6 takeaways from the Jets’ Week 13 loss to the Eagles
The Jets’ offense showed up to play early in their Week 13 matchup with the Eagles.
Their defense? Not so much.
New York allowed Gardner Minshew to channel his “Minshew Mania” days with the Jaguars and the offense couldn’t keep up. Minshew, playing in place of the injured Jalen Hurts, threw for over 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Philadelphia got back in the win column with a 33-18 victory.
The Jets moved the ball well in the first half and Zach Wilson looked the best he has in a while, but he still could not avoid turning the ball over at a key point in the game.
Here are six takeaways from Gang Green’s ninth loss of the season.
Jets' defense falls victim to Minshew Mania
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Minshew had his way with the Jets secondary in his first start of the season, throwing for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and finishing with 242 yards and just five incomplete passes. New York’s secondary never came close to stopping Minshew after having its way with Tyrod Taylor and the Texans last weekend. Maybe Houston’s lowly offense had more to do with the success of Jeff Ulbrich’s defense in Week 12 than anything else. Minshew shouldn’t have been able to come to MetLife Stadium and dominate as he did.
All talk, no gas
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Ulbrich said during the week that the Jets’ defense was “coming.” The unit is still en route to whatever destination Ulbrich had in mind, as it did not show up against the Eagles. Minshew looked more like Carson Wentz during his MVP season than he did Jalen Hurts’ backup, and Philadelphia ran the ball well enough for it to achieve a true run-pass balance. Ulbrich has had a lot to say about his defense turning the corner, yet it has been dominated on an almost weekly basis. One good performance against the Texans isn’t enough for Ulbrich to puff his chest out.
Zach Wilson makes progress, but still can't shake the turnover bug
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Wilson looked far more comfortable in the pocket than he did in his return against the Texans last weekend and mostly thrived as a result, finishing 23-38 for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He also sneaked into the end zone for a score. The rookie was firing missiles throughout the afternoon — although he didn’t get a ton of chances in the second half with the defense struggling to get off the field — and had a renewed zip and accuracy on a lot of his throws. However, he threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter, effectively wiping out any last-ditch chance the Jets would have had to win.
Week 13 can be viewed as a positive for Wilson, but there are still plenty of strides to be made. He has to find a way to avoid the turnover bug.
Elijah Moore needs as many touches as possible
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Moore is the most dynamic weapon the Jets have and he continued to show why against the Eagles, catching six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown to go along with a carry for nine yards. Mike LaFleur is finding ways to get Moore the ball and that needs to continue for the foreseeable future. He needs double-digit touches per week for New York’s offense to have a real chance of succeeding.
Alex Kessman bombs his audition
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Kessman’s time with the Jets is likely going to be short-lived after he missed two extra points in the first quarter — much to the dismay of a frustrated Robert Saleh, who didn’t use the kicker after that. New York’s replacement for Matt Ammendola wound up being a downgrade, and it’s easy to see New York bringing in more kickers this week.
Braxton Berrios does his part
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
The Jets have been searching for a spark on special teams all season and Berrios provided it, returning the opening kickoff 79 yards to set up a touchdown. He averaged 46.3 yards per return on three tries. New York kept Berrios around counting on his ability to succeed as a return man. He delivered in that regard on Sunday.
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