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Nashville – You have to give Jets linebacker coach Mike Rutenberg credit. He really had his guys ready to play in Nashville against the Titans. The Jets linebackers did a solid job against the run in Nissan Stadium, with Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood sharing the team lead in tackles with nine.
They both did a fantastic job of shooting into gaps and finding bass carriers. Sherwood played a lot more today after C.J. Mosley hurt his toe in the second quarter, and had his best game as a pro.
Sherwood also had a PD on a pass to Tyler Boyd.
If the Jets move on from Mosley after this season, they might have found their heir apparent.
You have to wonder if playing a different role today after the Mosley injury helped showcase his skill set even more than his previous role . . .
Not taking anything away from the Jets’ win, which was a gutty effort, but the Tennessee Titans are playing a QB who is over his skies right now.
Will Levis should not be starting in the NFL right now. He needs a lot of molding.
He’s a great athlete, but he doesn’t trust his eyes and is having trouble processing.
If the Titans had decent QB play in the game, the Jets might not have escaped with a win.
But it’s not the Jets’ problem who the Titans are starting a QB, and the team’s brass has no choice but to start him because the owner Amy Adams is a big fan.
When she fired coach Mike Vrabel, she said the Titan job was attractive because they have a “promising young quarterback.”
I have nothing against Levis, a Connecticut kid who is giving it his best shot, but he couldn’t get on the field at Penn State, and at Kentucky his last season there he struggled.
He’s not an NFL starting QB right now.
And the Jets benefitted from that.
But went the owner likes a QB, and feels he’s the answer, what choice do you have than to go with him?
How does De’Andre Hopkins finish a game with one catch for nine yards? . . .
From 1999 to 2022, they had a grass field at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
In 2023 they installed artificial turf.
That is certainly a shame for Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson, who suffered an achilles injury today on the synthetic grass.
The teams can show us stats on how artificial turf doesn’t cause more injuries than grass, but there is an old saying, “Stats are like hostages, you can make them say whatever you want.”
Perhaps there is no way to scientifically prove it, but the Johnson injury looked like a fake grass injury.
So sad.
But Nashville has a lot of major concerts in Nissan Stadium, which can chew up the grass, so they made the switch to the fake stuff . . .
Today was certainly not vintage Aaron Rodgers, but he’s one of those guys that if the defense keeps the game close, even in a game where he’s not dominating, he makes enough plays to get you over the top.
One reason the Jets’ passing game was a little sluggish for chunks of the game today is that the Titans have three good corners – the outside guy L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie, along with a good slot player in Roger McCreary, and to their credit, the trio did a good job in coverage in this game.
Also, while edge rush is important, many quarterbacks will tell you interior pressure is even more of a nuisance, and the Titans have two massive game-wreckers at defensive tackle with Jeffrey Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat, and they were messing up the interior pocket quite a bit.
But Rodgers, even with the challenges, did enough for the Jets to win, and his last drive was brilliant, taking the team 7 plays for 74 yards, with two outstanding passes down the sidelines, throwing two stud receivers open, first Garret Wilson for 26 yards down the right side, and then Mike Williams for 18 down the left side.
Once again, Rodgers throwing for 176 yards isn’t necessarily vintage Rodgers, but as often is the case in his history, even on days where his offense is average, if the defense allows him to hang around, he will make just enough plays to push you over the top.
September 15, 2024
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