Five Jets to keep an eye on as the Green & White seek to even their series records against the Saints at .500 both overall and at home when the teams meet at MetLife Stadium on Sunday:
WR Jamison Crowder — Crowder has quietly been Mr. Reliable this season (team-leading 42 catches the past nine games), and with Keelan Cole just returning to practice from reserve/COVID, Corey Davis (groin) out for the rest of the season and Elijah Moore (quad) not practicing, Crowder could provide the chain-moving grabs and more for QB Zach Wilson. New Orleans' secondary features CBs Marshon Lattimore and P.J. Williams but the Saints are also vulnerable to the pass (22nd in yards/game allowed, 25th in yards/pass play).
Tackles George Fant and Morgan Moses — Much of Wilson's success will rest on the bookends up front in Fant and Moses. New Orleans doesn't have big sack numbers but DE Cameron Jordan is an always available pass-rush generator with 104 career sacks in 11 pro seasons. And fellow DE Marcus Davenport, out the past two games with a shoulder injury, is practicing now and leads the Saints with 5.5 sacks. The Jets O-line needs to keep opening creases for RB Tevin Coleman (4.7 yards/carry the past 4 games), then keep the outside rush at bay to help Wilson and the offense assemble both a fast start, like last week vs. Philadelphia, and a fast finish, as in the three wins to date.
DL John Franklin-Myers — The pressure will be on C.J. Mosley and the front seven to contain QB Taysom Hill and RB Alvin Kamara, just back from a knee injury, and turn the Saints one-dimensional. That's when Franklin-Myers coming off his left end could really exert his influence, going up against injured RT Ryan Ramczyk (knee) and teaming with Quinnen Williams at the 3-technique to force Hill into errors. Post-Drew Brees retirement and Jameis Winston injury, Hill has thrown two touchdowns to five interceptions, and four of those INTs came in 41 attempts on TNF vs. Dallas last week. CB Bryce Hall would surely love to snap up the Jets corners' first pick of the season off of an ill-advised Hill pass into coverage.
K Eddy Piñiero — Not to jinx the young man who hasn't competed in a regular-season game in a while, but as the Jets' next kicker, he'll have a spotlight on him at least until he nails his first placekick. While not doing any game kicking for the past year and a half, Piñeiro's track record is good. He made 88% of his field goal kicks in his two seasons at Florida (38-of-43) and was an 82% kicker for the Bears (23-of-28) in 2019. In those three seasons combined, he was 7-of-7 from 50-plus yards. And he was a better than 50% touchback kicker with Chicago. Finally, from his Windy City exposure, he shouldn't be fazed by the brisk Meadowlands winds (long-range forecast for Sunday's game: 25 mph gusts). Perhaps Eddy can turn the investment advisers' advice on its head and show that past performance can be an indication of future success.
WR Jamison Crowder — Crowder has quietly been Mr. Reliable this season (team-leading 42 catches the past nine games), and with Keelan Cole just returning to practice from reserve/COVID, Corey Davis (groin) out for the rest of the season and Elijah Moore (quad) not practicing, Crowder could provide the chain-moving grabs and more for QB Zach Wilson. New Orleans' secondary features CBs Marshon Lattimore and P.J. Williams but the Saints are also vulnerable to the pass (22nd in yards/game allowed, 25th in yards/pass play).
Tackles George Fant and Morgan Moses — Much of Wilson's success will rest on the bookends up front in Fant and Moses. New Orleans doesn't have big sack numbers but DE Cameron Jordan is an always available pass-rush generator with 104 career sacks in 11 pro seasons. And fellow DE Marcus Davenport, out the past two games with a shoulder injury, is practicing now and leads the Saints with 5.5 sacks. The Jets O-line needs to keep opening creases for RB Tevin Coleman (4.7 yards/carry the past 4 games), then keep the outside rush at bay to help Wilson and the offense assemble both a fast start, like last week vs. Philadelphia, and a fast finish, as in the three wins to date.
DL John Franklin-Myers — The pressure will be on C.J. Mosley and the front seven to contain QB Taysom Hill and RB Alvin Kamara, just back from a knee injury, and turn the Saints one-dimensional. That's when Franklin-Myers coming off his left end could really exert his influence, going up against injured RT Ryan Ramczyk (knee) and teaming with Quinnen Williams at the 3-technique to force Hill into errors. Post-Drew Brees retirement and Jameis Winston injury, Hill has thrown two touchdowns to five interceptions, and four of those INTs came in 41 attempts on TNF vs. Dallas last week. CB Bryce Hall would surely love to snap up the Jets corners' first pick of the season off of an ill-advised Hill pass into coverage.
K Eddy Piñiero — Not to jinx the young man who hasn't competed in a regular-season game in a while, but as the Jets' next kicker, he'll have a spotlight on him at least until he nails his first placekick. While not doing any game kicking for the past year and a half, Piñeiro's track record is good. He made 88% of his field goal kicks in his two seasons at Florida (38-of-43) and was an 82% kicker for the Bears (23-of-28) in 2019. In those three seasons combined, he was 7-of-7 from 50-plus yards. And he was a better than 50% touchback kicker with Chicago. Finally, from his Windy City exposure, he shouldn't be fazed by the brisk Meadowlands winds (long-range forecast for Sunday's game: 25 mph gusts). Perhaps Eddy can turn the investment advisers' advice on its head and show that past performance can be an indication of future success.
5 Jets to Watch as Jets Seek to Sink the Saints on Sunday
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