After the Jets evened up their record at 2-2 with a 23-20 overtime win over the Jaguars, head coach Todd Bowles said his team will focus on finishing following its fifth quarter escape at MetLife Stadium.
Following a 41-yard Robby Anderson reception that put the Green & White on the Jaguars’ 14-yard line with a 10-point lead, quarterback Josh McCown quickly tried to hit running back Bilal Powell on a screen. However, Powell wasn’t looking and the ball hit off his jersey, which led to an 81-yard scoop and score for Jags LB Myles Jack that cut the deficit to 20-17.
“Any time you have a chance to put a team away, you have to put them away,” Bowles said. “It’s hard to win in this league, so when you get somebody down, you have to kick them while they’re down. We didn’t do that this game, but we pulled out a win. Going forward, we need to make those types of plays to close people out.”
Just a Number
In training camp, Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams said he’s more focused on team goals than individual stats. So it should come as a surprise that the Big Cat isn’t bothered he hasn’t recorded a sack in 2017. The third-year pro said he’s still getting good pressure as he tallied two QB hits against the Jaguars. And after a Pro Bowl season where he led the Jets with 7.5 sacks, he is often dealing with multiple blockers.
“I’ve been getting a fair amount both years,” Williams said of double teams. “But since I had a pretty productive year last year, people are more focused on me now. I get more double teams I feel like, but you want to get 1-on-1s. I’m not stressed about the numbers right now. We’ve played four games and we’re 2-2. I’m more impressed with our team victories than personal stuff.”
Not About to Get Complacent
Even though the Browns are 0-4 in 2017, McCown knows firsthand a record is not indicative of a team’s talent. Many pundits believe Cleveland is on the rise with head coach Hue Jackson at the helm and a bevy of young players.
“He’s unbelievably resolved and resilient,” McCown said of his former coach. “He’ll keep getting those guys fired up and ready to play. That’ll be what I share with our guys. Just knowing this is the NFL and they’re chomping at the bit to go out and get a win while playing in front of their home group. I don’t think you can get complacent because this is the National Football League and anything can happen any Sunday. You have to be on top of your A-game.”
Dynamic Duo
Since rookie safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye have hit the field, they’ve impressed their coaches and teammates with their play and approach to the game. The rookie duo has combined for 35 tackles through four weeks of the regular season and played with a tangible energy. In fact, sixth-year cornerback Morris Claiborne said he’s never seen a pair of rookies make an immediate impact on a defense the way Adams and Maye have.
“Seeing these guys come in from the moment they took the field, they were destined to make changes,” Claiborne said. “Seeing how versatile they are, they can cover receivers, play in the box and play on the deep side of the field, they’ve been doing a tremendous job coming in as rookies to step right into those roles. The energy that those two guys bring when we hit the field, it’s unbelievable and we feed off of it.”
[TWEET]914936549032243200[/TWEET]
