try to win, they give up and put in a terrible effort. The Jets have no chance against New England on Sunday. But it would be nice if Engstrand trusted his quarterback more and made the offense interesting instead of boring fans every week.
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If the odds are in the Jets’ favor, a late-season loss could become a hidden victory. New York currently holds the fourth overall pick in April’s NFL draft. The Giants, Raiders and Browns are ahead of them. Fernando Mendoza is projected to be the top quarterback prospect in this draft and is expected to be a top-five pick. Only the Raiders are likely to select Mendoza, as the Giants have already committed to Jaxon Dart and the Browns look like they’ll be moving on with Shaddell Sanders next season.
A win for the Raiders combined with a loss for the Jets would make Week 18 a very interesting matchup. The Jets will travel to Buffalo to end their season against the Bills, while the Raiders will host the Chiefs, who are down to their No. 3 quarterback after Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew were lost for the season. If you’re a tanking fan, rarely does a game between two bad teams mean so much. The Giants and Jets share an ugly stadium. Perhaps Big Blue can help their co-tenants cope with Sunday’s loss to Vegas.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: 3 keys to victory for Jets vs. Patriots in Week 17