The New York Jets (2-9) have shown plenty of fight over their last two games against the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens, but that effort has not translated to wins. They’ll look to snap their two-game losing streak in Week 13 when they host the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.
Atlanta (4-7) snapped a five-game losing streak in Week 13 with a victory over the New Orleans Saints. Their starting quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., is out for the season with a Torn ACL, which means Kurt Cousins will be the starter against the Jets. The Falcons will also be without their top wide receiver, Drake London, who is recovering from a PCL Strain.
Here are Three Keys To Victory for the Jets against the Falcons in Week 13:
Establish the Run Early and Often
The Falcons defense ranks towards the bottom of the league against the run, allowing an average of just over 133 yards per game. The Jets strength continues to be their running game, which is seventh best overall.
Breece Hall struggled last week in the team’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, rushing for only 44 yards on 16 carries and a backbreaking fumble near the goal line that would have given the Jets a touchdown. Hall is still the centerpiece of the Jets offense with Garrett Wilson still injured and Tanner Engstrand should keep feeding him plenty of carries to open up the passing game for Tyrod Taylor.
Contain Bijan Robinson
The Jets defensive line has been impressive since the trade of Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. The held the Patriots to only 65 yards rushing in Week 12 and only 75 yards combined to Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in their Week 13 loss to the Ravens. But, stopping one of the top running backs in the league is easier said than done.
Robinson is on his way to his second straight 1,000-yard season. But, the Falcons will not have Drake London for this game and it could make them a bit over-reliant on their top running back to carry the team’s offense. Kurt Cousins is not mobile and the Falcons receivers without London are a bit of a weakness. The Jets need to continue to keep the same game plan they had against the Patriots and Ravens to limit the damage Robinson could do on Sunday.
No Mistakes on Offense
The Jets are a team that has zero margin of error whenever they take the field. Their defense still doesn’t have an interception this season, which is beyond embarrassing, and they still tend to have self-inflicted wounds at the worst possible times. While plenty of people will give Hall a pass for that awful fumble last week, it cost them a touchdown and was a huge factor in the outcome of their loss to the Ravens.
Having Taylor as the starting quarterback has made a huge difference as the Jets can now get the ball downfield to their receivers. Taylor may play a mistake free game or he may not. Atlanta’s defense is sixth best in the league with 15 takeaways and third with 39 sacks. The offensive line has to continue to give Taylor time to get rid of the football and not force any throws.
Take risks when necessary, but the Jets cannot afford anymore brutal turnovers in the red zone against this opportunistic Atlanta defense.