Home, sweet home.
There’s no way the Jets aren’t collectively thinking that after two consecutive losses and a four-game stretch that saw them play first in London and finish last Sunday in Oakland, California, with a 34-20 loss to the Raiders. Those locales are eight time zones away from one another.
The Jets (4-3) return to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon and welcome the Jaguars (2-5), one of the worst teams in the league through eight weeks. Here’s how the Jets can get their season back on track this weekend.
Find their stride
When the Jets can’t run, they don’t win. They’ve collectively run for 100 or more yards in each victory. In each loss, they failed to cross the century mark on the ground. During the current two-game losing streak, they’re gaining just 3.3 yards per carry after establishing a 4.5 ypc mark during the first 5 games of 2015. The Jaguars are the league’s stingiest rushing defense on a per-carry basis (3.5 ypc allowed), so it won’t be easy for Chris Ivory and company to find traction.
Bottle up Bortles
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles as make improvements after a poor rookie year in 2014. However, he remains one of the least accurate passers in the league, completing just 55.7% of attempts and ranking 30th among qualifiers. Normally, Darrelle Revis and crew would look too imposing on paper, but recent struggles against Tom Brady and Derek Carr suggest this one isn’t a gimme.
Let it fly
Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to start just seven days after tearing ligaments in the thumb on his non-throwing hand. While Geno Smith acquitted himself fine in relief, Fitzpatrick his more capable of getting it to top targets Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Fitzpatrick need not worry much about his opposing defense creating turnovers. The Jags have just three interceptions this season, tied for last in the NFL.
