Patriots could exploit this facet of talented Jets defense in Week 3

Patriots could exploit this facet of talented Jets defense in Week 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots don’t have much of a passing attack right now. They have averaged 122.5 passing yards per game through two weeks, which is the fourth-lowest among the NFL’s 32 teams.

The rushing attack is a far different story.

The Patriots ran for 170 yards (4.4 per carry) and a touchdown in their Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and then picked up 185 yards (5.1 per carry) and a touchdown in their Week 2 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Can the Patriots keep up this success on the ground in their Week 3 matchup versus the New York Jets on Thursday night?

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SNY’s Connor Hughes joined Tom E. Curran on the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Talk Podcast to explain why New England could run all over the Jets this week.

One major reason why is injuries. The Jets just lost star defensive end Jermaine Johnson to a torn Achilles, and veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley is “50-50” to play Thursday due to a toe injury, per Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

“There are opportunities (for the Patriots) there because the Jets’ run defense is not very good,” Hughes said. “They’ve got some issues there on the interior of the defensive line. Quinnen Williams is still an All-Pro, there’s no drop-off there, but Javon Kinlaw — their other defensive tackle — is not a great run defender. Soloman Thomas isn’t a great run defender.

“And the one stout presence the Jets had that they could rely on opposite Quinnen Williams was Jermaine Johnson. He’s not T.J. Watt — I know Johnson made the Pro Bowl last year — he’s not Nick Bosa, he’s not that caliber of a player, but what he is, is a player who does everything well. He’s tough against the run, he’s a solid pass rusher. He’s someone you can rely on to give a high level of…

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Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-09-17 22:38:52

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